58. Almost French by Sarah Turnbull

Just finished this one over the weekend. This is a far more interesting book that I expected. It starts with the arrival of Aussie backpacker Sarah at the Paris airport, looking for a guy who she met at a dinner party one night in Budapest. He had suggested that she come and stay with him and since she was leading the backpacker life where you make these somewhat crazy decision weekly, she takes him up on it! Seven years later, they have married and she is a permanent resident in the French capital.

The book chronicles Sarah's struggle to adapt to French traditions and culture. There's a lot of funny moments but also a lot of times where she is angered and frustrated by the perceived "coldness" of the French. It's a really interesting read as she really addresses not only *what* happened but also explores the cultural *why* as well. A lot of these experiences really taught her what it meant to be an Australian - what makes up our "culture and traditions" as well. I could relate to a lot of these observations after living in England and the US - it's something you never learn until you live away from home for a while.

As a novel, it was a little slow at times and occasionally, seems a little simplistic. Sometimes Sarah shows that she's been out of Australia for a long time (some of her early 1990s rememberances are very dated!) and that in her mind, Australia=Sydney which is a little irritating for an Adelaidean! Overall, though, I'd recommend this especially for those who have done the Antipodean overseas thing!