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There are currently 24 member reviews
for French Exit
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Erica M. (Chicago, IL)
Good writing, fair story
I enjoyed the writing better than I enjoyed the story. I was looking for something quirky, which by the description of the book, I was sure I would find. Quirky is certainly one way to describe the book. As the story unfolded, I found myself less and less enchanted, but the writing was so strong it drove me on. There were moments - such as a comment about adulthood being thrust upon one at too young an age, or the dictionary game - that made the book a worthwhile read. But there were too many "where is this going?" moments. Without being a spoiler, I was disconcerted by the ending and would have appreciated an epilogue to help me understand how the characters lives were resolved.
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Rose N. (Saginaw, MI)
French Exit
Patrick DeWitt has invented three wonderfully eccentric characters in Frances Price, her son Malcolm, and their cat, Small Frank. Frances is a widow who has spent her way into bankruptcy. Malcolm, who lives with her, cannot make up his mind about anything, including whether or not he wants to marry his fiancée. Small Cat, as we discover, is a reincarnated relative. After selling their home and everything in it, they take all their cash and move to a friend's apartment in Paris. Next we are introduced to another crazy assortment of new characters. This work of black comedy made me laugh out loud several times! "French Exit" is a fun, unforgettable novel which I highly recommend.
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Joan V. (Miller Place, NY)
French Exit
Although none of the characters were very likable, they were very amusing and witty. Perhaps a bit too studied in their witticisms, but that really did not bother me.
The book is about a relationship between a widow, Frances Price and her son Malcolm. For various reasons Frances has ignored the advice of her accountant and now finds herself broke.
The description of her lifestyle and how she spent her money was at times eye-boggling, definitely the life of a one percenter! I also loved reading about Paris and the eccentric people who came into their lives added color to the story.
It is a very fast read, and enjoyable, but I'm not sure it would be a good choice for a book club. I really liked Mr. DeWitt's style of writing and will definitely read his other books and I look forward to reading anything new that he writes.
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Colleen A. (Rome, GA)
he French Exit by Patrick DeWitt
If you are looking for some characters to dislike, then this book's for you. Author Patrick DeWhit has expertly portrayed them in this novel. Here is an example of a truly dysfunctional family, long before the phrase was coined. The mother, Frances, is rude, unkind and even vicious to all who have the misfortune to cross her path. Her 32 year old son, Malcolm, is "grown" in age only. Then there's the cat, Little Frank, who's initially along for the ride. This is a sad tale of Frances and Malcolm attempting to escape their new bankrupt reality, while trying to preserve their former lifestyle. So, I liked the memorable characters but the plot was too zany for me.
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Julie G. (West Hartford, CT)
French Exit
The back cover describes this as a brilliant and darkly comic novel; while I will concede that DeWitt is a very good writer, I think his style is not for me. I did not like the characters, found the comedy overdone, and while it was an easy read, and did work as a send up of high society, it just seemed too silly to pique my interest.
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Dorothy M. (Maynard, MA)
Felt more tragic than comic to me
Sometimes when you expect a book to be one thing and it feels - to you - like something else, you may tend to under rate it. This was described as a riotous send-up of high society and while there are certainly some elements of French farce, I found it more sad than funny. The main characters are so self involved that they not only don't follow the rules, they don't appear to know that there are any. They are, however, inexplicably attractive to many people who are drawn into their orbit. So - I didn't love this but think if I had approached it with different expectations, I might have been more positive.
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Carole P. (Framingham, MA)
French Exit
I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't. It started out ok, then went downhill from there. I didn't like the characters, the writing felt flat. Basically , I just was bored. This was one of those books that I kept trying to read because it was for a review and it truly pains me to give a bad one. After all someone liked it as it is in print.
Just not me.
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