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Description edit
Based on Stephen Clarke’s own experiences and with names changed to “avoid embarrassment, possible legal action, and to prevent the author’s legs being broken by someone in a Yves Saint Laurent suit,” A Year in the Merde provides perfect entertainment for Francophiles and Francophobes alike.
read moreRidiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Paul West: Main protaganist. A young English import to a French meat company who must learn his way around lazy co-workers, and french culture, and how to walk in Paris while keeping his trainers clean.
- Jean-marie: an entrepreneur and the author's boss for a short period of time during his stay in France
- Alexa: an artist, Paul's first girlfriend in France
- Elodie: Jean- Marie's daughter
- Stephanie: member of Paul's team,and office secretary
- Christine: Add a description of this character.
- Marc
- Bernard
- Monsieur Lassay
- Marianne
- Jake
- Monsieur Augeme
- Nicole
- Carla
- Monsieur Martin
- Dave
- Andrea
- Chirac
- Hugh Grant
Quotes edit
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“"Fuck you Mr Darcy," I told the ceiling, "Fuck you, Hugh Grant. How can you expect a Brit to get his end away if you go around being so bloody polite all the time?"”
Paul West -
“Christine phoned around to find out about getting me a carte de sejour... All I had to do was take my passport, work contract, three passport photos, a recent electricity bill and the marriage certificates of any hamsters I'd owned since 1995, all photocopied on to medieval parchment. No problem.”
Paul West -
“"Ah, yes, but you'll notice that before invading the Normandy beaches, all the Americans stopped off in England for a cup of tea."”
Paul West -
“It was, Marie informed me, just one of France's sexual traditions. For instance, they call an overnight bag a 'baise-en-ville' - a 'screw in town' - meaning that it contains just enough for a night of illicit sex.”
Paul West
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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I saw that I was witnessing an important lesson in Parisian life: I mustn’t try to make people like me. That’s much too English. You’ve got to show them that you don’t give a shit what they think. Only then will you get what you want. I’d been doing it all wrong, trying to win people over. If you smile too much, they think you’re retarded.
Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers -
There is a class of tourists who never seem to see the things they’re visiting, I thought.
Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
Paris, France
- Paris
- France
- London
- England
- Florence
- Bonjour
- Iraq
- United Kingdom
- Britain
- Normandy
- United States
- Europe
First Sentence edit
THE YEAR DOES not begin in January.
Table of Contents edit
1. Septembre: Never the deux shall meet
2. Octobre: One foot in the merde
3. Novembre: Make yourself chez moi
4. Décembre: God save the cuisine
5. Janvier: A maison in the country
6. Février: Make amour, not war
7. Mars: The joy of suppositories
8. Avril: Liberté, egalité, get out of my way
9. Mai: 1968 and all that
Authors & Contributors edit
- Stephen Clarke (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: Add the language.
Publisher: Add the publisher.
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: 2004
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: Add the page count.
Publisher: Add the publisher.
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: 2004
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: Add the page count.
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 813
Subjects edit
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