The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

I truly has no idea what to expect with this book when I purchased it. I just knew we love France, French food, and dream of one day returning and living there (at least for awhile). So the description seemed to set up an interesting read. It was. It filled my hopes and gave us the ideas that we can use on our next visit. The recipes only added to the charming read. I am not a baker nor chef and I’m only a “foodie” in the loosest sense of the term. I enjoy good food and travel, so this seemed a good read. But I’d never heard of David Lebovitz. Turns out he’s an American ex-pat pastry chef who loves Paris even more than we do. He offers up tails of his move to and subsequent life in Paris, along with many recipes of French foods to try. We haven’t as of yet, but we plan to. His tales are interesting and offer great insights for someone wishing to prolong their visit into living; topics include his experiences with visas, choosing an apartment, and everyday life. I will say there are some elements that feel repetitious and could be covered in less time, but it doesn’t take away from the overall story. Lebovitz is a pretty good storyteller overall and brings us through the good and bad of Paris life. His passion for baking is obvious and his stories revolve around that element. It can become a bit of a distraction in that the average American moving to France isn’t going to be able to buy their way into interesting situations like working in a specialty food store or get special treatment for the baked goods they can offer. But it’s a unique take on things and certainly it’s fun to read about the foodie side of a country known for it’s food. The take away for me is that it was an enjoyable read, kept and excelled my interest in France and living there for awhile, and made it feel like most anyone can cook or bake French delights. I would recommend the read for anyone interested in at least one of these things.

I didn't realize that this was such a foodie book, but was pleasantly surprised by the large number of recipes included at the end of each chapter. It's a fun, quick read. Lebovitz is a charming author, and his anecdotes about life in Paris, for better or worse, are hilarious. I finished the whole thing in a day and a half; I couldn't put it down! A word of warning, however: This book will make you hungry. Bonne chance!

This book is perfection. It contains the 3 elements that I consider to be integral to any good book: laughter, tears, and good, old fashioned relate-ability. I purchased this book a few months before I went to Paris for the first time. I admit, I wasn't sure what to expect of it, having never read the author's blog. My, was I in for a pleasant surprise. From the first page, he had me smiling, then chuckling, then throwing back my head and laughing, imagining his adventures through the city of lights. What I loved about this book was that it wasn't touristy-- it was genuinely the experience of someone who has lived there and discovered both the unexpected good and bad of a city that has become legend. His descriptions are so lovely, vibrant, and colorful. I learned that "real butter" croissants are straight across, while butter substitutes are curved (and tried the real thing when I went to Paris-- thanks David!). His descriptions of the food, and the care and pride with which Parisians prepare and present their craft, are mesmerizing. Thanks to David I knew to say "Bonjour, Madame!" when I entered the famous Pierre Herme macaron Patisserie in Paris, as well as to say "Merci, Monsieur," when I left the bus. I found that just these little bits of Paris etiquette helped me enormously when I visited. The recipes are amazingly delicious, and his commentary throughout makes it feel like you are sitting at the kitchen table with a trusted friend, rather than listening to a chef rattle off a recipe. I loved his observations about what you can do to troubleshoot, or even what to do to cover mistakes. Overall, just a treasure. Rarely does a "celebrity" book live up to the hype. This one is going to live to be 100 ;) Thanks David for an inspiring book through which I intend to reread whenever I get homesick for my Paris vacation.

Pastry chef and cookbook author David Lebovitz has amassed a large following for his Paris/food blog, and these pleasant essays and first rate recipes explain why. Lebovitz`s `The Sweet Life in Paris' is indeed sweet for the reader. His subtitle says it all: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City. Lebovitz's take on the Parisian scene is laugh aloud funny and spot on. His willingness to laugh at his own mistakes and his awe at the brassiness of the Parisian character make this book a charmer. His topics are varied - setting up a new apartment, the Parisian attitude toward nudity, what not to say at dinner parties, how to traverse Paris streets and survive, the awesome power of Dulce de Leche Brownies.... The reader comes to share his joy at having survived his semi-assimilation into Parisian life and culture. (Remember those fifth grade book reports when you had to come up with a theme for your book? This one would be easy - it wasn't easy but the author made a place for himself in Paris [of all places!] by being nice and learning when to push back.) Each essay is followed by a Lebovitz recipe or two. As I read I marked eleven to try right away. Highly recommended for those who love Paris, those who love food, and those who are willing to laugh aloud.

There is a theme of late with books I am selecting: food. Not all have yet been posted but I am finding a strange attraction to audiobooks about food being read to me. Who would have thought listening to recipes and gory food details would be so fun and conducive to the audiobook world. This is a must read for anyone bound for Paris. I have only visited once thus far and found David's observations true and some of the items would have been good to know a little in advance, you know, to practice. J It reads like a novel but is full of factual, first person observations. To tickle my professional fancy, he even provides an astute assessment of the French health care system. Perhaps turning this into the book that never ends.... the author maintains a great blog about his Sweet Life in Paris over at http://www.davidlebovitz.com/. He keeps it current and fresh with great writing and recipes. Mr. Lebovitz also provides information on some of his favorite haunts in Paris, many mentioned in the book. Again, would have loved to have read this before visiting. We did have a fantastic trip and were able to join up with some friends, dine at quintessential Parisian cafes, the Cristal Room at the Baccarat Museum, a divine Moroccan eatery and, make the mistake of stopping at Starbucks on our first morning. J Oops, what can we say? We hail from Seattle and needed a guaranteed fix. Recipe I intend to try: Shallot and Beer Marmalade Listening closely reveals the oft heard advice of following your dreams, taking risks and finding happiness and success. http://oddsandhens.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/reach-read-the-sweet-life-in-paris/

So many ppl have reviewed this book that there isn't much left to say but I wanted to put my two cents worth in just to say I love this book! I've read it twice now and each time have savored it like a pain au chocolat! David is hilarious and I love his take on the Parisian way of life and Parisians' cultural idiosyncrasies. If you haven't checked out his blog yet, do! I've been to Paris twice and have read the book before each trip. Not only do I find it helpful and entertaining, but I add a few of his shop or restaurant recommendations to my "must visit" list with each trip. Also, the book keeps reality in check when I leave Paris and think "I should move here!" David's hilarious stories about Parisian bureaucracy and many things we take for granted in the ease of American life remind me that there is a sweet life to be had in Paris, but it certainly is an adjustment for Americans and not always for the faint of heart. I don't think I've tried too many of the recipes in the book, but love that recipes accompany most or all of his tales and I have several bookmarked to try. Although, this is a delightful book simply for it's great storytelling. To sweeten the deal further, I purchased from one of Amazon's affiliated used book sellers and received a used version in pristine condition (I think the book was less than $3 and the shipping was more than the book), which turned out to be an autographed copy. What an unexpected, lovely, little bonus for the Francophile!

David Lebovitz is an American pastry chef who moved to Paris and decided to blog about his experiences in France. I must admit, however, that I was first drawn to the book because of the beautiful croissant on the cover. I had never heard of Lebovitz before this book. “The Sweet Life in Paris” is a group vignettes based on blog posts by David Lebovitz. In this short and enjoyable book, he tells us about his daily life in Paris: the rude Parisians, the daily manifestations under his window in the Bastille section of town, the honking horns, the horrible coffee. Still, it’s not all bad. There are also the outdoor markers, the baguettes, and the chocolate. There is so much chocolate! And it all sounded delightful. The book also includes recipes after each vignette and, let me tell you, some of the recipes sound delicious. I haven’t tried making anything yet, but I most definitely will. And despite all the cranky Parisians depicted in the book, it still made me want to visit Paris.

A combination of good humor, great recipes, and practical information made this book worth purchasing as a kindle book (easily transported and read while traveling) and then as a hardcopy for the recipes when I returned home. As a frequent visitor to Paris, I found Lebovitz's perspective on Parisiens to be hilariously accurate and even LOL at his description of what I call "playing chicken" on the sidewalks. Until I read The Sweet Life in Paris it never occurred to me that body-dodging on the sidewalks is a cultural past-time in Paris! Also, the thorough information about shopping for food and ingredients has added another dimension to my sightseeing plans which after all these years needed a little spark. Of course, the recipes are fun and fabulous if one likes to cook and experiment. The conversational prose of The Sweet Life....makes it both entertaining and utilitarian. Sweet book!