What do readers think of French Exit by Patrick deWitt? Write your own review.

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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I loved "the Sisters Brothers", so I couldn't wait to read this book.
But about 56 pages into this book, I was ready to ditch the endeavor. I could have cared less about this dysfunctional crew of self indulgent freaks, and I didn't get the "belly laughs" out of this book, that some reviewers did.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I just couldn't get interested in this book or the characters in it; Frances, a middle aged widow, and her son, Malcolm. While clearly drawn, neither was likeable or very interesting. Their situation (about to become bankrupt) and their reactions were also not interesting. I finished the book all the while wondering why I kept reading. I can't in good conscience recommend this book. Frances is a snide, snobbish and selfish person. Malcolm is a man/child who has no ambition and no desire to do anything including attend to his long suffering fiancé. The entourage they acquire is made up of misfits and ne'er-do-wells. The conclusion is a relief.

This was my first Patrick deWitt and I wanted to like it very much, but it was not for me. It is described as a "tragedy of manners", but the main characters, mother and son, were uninteresting and boring. I don't know how they made friends or how they kept them. The mother was a bully disguised as a society matron and the son was passive, useless (and uneducated). These were unlikeable characters without a point to make.