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Ein Engländer In Saint-Tropez: Meine Abenteuer Am Mittelmeer (2009)

by Stephen Clarke(Favorite Author)

3.42 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

3492271693 (ISBN13: 9783492271691)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Piper

series

Paul West

review 1: My review copy of Dial M for Merde was graciously provided by the good people at Open Road Media Marketing. Special thanks to Kayla Shaw at Open Road for reaching out and inviting me to review the book.If you’re not familiar with the “Merde” books (A Year in the Merde, In the Merde for Love, Merde Happens), you really should be. They’re a very fun collection of quirky, goofy tales about the exploits of Paul West, a British ex-pat living in France. The books are a series of first-person narratives that read, like the best fiction, in a style that feels semi-autobiographical (the author, Stephen Clarke, is himself a Brit living in Paris). At least, they feel that way right up until the inevitable bizarre hijinks start. Then, well, they just feel like funny, silly fic... moretion – in the best possible way.The latest installment has Paul gallivanting off to the South of France with a hottie named Gloria Monday. It seems like an ideal vacation – but for the inexplicable presence of commandos, his friend Elodie’s pending wedding to the drug-addled son of a a hyper-matriarchal family of old French money, the hottie’s weird sturgeon-obsession – and her insistence on being called “M” like some sort of James Bond character, that is… There’s drama and comedy and even a lesson or two about the importance of caviar. It’s good stuff.Sounds wild, no? It’s actually pretty de rigueur for Paul – which is the good thing and the bad thing about this series. I absolutely loved the first book, quite enjoyed the second, and was a little less enthusiastic about the third. This is my fourth foray into Paul’s world, and while I did find the writing to be as enjoyable and engaging, the characters to be as wacky, and the situations they find themselves in to be as goofball-fun as in the previous iterations, I also felt somewhat like I was reading the same book again. It’s a good book, don’t get me wrong, but it’s starting to feel a little overly comfortable.In each book, Paul blunders his way into some bizarre drama, barely manages to escape with his skin, and somehow always ends up the hero at the end of the day. There are enough misunderstandings for several episodes of Three’s Company (I know I just dated myself there, but it’s true), enough linguistic and/or cultural booboos to make a protocol officer blush, and hilarity always ensues. There are laugh-out-loud parts to each and every book, whether situational or conversational, and the characters are a great mix of stereotypes and defiantly unique individuals.The good thing is that each book consistently has each of these elements, because they’re very enjoyable to read. The bad thing is that each book consistently has each of these elements, because I’ve come to expect them. This doesn’t make the good parts less good, but it does leave me constantly on the look out for the twist or unexpected spin, which makes the surprise less surprising when it inevitably gets revealed.I read the first three books in rapid succession. It’s been a while since I read the last one, and I did enjoy this one more as a result I think. My unsolicited advice, therefore: wander into Paul’s world for a vacation every now and then. Don’t overindulge. Pace yourself. Like the best vacations, you don’t want to overdo it – too much of a good thing makes the good feel less so. Sprinkle these books in with your other reading though, and you’re sure to enjoy yourself when you do.
review 2: I enjoyed this book immensely, as I have enjoyed all of Stephen Clarke's "Merde" novels. This was definitely better than the last one though, which I had to make myself read at times. The wit and cleverness was ever present in this novel, where he daringly used the French President (who we know is Nicolas Sarkozy but obviously Stephen couldn't mention for fear of getting sued or worse hunted down by the French government) for laughs. I really hope he brings us more hilarity from Paul West, I'll certainly be queueing up to buy the book when it comes out. Such is my love for this series. less

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