Paris, My Sweet
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Review
Do not read this book on an empty stomach...After a couple of chapters, I was ready to throw the book aside and hop a jet to either city just to get my hands on some of the food she described. --Working Title
Traveling foodies of the world, rejoice--Thomas provides the sweet scoop on Paris and New York in this mouth-watering memoir. While an associate creative director at ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, Thomas was offered a position as copywriter on the Louis Vuitton account in Paris. So she left her life in New York--where an insatiable sweet tooth had made her a veritable expert on the city's bakeries and chocolatiers--to live in the foodie mecca of the Second Arrondissement and work in a gorgeous building on the Champs-Élysées. During her quest to find the best breads, desserts, and cheeses at the myriad pâtisseries, boulangeries, and bistros, Thomas revels in the historic and cultural joys of Paris--the parks, markets, and of course the gorgeous Canal Saint-Martin. Thankfully, her vivid descriptions of baguettes, macaroons, and baba au rhum do more than merely tempt--supplemented with an extensive list of Thomas' favorite bakeries in Paris and New York, readers can get their own taste of two cities, though Thomas' is the tale to beat. --Publisher Weekly Feb 2012
Two cities have long held a special allure for me: Paris and New York. For decades, I figured I would find a way to live in both. These dreams haven t materialized, but I have been able to savor a soupcon of them vicariously through Amy Thomas s new memoir, Paris, My Sweet. When a job at Louis Vuitton unexpectedly falls into her lap, Thomas leaves New York to settle in Paris. The ensuing two years of adventures some sweet and some bittersweet are layered with memories of New York life in this delicious account. A savvy sweetaholic, Thomas ices this literary gateau with a list of more than 100 bite-worthy bakeries in her two adopted homes. --National Geographic Traveler Feb 2012
Like a tasty Parisian bonbon, this book is filled with sweet surprises. --David Lebovitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Sweet Life in Paris
Amy Thomas seduces us in the same manner than Paris seduced her - one exquisite morsel at a time. --Nicole Robertson, author of Paris in Color
Traveling foodies of the world, rejoice--Thomas provides the sweet scoop on Paris and New York in this mouth-watering memoir. While an associate creative director at ad agency Ogilvy & Mather, Thomas was offered a position as copywriter on the Louis Vuitton account in Paris. So she left her life in New York--where an insatiable sweet tooth had made her a veritable expert on the city's bakeries and chocolatiers--to live in the foodie mecca of the Second Arrondissement and work in a gorgeous building on the Champs-Élysées. During her quest to find the best breads, desserts, and cheeses at the myriad pâtisseries, boulangeries, and bistros, Thomas revels in the historic and cultural joys of Paris--the parks, markets, and of course the gorgeous Canal Saint-Martin. Thankfully, her vivid descriptions of baguettes, macaroons, and baba au rhum do more than merely tempt--supplemented with an extensive list of Thomas' favorite bakeries in Paris and New York, readers can get their own taste of two cities, though Thomas' is the tale to beat. --Publisher Weekly Feb 2012
Two cities have long held a special allure for me: Paris and New York. For decades, I figured I would find a way to live in both. These dreams haven t materialized, but I have been able to savor a soupcon of them vicariously through Amy Thomas s new memoir, Paris, My Sweet. When a job at Louis Vuitton unexpectedly falls into her lap, Thomas leaves New York to settle in Paris. The ensuing two years of adventures some sweet and some bittersweet are layered with memories of New York life in this delicious account. A savvy sweetaholic, Thomas ices this literary gateau with a list of more than 100 bite-worthy bakeries in her two adopted homes. --National Geographic Traveler Feb 2012
Like a tasty Parisian bonbon, this book is filled with sweet surprises. --David Lebovitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Sweet Life in Paris
Amy Thomas seduces us in the same manner than Paris seduced her - one exquisite morsel at a time. --Nicole Robertson, author of Paris in Color
Product Description
"From the New York cupcake wars to the perfect Parisian macaron, Thomas's passion is palpable, her sweet tooth, unstoppable."--Elizabeth Bard, bestselling author of Lunch in Paris
Forever a girl obsessed with all things French, sweet freak Amy Thomas landed a gig as rich as the purest dark chocolate: leave Manhattan for Paris to write ad copy for Louis Vuitton. Working on the Champs-elysees, strolling the charming streets, and exploring the best patisseries and boulangeries, Amy marveled at the magnificence of the City of Light.
But does falling in love with one city mean turning your back on another? As much as Amy adored Paris, there was part of her that felt like a humble chocolate chip cookie in a sea of pristine macarons. PARIS, MY SWEET explores how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a salted caramel souffle's rise, as intensely satisfying as molten chocolate cake, and about how the life you're meant to live doesn't always taste like the one you envisioned.
Part love letter to Paris, part love letter to New York, and total devotion to all things sweet, PARIS, MY SWEET is a treasure map for anyone with a hunger for life.
"Like a tasty Parisian bonbon, this book is filled with sweet surprises."--David Lebovitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Sweet Life in Paris
"Amy Thomas seduces us in the same manner that Paris seduced her --one exquisite morsel at a time."--Nichole Robertson, author of Paris in Color
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Paris My Sweet is a memoir of a year in the life of thirty-six year old sweet-addict Amy, who gets the chance to work for Louis Vuitton in the city she has always dreamed about. Part guide book to the best bakeries in town, part love letter to Paris, part almost mid-life crisis, Amy must learn to live as an American ex-pat in an utterly foreign city. For readers with a sweet-tooth, there are many mouth-watering descriptions of the various pastries and cakes she tries, along with recommendations and information about famous chefs and pastry trends.
Paris My Sweet is a light, cosy read. Although it is a well-written memoir, it's written with a light tone that makes it easy to breeze through and escape into. I must admit to not being a massive dessert fan myself (I'm more into savoury snacks), but I did enjoy the descriptions of all the food and imagine that someone who enjoys cakes would love them even more. My favourite part was the passion and joy with which Amy wrote about Paris, I've visited Paris only once and her descriptions made me want to visit again. After reading this book, you too will want to cycle along the Champs D'Elysses, stopping at cute patissiers whenever the mood strikes you.
The parts that I felt didn't work as well were the parts when things became tough for Amy and she starts to feel very isolated living alone in a foreign city. Her feelings are definitely understandable, but the tone of the book is so light (it's like a chick-lit memoir) that it's hard to connect with Amy and really understand what she is going through. The writing jumps from loneliness to cupcakes too quickly to have any real impact. There's also a lot about the ticking of biological clocks that again feels a bit shallow. Paris My Sweet was more about the cakes and the wonderful setting than it was about any real identification with the author.
Still, this is a fun read that's perfect for any armchair traveller or pastry enthusiast. It's quick, breezy and will make you want to travel to Paris and gorge on cake immediately
Paris My Sweet is a light, cosy read. Although it is a well-written memoir, it's written with a light tone that makes it easy to breeze through and escape into. I must admit to not being a massive dessert fan myself (I'm more into savoury snacks), but I did enjoy the descriptions of all the food and imagine that someone who enjoys cakes would love them even more. My favourite part was the passion and joy with which Amy wrote about Paris, I've visited Paris only once and her descriptions made me want to visit again. After reading this book, you too will want to cycle along the Champs D'Elysses, stopping at cute patissiers whenever the mood strikes you.
The parts that I felt didn't work as well were the parts when things became tough for Amy and she starts to feel very isolated living alone in a foreign city. Her feelings are definitely understandable, but the tone of the book is so light (it's like a chick-lit memoir) that it's hard to connect with Amy and really understand what she is going through. The writing jumps from loneliness to cupcakes too quickly to have any real impact. There's also a lot about the ticking of biological clocks that again feels a bit shallow. Paris My Sweet was more about the cakes and the wonderful setting than it was about any real identification with the author.
Still, this is a fun read that's perfect for any armchair traveller or pastry enthusiast. It's quick, breezy and will make you want to travel to Paris and gorge on cake immediately
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
23 reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Lots of food descriptions, with no real plot.
24 Feb 2012
Format:Paperback
(Originally posted on my blog, That Artsy Reader Girl. I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for this review.)
The idea of this memoir is pretty adorable. I love Paris, I love New York, and I love desserts! I envy that Amy Thomas got to fly off to live in Paris for two years, doing advertising for Louis Vuitton and sampling all the amazing pastries and breads, not to mention the culture itself. The pages of this book are crammed full of bakeries and other foodish places in both Paris and New York. She makes a lot of recommendations for those who plan to travel to either location. Many times I felt like I was reading a menu with really detailed, yummy dessert descriptions. Do not read this on an empty stomach, or if you're on a diet. The author even had me craving desserts I'm allergic to!
She also talks a lot about the history of various bakeries and dessert creations. Like the original chocolate chip cookie was a mistake. Someone accidentally dropped a chocolate bar in their cookie dough, and decided to go with the flow. A star was born. There's lots of cool tidbits of information that I enjoyed reading about. I learned quite a bit.
Of course, she adds in personal stories from her past, as well as her time in Paris. My favorite one is when her parents fly to Paris to visit her. She describes all the touristy stuff there is to do, and she made me want to visit even more. She takes them to this one tearoom called Angelina's, that sells the best hot chocolate in the world. She compares it to melted truffles. YUM. Coco Chanel used to have her 5:00 tea there everyday, and Audrey Hepburn popped in frequently. I looked this place up online, and it is GORGEOUS (and majorly expensive). I need to go!
There were a few things that caused me to drop my rating of this book. I loved the idea, but the execution could have been stronger. I don't speak or read French, and there is a TON of French in this book with no translations! She has a conversation with a woman who runs a bakery, and it was entirely in French. I could kind of make out what the general idea of the conversation was, but I had no idea what they were saying. She also used a lot of French phrases in the middle of her English sentences. It took away from my enjoyment, because I kept getting frustrated that I was missing something important. I just wish a parenthetical translation were there, or a footnote. Something. The author also writes really long, flowery sentences (sometimes the size of a lengthy paragraph) that are extremely wordy lists of stuff. She does this a lot (sometimes 2-3 times per page), and it gets kind of tiring.
Finally, she's a complainer. She complains a lot about being single, and how all of her friends are pairing off. She complains about Paris, her job, her lack of friends, how her jeans are tighter than they used to be (which they should be with everything she eats! Haha), her lack of French skills, and how she misses New York. But then she goes back to visit NYC, and mopes and complains about how it's not upscale enough for her anymore. And THEN she goes back to Paris and complains that she misses New York. I understand that it's hard uprooting your life and moving to a foreign city. And I can totally understand why she felt like this. But filling her memoir with complaints didn't make much sense to me. She spent a lot of the book sporting the "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality, and I got tired of it. She was giddy about food. Food solved all of her problems. I wish she'd expressed more of her happiness in other areas of life.
Overall, this was a moderately enjoyable read. The author has a few coming of age moments, and you can tell she learned a lot about herself during her time abroad. I appreciated her human side, but wished for a little more depth. She either talked at great length about food or her hardships. I enjoyed reading about the food, but I got sick of it towards the latter part of the book (it started to feel about as exciting as a cookbook without the recipes). Maybe Paris, My Sweet should be read in small doses, along with another book. I might have appreciated it more that way. If you love New York and Paris, this book will take you there. And if you love torturing your dieting self with amazing sounding pastries, this is the book for you! At least reading about calories doesn't plaster them to your hips, right? I've created a Dessert Bucket List now, thanks to Amy Thomas. :)
The idea of this memoir is pretty adorable. I love Paris, I love New York, and I love desserts! I envy that Amy Thomas got to fly off to live in Paris for two years, doing advertising for Louis Vuitton and sampling all the amazing pastries and breads, not to mention the culture itself. The pages of this book are crammed full of bakeries and other foodish places in both Paris and New York. She makes a lot of recommendations for those who plan to travel to either location. Many times I felt like I was reading a menu with really detailed, yummy dessert descriptions. Do not read this on an empty stomach, or if you're on a diet. The author even had me craving desserts I'm allergic to!
She also talks a lot about the history of various bakeries and dessert creations. Like the original chocolate chip cookie was a mistake. Someone accidentally dropped a chocolate bar in their cookie dough, and decided to go with the flow. A star was born. There's lots of cool tidbits of information that I enjoyed reading about. I learned quite a bit.
Of course, she adds in personal stories from her past, as well as her time in Paris. My favorite one is when her parents fly to Paris to visit her. She describes all the touristy stuff there is to do, and she made me want to visit even more. She takes them to this one tearoom called Angelina's, that sells the best hot chocolate in the world. She compares it to melted truffles. YUM. Coco Chanel used to have her 5:00 tea there everyday, and Audrey Hepburn popped in frequently. I looked this place up online, and it is GORGEOUS (and majorly expensive). I need to go!
There were a few things that caused me to drop my rating of this book. I loved the idea, but the execution could have been stronger. I don't speak or read French, and there is a TON of French in this book with no translations! She has a conversation with a woman who runs a bakery, and it was entirely in French. I could kind of make out what the general idea of the conversation was, but I had no idea what they were saying. She also used a lot of French phrases in the middle of her English sentences. It took away from my enjoyment, because I kept getting frustrated that I was missing something important. I just wish a parenthetical translation were there, or a footnote. Something. The author also writes really long, flowery sentences (sometimes the size of a lengthy paragraph) that are extremely wordy lists of stuff. She does this a lot (sometimes 2-3 times per page), and it gets kind of tiring.
Finally, she's a complainer. She complains a lot about being single, and how all of her friends are pairing off. She complains about Paris, her job, her lack of friends, how her jeans are tighter than they used to be (which they should be with everything she eats! Haha), her lack of French skills, and how she misses New York. But then she goes back to visit NYC, and mopes and complains about how it's not upscale enough for her anymore. And THEN she goes back to Paris and complains that she misses New York. I understand that it's hard uprooting your life and moving to a foreign city. And I can totally understand why she felt like this. But filling her memoir with complaints didn't make much sense to me. She spent a lot of the book sporting the "the grass is always greener on the other side" mentality, and I got tired of it. She was giddy about food. Food solved all of her problems. I wish she'd expressed more of her happiness in other areas of life.
Overall, this was a moderately enjoyable read. The author has a few coming of age moments, and you can tell she learned a lot about herself during her time abroad. I appreciated her human side, but wished for a little more depth. She either talked at great length about food or her hardships. I enjoyed reading about the food, but I got sick of it towards the latter part of the book (it started to feel about as exciting as a cookbook without the recipes). Maybe Paris, My Sweet should be read in small doses, along with another book. I might have appreciated it more that way. If you love New York and Paris, this book will take you there. And if you love torturing your dieting self with amazing sounding pastries, this is the book for you! At least reading about calories doesn't plaster them to your hips, right? I've created a Dessert Bucket List now, thanks to Amy Thomas. :)
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Fun book about Paris with excellent descriptions of the amazing food!
1 Feb 2012
Format:Paperback
Amy Thomas has written a memoir of a time in her life where whe finds herself torn between two cities, Paris and New York. While working in New York and enjoying a fun social life she is given the opportunity through her job to work in Paris. Thomas decides to go for it and shares all of the experiences she has there, the good and the bad. We get to read about what Parisians are really like and we get wonderful descriptions of the amazing food Thomas enjoyed while in Paris.
First I have to say that the descriptions of the food Thomas enjoyed in Paris are some of the best I have ever read, and I have read a lot of foodie books. They were quite a few times I was really craving a warm slice of French bread, a perfect cupcake, or a delicious piece of dark chocolate. The sections about the food were for me the best parts of the book.
Thomas also spends a lot of time writing about the difficulties she had to adjusting to living in France. I really felt for her when she talked about her difficulties with the language and her loneliness while in Paris. I am sure it would be very difficult to live alone in Paris and try to find your own way.
A lot of the book is also spent with Thomas dealing with so many of her friends getting married and having children while she was still single at 36. She really takes an honest look at the decisions she made in her life and tries to come to terms with the decisions she made and I admired for that.
The only problem I had with the book was that while I did love the parts about the food, after a while they became almost too much for me. There were too many detailed descriptions of all of the different shops she went to and all of the different food she tried. I found myself skimming over some sections after a while. Other than that it was a great look at what it would be like to live in Paris for a time and I know I am still craving some of those yummy sounding French treats!
First I have to say that the descriptions of the food Thomas enjoyed in Paris are some of the best I have ever read, and I have read a lot of foodie books. They were quite a few times I was really craving a warm slice of French bread, a perfect cupcake, or a delicious piece of dark chocolate. The sections about the food were for me the best parts of the book.
Thomas also spends a lot of time writing about the difficulties she had to adjusting to living in France. I really felt for her when she talked about her difficulties with the language and her loneliness while in Paris. I am sure it would be very difficult to live alone in Paris and try to find your own way.
A lot of the book is also spent with Thomas dealing with so many of her friends getting married and having children while she was still single at 36. She really takes an honest look at the decisions she made in her life and tries to come to terms with the decisions she made and I admired for that.
The only problem I had with the book was that while I did love the parts about the food, after a while they became almost too much for me. There were too many detailed descriptions of all of the different shops she went to and all of the different food she tried. I found myself skimming over some sections after a while. Other than that it was a great look at what it would be like to live in Paris for a time and I know I am still craving some of those yummy sounding French treats!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Appreciate the honesty, but didn't love the book
14 April 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I do appreciate her honesty about the difficulties of living abroad (or anywhere where you are basically on your own); but I didn't enjoy the arrangement of the book or her writing style.
In terms of her writing, she was trying too hard. I am a fan of the less is more principle, especially when it comes to writing. She wasn't as concise as she could have been and oftentimes used way too many words.
I agree with a comment in a previous review about don't read if you want to learn about Paris. I love Paris and was there not long after reading the book; and yes I could have done a chocolate tour based on her recommendations but that wasn't why I was there. I also was hoping for more insider Paris information, other than where to get cupcakes.
There were a few times when the arrangement of the book was frustrating because there wasn't good segue from one chapter to the next.
In terms of her writing, she was trying too hard. I am a fan of the less is more principle, especially when it comes to writing. She wasn't as concise as she could have been and oftentimes used way too many words.
I agree with a comment in a previous review about don't read if you want to learn about Paris. I love Paris and was there not long after reading the book; and yes I could have done a chocolate tour based on her recommendations but that wasn't why I was there. I also was hoping for more insider Paris information, other than where to get cupcakes.
There were a few times when the arrangement of the book was frustrating because there wasn't good segue from one chapter to the next.
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