A year in the merde
By: Stephen Clarke
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 2004
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 336
ISBN-13: 9780593054536
Subjects: Social life and customs; British; Fiction
Description: A Year in Merde tells the story of Paul West, a twenty-seven-year-old Brit brought to Paris by a French company to open a chain of tearooms. Soon enough, he finds himself juggling a group of grumbling French employees, a treacherous Parisian boss, and a succession of lusty girlfriends (one of whom happens to be the boss℗ s morally challenged daughter). He soon becomes immersed in the contradictions of French culture: the French are not all cheese-eating surrender monkeys, though they do eat a lot of smelly cheese, and they are still in shock at having been stupid enough to sell Louisiana, thus losing the chance to make French the global language. The book also reveals the secrets of how to get the best out of the grumpiest Parisian waiter, how to survive a French business meeting, and how not to buy a house in the French countryside.