A Paris Affair By Tatiana de Rosnay

Britany

A short story collection about cheating... cheaters, affairs, mistresses, liars, and Paris. I was about ready to give up on this author, and stumbled across this collection of short stories. Normally, I hate reading short stories as I can never connect to the characters, or find myself missing "the point" the author is trying to make. I got this on audio and hate to admit this, but ATE this UP. Two narrators, a male and female read this stories and made me angry, understand, and laugh out loud. The topic is tough and the language is vulgar. Certainly not something I could recommend to most. The narrators took this one to another level for me, and I enjoyed it very much- (even though I hate to admit it!)

**Rated XXX for vulgar language and situational circumstances

Raegan

I did not like this book at all.
The first few pages of this book were intriguing.
What starts out as a simple affair turns out to be
a disheveled mess.The whole book is based on the
concept of cheating. After a little bit the book
gets boring/annoying and I quickly lost interest.
Even though it was a little over a hundred pages
it had a lot of flaws.

1. The Characters
I had no connection to them whatsoever.The
lady seemed more of a sociopath than a cheater.
Same thing right?
2.The Writing.
Most of this book was just talking or the
characters thoughts.Not a lot of detail and
that explains why it is such a short book.
3. The Plot
Goes nowhere.
The characters don't learn from their mistakes
and the book ends up going in circles.
This book didn't have the "spark" that I look
for in all the books I read.Nothing in it is
original.

Same story.
No Plot.
Dumb ending.
No happy endings here. In the book or for me.
Moving on.

☮Karen

Maybe this should have been called Paris Affairs, because there are certainly multiple affairs discussed, not just one. That all men cheat on their partners seems to be the prevailing theme of the stories--also a few women--and then secondary is how each spouse deals with it when learning of the affair. From pretending it never happened to outright violence, I enjoyed a couple of the stories that were particularly clever, while others were predictable and many of the wives were portrayed as airheads.

Deborah

I'd be ashamed to admit I wrote this crap.

Dun's

This is a collection of stories about infidelity set in Paris, written from the perspectives of both sides, the ones who have the affairs and those who find out (with the latter at times also have an affair as an act of revenge). Some stories describe the consequences of the affairs, others leave what-might-happen-next to the readers' imagination.

The book is a quick and enjoyable read (128 pages in paperback edition). Each story provokes a variety of emotions, from suspicion, sadness, disappointment, heartbreak, denial, acceptance, and even amusement. It reminds me of the New York Times' Modern Love column, of which a Prime series with the same title is based on.

I have to say I was surprised by the low rating on Goodreads. Then again, reading is subjective, regardless of the topic. I'd recommend this if you like Tatiana de Rosnay's clear and straightforward writing style, or are looking for something light and somewhat entertaining.

Duane

My occasional need for a change of pace read led me to pick this book up. Recently published (July 2015) and written by Tatiana de Rosnay, the author of
Sarah's Key, it is a group of short stories about infidelity. Set in France of course, most of these stories were about men cheating on their wives or girlfriends. They were all very good, very well written, rising above the level of the subject matter. The wronged women were very clever in their ways of getting revenge. The quality of the stories and the excellent writing made for an entertaining read.

Albert

A Paris Affair by Tatiana de Rosnay is a collection of short stories set in Paris and whose central theme is adultery.

"...There is nothing more soporific than a faithful husband, especially when he is yours..."

The stories are told from both the side of the spouse who is being cheated on and the cheater themselves. The problem is that it is overall a novel of the emotional toll taken on relationships when an affair happens, only the writing is very cold and uninviting. There is little to no connection to the characters and if anything, these appear to be essays to support the growing belief that infidelity is a natural state and that being faithful in a relationship is the what is wrong.

The cheaters actually are angry at times with their spouses for being so boring and for now realizing what is happening. That somehow, the spouse believing in them and their marriage, is neglecting them with their faith. It is a sad and selfish representation of a married relationship. Perhaps this has something to do with the setting and perhaps in Paris, France infidelity is not only expected but is a time honored tradition as well. Either way the collection does not sell itself and that is too bad. I had heard good things about this author and now, if this is representative of her work, I think I'll just pass on future novels or tales. I can sum it up best in her own words.

"...I am going to leave you now, my dear Jeanne, not only at the foot of this page, but forever - because I have nothing else to say to you.
You no longer amuse me. Frankly, you bore me. May God bless you this Christmas.
But look on the bright side - you were right all along! There is no thing as a faithful husband..."

Suellen

I received this book from St. Martin's Press as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

This book consists of 11 short stories about people having affairs.

The first story "Hotel Room" (and my favorite) is about a man who has been having a four year affair that neither his wife nor his lover's husband have any idea about. He gets up the courage to leave his lover a note telling her that the affair is over. When the hotel they always meet at burns down he realizes that it's just a matter of time before everyone finds out about the affair. I can't say what happens next without giving away too much. Suffice it to say justice is served in a delightful way.

Eleven stories, eleven jilted women. Each woman had a unique perspective on their husband's infidelity and each has a delicious payback in store.

I'll be recommending this book to my book club.

Nancy

I am so sorry to say how disappointed I am in A Paris Affair. I really liked Sarah's Key as had very high hopes for another book by Tatiana de Rosnay. Perhaps this was an earlier work that was rushed to publication? Work from when she was a student given an assignment -- 24 hours to write as many short stories as possible dealing with as many iterations of an affair gone wrong as possible? Because that is what this is -- very short and very shallow, one-two-three tellings of various types of affairs (random, with a long term mistress, with a prostitute (s), mistaken, with a member of the same sex. None of them create any sense of true character. None create any true sense of need or desperation or regret or anger risen to the point of revenge. It is hard to care about the characters. They are all such old stereotypes -- the woman, no longer attractive after giving birth (thanks a lot...) the man who is often noted to be a "rutting beast" who is doomed to cheat such as the lackluster wive's father, grandfather or uncle did. That's one sad world I would not like to live in nor is it a fun or even moving one to read about.

I appreciate receiving this book as an advance reading copy but, in my honest opinion, I cannot recommend it. But, do read Sarah's Key it is haunting and well written and does a great job of depicting a horrible time and place in history.

Erin

Although I wouldn't count this one as a favorite of mine, the eleven short stories offered a little rest after finishing an audiobook and 4 ARC's yesterday. All the tales involve cheating on spouses-sometimes it's the wives, the husbands or both. They all tend to be abrupt in conclusion and lack substance with characters. I guess everyone in Paris is unfaithful at one time or another. So glad I picked this up for $2 at a secondhand store. My fellow Canadians do not pay the cover price(19.50) for this slim volume.

Goodreads review published 25/08/19

Fran

DNF - 33%

I listened to the whole first disc (1 of 3) only to find that it was short stories, one after another of infidelity. This is not my cup of tea at all, so I abandoned it.

Michael

I am familiar with Rosnay work, but this one was a huge surprise! Short stories are always hard to rate, mainly cause there are so many characters and mini plots that correlates. Unlike the other short stories I have read in the past, this one had the common theme of infidelity. It had different perspectives of betrayal, ranging from loneliness, sadness and heartbreak. It is hard to narrow down what stories I liked the most, but four stories stuck out the most.

"Hotel Room" was the best story to me. I enjoyed reading the opening letter about a man telling his mistress that the affair is over. Outlining the reasons why he should stay faithful to his wife and not have to keep a secret. At the same time,he tried to justify the reasons on why he should continue the adulterous affair. Hilarious and poignant at the same time, it ended with a great cliffhanger! Usually I am not too fond of endings like that,but it was remarkable to see how everything folded in the end.

The next stories were just as impeccable, but it s hard to describe it without spoiling anything. There were many things that impressed me about this book, from how concise it was written, great characterization and empathy for the characters.

This is my idea of an amazing short story collection, true and pure to the heart.

Almost gave it four stars but because it was so rare for me to enjoy every element of a story, I rounded it up to five.

Once again I am in the minority with the community rating.

HIGHLY recommended!

Kim Howard

Not good. I read another book by this author (Sarah's Key) and I loved it. I saw this collection of short stories and couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, these stories are just bad. It was like the author used stories she wrote in her high school creative writing class. It's missing the experience and knowledge of an accomplished author. My recommendation is don't bother with this one.

Martha

Well, My, My, My!

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Now, I will bet this was a consideration as a title of this book.

First thing to confess -I found this book at my local Dollar Tree store. I say confess because I have become a book hoarder; searching book stores, new and used, for good inexpensive books.

The title A Paris Affair sounded somewhat familiar- I thought it was a gold-nugget find. I usually check Goodreads while at bookstores for the rating before I purchase, but this particular Dollar Tree has no wi-fi for me to check. I bought it, brought it home, and discovered on Goodreads the rating was the worst on a book I had ever seen - 2.77. Oh, no, I wasted a dollar!

Oh, well, I decided I will judge for myself - good book or not. Well, 5 stars all the way!

I started reading this and the next day saw on the internet a story gone viral of a bride to be standing at the alter reading explicit texts from her fiancé’s “girlfriend” to the astounded guests. Sad story, but it had a positive ending- if there could be such a thing with what she discovered the night before her wedding day.

A Paris Affair is short stories of extramarital affairs and their consequences (or not). This book reminds me very much of my other 5-star rating Here Lies Dorothy Parker. Tatiana de Rosnay’s writing style is very similar to Dorothy Parker’s - Excellent!

Each story is introduced with a quote from French authors:

“There are good marriages, but there are no delicious ones.”
Francois De La Rochefoucauld

“Unable to suppress love,
the Church wanted to at least disinfect it, so it created marriage.”
Charles Baudelaire, My Heart Laid Bare

My favorite stories from this compilation are:
“Hotel Room” -serious, and thought provoking.

“The Au Pair” -absolutely hilarious! Laughed out loud until my side ached!

“The Baby Monitor” -memorable! Excellent!

Small sample of Tatiana de Rosnay’s writing:

“It is a cold November evening and a light rain is falling over the woods. Cars move slowly down damp paths, tires hissing on the asphalt, coming and going and coming again, their headlights picking out the leafless trees and the figures who stand on the sidewalk, hips swaying, lips pouting, provocative. Behind a steamed-up window, hungry eyes. The car stops, the window is lowered, the prostitute leans down, and the age old business of the woods begins again.”

I appreciate the ratings here on Goodreads, but I am realizing after viewing the so-so rating for Moby Dick, and now, the poor rating for this book, I will be more open to lower-rated books.

Books are all in the mind of the beholder. We all have different triggers - that is what makes us unique!

Yes, the $1 I spent on this book was well worth the 100 pennies! This WAS a gold-nugget find for me!

Vicki Willis

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
There were 11 short stories in the book. They were all about affairs and were shocking and humorous at the same time. I really enjoyed the book. It was a fast read that I couldn't put down and read all in one sitting. A solid 4* read for me!

jiji

MY GOD WHAT WAS THIS???

Ok, that’s a little dramatic. But this was a strange and unexpected reading experience. This was filed under short stories at my library, but they were more like vignettes, in my opinion. You know when you are in a creative writing class and the professor gives you a writing prompt and tells you “go forth! Write whatever comes to mind! Don’t overthink it! Just do it!” ?? That’s kind of what these stories felt like. Some of them were mildly funny and entertaining, and I did finish the whole book (but I can’t help myself...I finish every book I start), but they never dip below surface level.

The writing is OK, but not particularly clever or interesting so I don't feel I can even give this book two stars on aesthetic merits. Were these stories meant to be taken seriously? Were they meant to be sardonic? Were they meant to warn Francophile readers of the great dangers of overly passionate French men? (I googled it by the way...apparently 50% of French men are unfaithful to their partners). I'll never know.

Claire

I didn’t really like this book. It talks about affairs people are having which end in an unexpected way and badly. I have no problem with the subject, but I regret that there is little or non character depth. I understand it is more about the action of cheating, but it would be better if it were a bit less ‘plot’driven.

Joanne

I read this whole collection in about 90 minutes. It's not exactly taxing, nor is it especially fine literature, but it was an entertaining way to spend a gloomy winterish afternoon. I didn't take the theme too seriously, which probably helped me to enjoy these bleak little tales more than some other reviewers. De Rosnay can be an acquired taste, and I don't mind her at all.

Stephanie ((Strazzybooks))

A collection of short stories set in Paris, with common themes of affairs and secrecy. The stories were little vignettes, intimate snapshots into random lives. A few of the stories were witty and darkly humorous, while others were plain, sad, and relatable, and a final few fell flat. This is a short book and I enjoyed reading it, not knowing what the next story would bring.

Susan Liston

Oh dear. I've had a shaky past with this author, but I saw this and thought a little book of short stories about French people having affairs might be entertaining, but....nope. Since there are only 100 or so pages in the whole thing and the stories are so very short I kept reading, thinking, well, one of them must be okay. No. They were all quite bad. Reading terrible stories started giving me flashbacks to a few months ago when I read an ENTIRE BOOK of Rosamunde Pilcher short stories, and I began to hyperventilate a bit, but fortunately I quickly reached the end and was able to recover without any lasting harm; thank you for your concern.

Romancing the Book

Reviewed by Danielle
Book provided by the publisher for review
Originally posted at Romancing the Book

A Paris Affair by Tatiana de Rosnay was like a breath of fresh air. Here, I was thinking it was a book containing one particular couples’ affair and instead I found it contained several different affairs. Each affair had one theme. That theme centralized on how men are cheaters and women know it, yet we set ourselves up for the disaster anyway. But there were also, married women having an affair with married men. So, each affair was like a contradiction to the overall main theme. Tatiana de Rosnay has masterful captured the lives of those living with an affair. The characters come off pages and you feel like you are seated across the room from the action and watching it live instead of just reading about it. The pages will lure readers in instantly with the emotional struggles of the couples having the affair. The romance in these affairs were hot and like that of a fantasy. Yet, the sweet kind gestures were left once they affairs ended. If they ended at all.

Tatiana de Rosnay portrays the hardships and fails of a marriage. The emotional roller coaster that the devoted wives go through when they find out about their husbands’ affairs. This book shows readers how common and widespread the cheating scheme was and how it affects all of those involved. There were marriages with children and without children were the men and women were both cheating. A Paris Affair made me wonder why the men or women who cheated even married their spouses in the first place. I loved how one man is having an affair and he so carefully writes a letter to his lover. A letter that cancels their affair. Then a disaster occurs and this brings him with the haunting conclusion that he needs to come clean with his wife. The ending of its one affair will be priceless to readers. I truly enjoyed reading Tatiana de Rosnay’s brilliant fiction portraying lovers and the realistic side of their affairs. Human struggles and emotions so perfectly brought onto the pages for readers’ entertainment. Overall, I highly recommend A Paris Affair to readers world wide.

The Book Maven

Perhaps if I re-read this book at a different point in my life, when my personal circumstances are different, I will have a different take on this book. However, in my current reading of it, I was deeply disappointed. I really expected a little bit more depth to these stories, a little bit more variety, a little bit more of a nuanced look at modern marriages, relationships, affairs, and so on. Instead, these stories employed the usual tired old tropes, for the most part, about philandering husbands and clueless/hurt/betrayed wives who are victims, rather than active agents in determining the nature and outcome of their love lives.

(Spoiler alert***************************************************************)
Even in the one story in which the wife is the philanderer--and a contemptuous one at that--it turns out that her husband had been cheating on her as well, and ultimately leaves her.)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, would it have been SO hard to write some stories that address things like polyamory, discreet arrangements, and other possibilities? I had such expectations for this collection, and was so very disappointed.

Marilyn

When I requested it at the library, I was not expecting a collection of short stories, and was mildly disappointed when I realized that's what it was.

I read it anyways though, and was pleasantly surprised. I found the odd one too short, but overall I liked the quick glimpses into peoples lives - and that almost every story was written in a different manner.

Glad I picked it up, and highly recommended. :)

Vivian

Genoten van dit boek: het is een pageturner die je letterlijk zo uit hebt. Lekker om tussendoor te lezen, de verhalen zijn oprecht boeiend en sterk geschreven. Recensie:
http://thebookreview.nl/recensies/rom...

Jennifer

I like this book. I think that it's well written and intriguing. Tatiana de Rosnay is a good storyteller.

Steve lovell

As I was about to depart to a part of France I decided to get into the mood. No, it wasn't to be, sadly and unlike Bernard Salt, the City of Love where I was headed to, nor was it to the Riviera, nor the Normandy Coast. No, not even Provence. But I was soon to be promenading around the streets of a French city, nonetheless.

As with BS, I'd also hopefully be people watching in that city as well – ideally from a sidewalk cafe as French speakers strutted by. But I differ from Mr Salt in that I am as far removed from being a follower of fashion as it is possible to get. But, with my gorgeous lady helping out, I intended to be at least spiffy for the occasion in an attempt to be worthy of being by her side as she accompanied me down the rues of said city. So, no, I wouldn't be disporting in my crocs, as much as I might want to, for our day on French territory, with or without socks – it's not unknown that I wear the footwear with the latter.

Now, in the weeks leading up to departure for my excursion to this foreign land, I went all francophone-ish, as was fitting. I partook of books and movies to, as I said, get in the groove. So let's start with the former.

Elizabeth Baird's memoir' 'A Lunch in Paris', being as it is filled with enough recipes to make me salivate to the max, is a fine entree into the life of one of the world's gastronomic capitals. Hopefully, I too would be dining on some decent French tucker soon enough, albeit on a fleeting visit.

Baird's tome was also a love story – not so much about Parisian life (about which she is very candid) – but for a man, a soul mate. The American met him at an academic conference in London. Although her journey, as expressed in print, suffers a tad from the American thing of over-zealous self-examination, it remains a reasonably interesting read. Not engrossing, but there was enough to keep me turning the pages. And actually living in Paris, rather than merely visiting, isn't all beer and skittles, as many another ex-pat has discovered. For, as Salt points out, there is much frustration to be had, whether it be from unsatisfactory plumbing, grumpy shop-keepers and the intolerance towards one's inability with the language, matched by the pitfalls of attending soirees as your husband's partner in the French capital. But there are joys too. There's the freshness of the food from markets, a far cry from the tired vegies in her home supermarkets (and ours). There's also the beauty of the place – not only around the touristy areas, but also in the lesser known arrondissements. And of-course, over-arching all the setbacks, there is the love for a fellow at the book's core. 'A Lunch in Paris' does encourage one to visit, rather than perhaps permanently settle down there, whetting my appetite to do the former again.

And where would our view of the joie de vivre of the French way of life be if it wasn't infused with affairs of the heart. Of course, there is their supposed penchant for the extra-marital kind and Tatiana de Rosnay presents numerous takes on these with the stories she gifts us in 'A Paris Affair'. They are soufflé-light, fluffy vignettes, reminding me of those 'Erotic Tales' SBS used to show on Friday nights – naughty but invariably nice (if you're inclined to go there, I notice they are available on SBS on Demand). Sometimes, in de Rosnay's tales, those being cuckolded get their own back, sometimes they didn't. It's a book that only takes an hour or so to read and it was on special at one of my bookstores of choice so I picked it up. At full price it would be a road too far.

I love French movies – but the following three were from UK and US makers, partly or wholly set in that country.

'Paris Can Wait' featured a luminous Diane Lane, an actress who would seem grows even more stunning as she gracefully ages. Alec Baldwin, playing her character's hubby, is present too, but sadly, for me, it's little more than a cameo. He has to head off in his private jet, poor dear, to somewhere or other for a work meeting, leaving Anne (Lane), ailing from an ear infection. Her spouse places her in the care of his business partner Jacques (Arnard Viard). His task is to get her to Paris by road as she is unable to fly. Jacques hasn't a great deal going for him in the looks department, but there's enough Gallic charm there to unsettle Anne, who is feeling sidelined by her partner's busy life as a mover and shaker. What should have been a fairly easy drive over a day or so takes forever. That's because of Jacques' love of dining at every exceptional restaurant en route, as well as introducing Anne to many other French delights, including the possibility of an affair. I was particularly intrigued by their visit to the Institut Lumière in Lyon, with its illuminating images of the very early days of film making. The journey sees the couple drawn to each other, but there is an uneasy feeling that Jacques isn't quite whom he makes himself out to be. And if you hate inconclusive endings, then stay away from this title.

The movie was directed by Eleanor Coppola, wife of Francis Ford and mother of Sofia), who is eighty years young. Although it's possibly ageist to say so, the film is a bit of a throwback to another age.

And perhaps the same could be said, regarding the ending, for 'Madame'. I know many in the audience I was with uttered surprise when it suddenly concluded without anything tied up. It was enjoyable enough up until that point, a romp in French surrounds, but it didn't set the world on fire for me. Harvey Keitel and Toni Collette play a not overly pleasant wealthy couple taken to throwing up-market dinner parties in their lavish Parisian apartment. When numbers are uneven for one such soirée, the Spanish maid (Rossy de Palma) is roped in to fill the void. Of course, it would be inevitable that one of the wealthy male guests would fall for her. But this is no Cinderella tale as it is all to much for Ms Collette's character, another Anne, who conspires to torpedo the relationship. She herself is attracted to a younger man and disports herself naked in a pool in an unsuccessful attempt to win him over. Why this terrific actress would agree to a gratuitous nude scene is anyone's guess, despite her disrobing being nonetheless pleasing to the eye. It was, though, completely unnecessary. The movie never gels, is cut off abruptly, but at least de Palma's performance as the gawky, out of her depth object of desire, is one to savour.

Lastly we have 'The Time of Their Lives', a movie pointed straight as a die towards us – the members of the older set. It stars Pauline and Joan Collins, both making making no attempt to hide the ravages of time on their exterior selves, if not the interior. But this is a writ by numbers caper, a sort of 'Thelma and Louise' for the aged. Joan plays a faded star; Pauline a put upon housewife. They come together unrealistically through a set of coincidences; then, by devious and unlikely ways, take the ferry to France. There they encounter the mysterious Alberto (Franco Nero) who, it seems, loves being nude for the world to see, including us, full frontally. Whatever possessed Franco N, just as whatever possessed Toni C above? Anyway, he falls for the outwardly plainer Priscilla (Pauline) even if, again, there is much attempted thwarting from Helen (Joan). It is good to see all three of these venerable actors back on the screen, but there's not much else to recommend this movie – at least it had an ending that came together though. And now, I was ready for the real thing.

But really, the Paris of the South Seas was a bit of a fizzer. The time I had there on shore excursion from the good ship 'Carnival Spirit' had to be curtailed, so I had only the merest of glimpses – and what I saw didn't overly impress. But fellow passengers came back with glowing accounts of their day. A previous stop over in nearby Port Vila had been, much, much more to my liking, even if the French influence was significantly less. It was mainly one of driving helter-skelter on the wrong side of the road. Vanuatu was once administered by both France and the UK. I'd go back there at the drop of a hat.

Maybe one day I'll relive the times I had in France last century – but as the years pass that seems more and more unlikely. Still, in the digital age, we can do so much now vicariously. I, wistfully, will have to be satisfied with that.

Ashley P.

Tatiana de Rosnay is that fancy restaurant uptown that everyone talks about and you went there when it first opened and it was so amazing but then it ran out of steam and now you're just kind of meh when you eat there.
Nothing will ever compare to Sarah's Key. Sarah's Key was devastating and raw and completely changed my life. So I keep giving de Rosnay's books chance after chance because I want to see that she wasn't just a one-hit wonder but I'm starting to become discouraged about it.
This book (which is really just a novella) had way too many storylines going on for an already miniscule book. You just cannot become invested in a plot with only five or so pages to do it in.
And every single story was the same. Man cheats on wife. Woman should expect it because man is pig. French man is always pig and will never be nothing but pig. Repeat repeat.
I mean, is that really how the French view relationships? It kind of made me feel sorry for all the women in France.
I'll give more of her books a chance because God, Sarah's Key was worth it. But I can't keep it up for much longer.

Toni

IDFK?!! As bad as all the previous reviews stated. Even Simon Vance's narration couldn't save these short stories of crap. All the stories are the same; a cheating spouse and it's never really understood other than superficial stuff. The stories didn't even try...it was like words typed on paper. No emotions other than "oh crap, another weak, boring story". I kept groaning and eye-rolling along because IDFK!!??? I guess I kept reading just to see if somehow at the end of there was some sort of wrap up. This author has good books so WTF happened here?

NopeNopeNopeNopeNopeNopeNopeNopeNope

If someone can explain this book, please make it worth the time.

Title	:	A Paris Affair
Author	:	Tatiana de Rosnay
Rating	:
ISBN	:	1250068800
ISBN-10	:	9781250068804
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Hardcover
Number of Pages	:	114
Publication	:	First published April 28, 2014

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