Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.821044361092
EAN: 9780385522809
ISBN: 0385522800
Label: Spiegel & Grau
Manufacturer: Spiegel & Grau
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: 2008-06-17
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Release Date: 2008-06-17
Studio: Spiegel & Grau

A young Englishwoman in Paris, juggling a dying romance and the demands of motherhood, discovers escape, excitement, and—possibly—true love when she reinvents herself with a click of the mouse as … Petite Anglaise.


She has a job in Paris, the city of her dreams, a handsome Frenchman, a beautiful bilingual toddler, and a charming apartment with breathtaking views. So why does Catherine Sanderson feel that her life is coming apart? Stuck in a relationship quickly losing its heat, overwhelmed by the burdens of motherhood, and restless in a dead-end administrative job, Catherine reads an article about starting an online diary and on a slow day at work—voilà—Petite Anglaise is born. But what begins as a lighthearted diversion, a place to muse on the fish-out-of-water challenges of ex-pat life, soon gives way to a raw forum where Catherine shares intimate details about her relationship, discontents, and most impulsive desires—a daily soap opera starring herself, her lover (Mr. Frog), and their daughter (Tadpole).

When a faithful reader (who happens to be an attractive, charismatic Englishman) tries to get close to the girl behind the blog, the lines between Catherine’s real and virtual personas blur, tempting her to leave Mr. Frog and the life she has worked so hard to construct, in pursuit of l’amour fou. Propelled by her intoxicating alter ego and cheered on by thousands of readers, Catherine’s life spirals to exhilarating highs and dizzying lows as her life and her creation collide head-on and she must somehow make peace with both.

Fizzing with the vitality and allure of Paris itself, Petite Anglaise offers a fresh twist on the classic story of reinvention abroad: how a young woman transforms herself, wielding the power of a mouse.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Atrocious
Comment: This book is really a waste of time. Literary rubber-necking of the most unworthy subject. Ms. Sanderson is narcissistic and puerile. Her needs and fascinations are superficial and self-aggrandizing. How anyone could whine about the perils of trying to conduct a red-hot lovelife and smashing social calendar all the while raising a two-year-old is clearly an immature bore. I feel sorry for the daughter who will inevitably read this tripe and see her mother parading her indiscretions without even a modicum of dignity. Don't bother!!!!!!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Readable but inconsequential
Comment: This is a beach or airplane read. The author can be witty and she is at her best when she writes about everyday experiences in Paris, but too often her obsession with self and her tendency to take herself way too seriously get in the way. Sanderson's blog, especially the early entries, offers more of the light and entertaining anecdotal writing she is best at.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: I want to go to Paris!!!!
Comment: Even though I've never been to Paris it seems that I was there while reading this book!!!
The best thing is that it is not fiction and as a new mother myself, it makes you think about the relationships problems and also to be pleased with what you have, as long as it makes you happy!!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Fun to read, especially as a former ex-pat; didn't like the disloyalty
Comment: WARNING: SPOILER.

For those of you who have lived abroad, this is a fun read. However, I was not comfortable with the public deception. Even though the character is not married, she and her long term partner had a baby together and her partner deserved more respect, particularly since this is a true story and the character maintains a not-very-private blog. In other words, I appreciate that we can fall out of love with our partners, but I can't imagine her partner appreciated the public display of her complaints about their relationship and about her feelings for another man.

Aside from that, I enjoyed her descriptions of Paris, her love affair with another culture and her honesty regarding being a working mom.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great story w/added bonus of being true!
Comment: I really enjoyed this book and loved that it was the author's true story. By the time I finished I felt that the author and I were friends and looked up her blog to catch up from where the book left off. The premise intrigued me and did not disappoint. Good book!

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