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Vicki R. (York, PA)
Witty, smart and immensely enjoyable!
Patrick deWitt's new novel "French Exit" is a delightfully fun read. Like his previous books it has a full cast of quirky, unforgettable characters. Frances and her son Malcolm head to Paris after learning that they have squandered away their entire fortune. They bring along with them the family cat, Small Frank who they believe is Frances' late husband. Through riotously funny adventures they meet some very fascinating people that surround them in this time of upheaval. DeWitt's books are just such a pleasure to read although they may not be for the seriously minded!
Sue J. (Brookfield, WI)
Fun Read
French Exit is a story about a widow, her adult son and an aging cat. Facing financial ruin, they embark on an ocean voyage to Paris for a new beginning. The characters are quirky, but very likable. The mother and son are dependent and devoted to each other in a way that is humorous and unpredictable. French Exit was an enjoyable fun read, I highly recommend it!
Lorri
Perfectly strange
Read in prepub. Due out August 2018. deWitt takes characters that are so specific, so quirky that they seem a little too unreal and makes them come alive. The book is perfectly strange and funny, but also explores the meaning of family and friendship and the idiosyncrasies of romantic love (who can figure it out?). You've never met anyone like Frances and Malcolm and Little Frank, but once you've read the book you'll wonder how you ever got by without their acquaintance. Recommended for fans of Jonathan Ames, Maria Semple, Kevin Wilson. Would be a fun book group choice.
Betsy H. (LeRoy, NY)
Quirky Read
I was instantly sucked into the lives of Frances and Malcolm Price. They were both such eccentric characters, that even though I couldn't really relate to them, I was still intrigued by their stories. I also thought the book was quite funny. Their reactions to each other and situations just seemed so off-the-wall compared to the reality I know.
I think this could be a good book for discussion groups. To some degree it reminded me of The Nest (eccentric rich folks who drink a lot and have a complicated family dynamic).
Molly B, Hygiene, CO
Not sure what to think...
French Exit was entertaining, light, strange, funny, odd. I haven't read the Sisters Brothers, but I will, if only to help me determine what I think about DeWitt as an author. The dialogue in French Exit was funny, in the total frankness and lack of self-consciousness of the speakers. The characters seemed to have no guile. Extraordinary events, strange coincidences, very odd behavior - all were received by characters within the book, and presented to the reader, with not just a grain but a cellar full of salt. DeWitt presents a very different world in an entertaining way.
Alison F. (Clearwater, FL)
French Exit
Like Wes Anderson's Royal Tennenbaums, this novel is filled with quirky, privileged eccentrics that may have a layer of dust on their old shimmering life. Likeable and detestable at the same time, the story is compelling.
Diana P. (Schulenburg, TX)
A charming but sad little book.
It took me awhile to get into this book because it seems a bit superficial. I did like Small Frank in the first part of the book but then I'm a big cat lover. The scenes in the Paris apartment were lively and interesting and I had hopes for a better ending then it had. I have not read Patrick DeWitt's previous book but might like to give it a try.
Leslie R. (Lynchburg, VA)
"Now came strangenesses."
When I read this first sentence of Chapter 36, I laughed out loud. In an entire book of "strangenesses," it would be hard to conceive of any more. From the beginning, I imagined this book as a play, perhaps an off-Broadway farce. I could picture each character as an actor in costume. One quirky situation followed another as mother and son behaved in the most inexplicable ways. With short chapters and some witty dialogue, this book is an entertaining read. The reader just needs to abandon convention and go along for the ride.
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