Le Divorce - Diane Johnson

Title: Le Divorce
Author: Diane Johnson
Country: America
Year: 1997
Rating: B
Pages: 309 pgs.

First sentence: I suppose because I went to film school, I think of my story as a sort of film.

Short summary: Isabel Walker travels to Paris to help her sister Roxy during her second pregnancy. When Roxy's french husband leaves her for a Czechoslovakian sociologist, Isabel is there to help pick up the pieces. It is a story of one girl's naivete (Isabel), as well as a larger look of American ex-pat life in Paris.

Is this for a challenge? Not really, although it does fit into the Book to Movies challenge.

What I thought: This book is fairly good. It was definitely a lighter read, but that's just what I needed. Diane Johnson is a gifted writer. I did not like any of the characters, with the exception of the delightful Mrs Pace, but I don't need to like the characters to enjoy a story. I have never visited France, but I felt as if she exaggerated the stereotypes and cliches, although this could have been done on purpose. The whole novel struck me as slightly comical, poking fun at both American and French idiosyncrasies. The only major drawback was the loose threads of some of the plot lines at the end. I thought there would be a sequel, but there isn't one. I would like to know more about the files of Mrs Pace!