Petite Anglaise: Amazon.co.uk: Catherine Sanderson: Books

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Product Description

Rory MacLean, Guardian
'Light, frank and tremendous fun. Like all good writers, Catherine's work enables us to appreciate the diversity, possibilities, trials and beauty of life.'

Mail on Sunday
'Addictively readable'

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brits abroad(1)

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Customer Reviews

47 Reviews

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(13)

Average Customer Review

3.3 out of 5 stars (47 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably well written but parts made my blood run cold, 7 Sep 2008

By	Me Mc Geachie "Mac User" (France) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked up this book fully expecting to identify and like Catherine, being a 'Petite Anglaise' in France myself. After a few chapters I realised that the similarity ended there.

While I admit that it's quite well written (if a little stilted and pompous in parts), the book just fails to deliver on any sort of 'feelgood' factor that its pink cover might suggest. Catherine comes across as totally and utterly self-absorbed and lacking in any sort of humour or sense of irony. Frankly, it hardly seems surprising that she experiences a number of failed relationships.

The description of her reaction (read hissy fit) when her ex can't make it to pick up their daughter on a Friday night and she therefore has to forfeit her night out made my blood run cold. I have a child of roughly the same age and cannot for the life of me imagine such a reaction to 'being stuck in babysitting again'.

All in all I found the book utterly depressing.

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars just average..., 20 Jun 2008

By	C. Chapelhow (London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am really glad I did not follow the blog first and then purchase the book...because I saw the book as a gap filler! Also glad I got this book from the library and can give it back!

I picked up this book because the cover suggested a light read..chick lit style and I did not notice it was based on a blogger and real events. I read blogs and really enjoy some of them. But I am sorry to admit I just did not enjoy this book.

Right from the start I found it almost difficult to believe that someone of the author's age and with a child could be so fickle and self absorbed. I have a daughter Tadpole's age and while I can sympathise being in a difficult relationship that needs to end, I can not believe that someone could plough headlong into another relationship that potenitally could have uprooted a young child and separated a father and daughter only months after meeting. For a 'real' story it seems to me so unrealistic and unbelievable... If it had been fiction I think I would have been able to relax and enjoy it more knowing it was not really true.

I agree you should not really judge an author and their private life, but in this case it is different for the blogger is opening up their life...and in turn putting it out there further via her book. For me I was not able to find the author sympathetic or likeable. I just found her annoying and felt so incredibly sorry for the continually shunted Tadpole. I was also shocked at the total lack of appreciation for Mr Frog and in particular his parents. Wow what amazing people! I wish I had parent's in law who would look after my daughter. I can not imagine for the same lengths of time (three weeks...OMG!!!!) but at least for the odd long weekend and ocassional week.

The writing style is very easy to read and if you love Paris as I do the descriptions of places and venues are sections that you will appreciate and enjoy. I suppose what I am saying is all the bits peripheral to Petite's life!

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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't judge a book by its cover... really don't..., 24 Sep 2008

By	AlexInParis - See all my reviews

The major problem with this book is that it does not know what it wants to be. The cover screams fluffy, fun chick lit whereas the core of the novel centres on the painful collapse of a family unit and its consequences against the backdrop of the author's `career' as a blogger. Unfortunately this sum of parts does not gel very convincingly.
For a start, the author does not have the ability to fully express the depth of the conflicting emotions inside her as she makes a very difficult and painful (but not necessarily incorrect) decision, and this results in her coming across as rather self-absorbed. On top of this, she often feels the need to justify herself, especially with regard to her blog, how she uses it and her relationship with her readers. This leads to rather stilted `conversations' which smack more of set pieces designed for her to defend herself against any allegations or criticism concerning her blogging, her behaviour or both. Finally, it is difficult to create any bond with someone who, in a work of non fiction, constantly reminds the reader that their blog, which is also non fiction (supposedly), is not an accurate reflection of their life, and nor would they want it to be one. Given the obvious pride the author takes in toying with and manipulating her online readership, why should things be so different for the reader of the novel, as after all, this is basic blog-to-book fare.
The very light and throwaway subtitle `In Paris, in Love, in Trouble' sits so awkwardly with the content of the novel that it further alienates the reader, as it is difficult to believe that anyone with a modicum of sensitivity would allow this subheading to become the public and published epitaph to their relationship.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars She's about as sympathetic as Ulrika Johnsson.
Well she can string two sentences together - but the whole thing smacks of someone trying too hard to justify their life choices. Read more

Published 2 days ago by A. Bensted

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, but better with the context
The novel is a real-life story about an English woman who relocated to Paris and lives there with her partner and their young daughter. Read more

Published 11 days ago by H. Kiely

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story!
This was a great book. I can see how it wouldn't be everyones cup of tea, but I thought Catherine was frank and honest and maybe some can't handle that? Read more

Published 15 days ago by A. Daly

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh dear
I was in a fluffy mood so i got this from the library thankfully I didn't pay money for it.

The author writes in a gushy style that irritated me and used rather a... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Lesley S.

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest, funny and touching
Having been a fan of the blog for a couple of years it's not a huge surprise that I loved this book. It was the first blog I ever read and opened up a whole new world to me. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Kate Gardner

4.0 out of 5 stars A Parisian affair
Petite Anglaise is one of those books that first started life as a blog -- except this is not a collection of posts strung together to form a disjointed narrative. Read more

Published 8 months ago by kimbofo

5.0 out of 5 stars Un enchantement!
I loved the book. It is written beautifully: Sanderson manages to capture the charm of a city in an almost poetic way. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Sybille

1.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing
I'm afraid I have to join the people who were disappointed with this book. For me, it illustrates the point that writing novels and blogging are totally different arts, and just... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Truthful

5.0 out of 5 stars More please
Fabulous book..best I have read in ages..I had never read Catherine's blog but when I finished the book I looked it up and will be reading it. Read more

Published 11 months ago by J. Charlton

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest...
I finished this book in a day and I enjoyed it. I really liked Catherine. I thought she was quite honest about herself and her flaws. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Julie M. Mann

› See all 47 customer reviews...

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	62% buy the item featured on this page: Petite Anglaise 3.3 out of 5 stars (47) �8.44
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