I recently read A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke — you may click on the link to see my review of that book. I ended up liking it quite a bit, so I ordered the sequel In The Merde For Love.
The first book had this quote: “There are lots of French people who are not at all hypocritical, inefficient, treacherous, intolerant, adulterous or incredibly sexy…. They just didn’t make it into my book.” That brutally up-front statement is indicative of the sequel’s attitude as well. The turn and reason for the sequel comes with the realization that our English protagonist has almost become, Mon Dieu, French! Alors!
And that isn’t a bad thing because that’s what makes it such an enjoyable read instead of a pedantic rehash of the first book. You will have to read the original or this book will be of no value to you. I will be honest, the parts that take place in England are a bit tiresome. Overall, it kept me occupied whilst the workmen spent the day repairing more hurricane damage — it was sort of ironic because I related to the workmen he had to deal with in this tome. (My house somewhat resembles something a human might live in now. That’s exciting.)