Review of Sarah Turnbull's Almost French
An Entertaining Memoir of an Australian Journalist Living in Paris
Sep 19, 2009
Published by Bantam Books, Almost French encapsulates the essence of living in France from a foreign point of view.
This is is a must-read for anyone who is considering to move to France or who is already living there. The book is an authentic an entertaining account of her struggles and jubilations in the backdrop of one of the most romantic cities in the world.
After an interesting encounter with a Parisian in Bucharest, Turnbull feels compelled to follow the spark between them to the city of lights.
Moving to Paris
Initially Sarah was overwhelmed by the French powers of seduction, according to her, the Parisians resembled smoking seductresses in films: unruffled, together and so self-assured.
She also became enchanted by the immortal beauty of Paris that inspired so many artists throughout history.
However, as she gradually adjusted to her new environment she started noticing certain aspects of the city and living in France that she found surprising and challenging.
One of the things that she speaks about is how she was shocked to discover that the French were not as unafraid of change as she had imagined.
In addition she talks about the bureaucracy in the country that had her up in arms and how everything took ten times longer in France than in Australia.
Becoming a Freelance Journalist
Sarah had to face a fair amount of rejection when she launched her freelance career as many of her story proposals had been denied one after the other. Her frankness about her desperate feelings makes one not only feel empathy for her situation but also instills inspiration in the wake of her perseverance.
"Freelancing by its very nature can be precarious and never more so than when you are trying to get started. Establishing myself as a writer was going to take time."
She decided to enroll in a course called: Journalists in Europe as it would expose her to many exciting experiences across the continent but first she had to find a way to collect $22 000 for her scholarship fees.
Her tenacity eventually paid off when she was whisked away to magical places such as Paris Fashion Week where she marvelled at the genius of haute couture.
Learning French
Anyone who has ever attempted to learn a new language will appreciate Turnbulls anecdotes of frustration, confusion and humour as she searches for her own voice in the "to-die-for accent" of la langue Francais.
She recalls how she was excellent at repeating phrases that she had learned in school for example complimenting someone in a pretty skirt - mais quelle jolie jupe but that opportunities to use these phrases were as rare as hen's teeth.
She confesses that initially she fell apart when she had to string together an intelligent sentence and felt that her communication skills had been reduced to that of a child's.
Her normal outspoken self also had to take a backseat while she was learning the language as she would often reserve her insightful opinion in an attempt to hide her infantile French tongue.
Living as an Expatriate
As she navigates her way through the cultural and linguistic minefield, she arrives at a point where she can feel the je ne sais quoi of France pumping through her veins. This causes confusion as her heart still yearns for the land of wide open spaces and beautiful beaches.
When she is in Australia she feels French but when she is in France she feels Australian. Living as an expatriate has its benefits though as one is able to take the best from both worlds and trancend it into something original and magical.
Resource:
Turnbull, Sarah. Almost French. Bantam Books 2002, ISBN: 1-86325-285-1
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