<b>**I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**</b>

<b>Introduction</b>
The Little French Bistro is a novel about a woman named Marianne and her journey to redefine herself after a dramatic suicide attempt. She finds romance, passion, and a new lease on life in the small Breton town of Kerdruc, France.

<b>The story</b>
Marianne Lanz (or Messman) was stuck in a loveless marriage for almost 40 years. After attempting suicide in Paris and being fished out of the Seine by a homeless man, she runs to the northern Breton region of France. She winds up in a small coastal village called Kerdruc where she becomes a chef in a local hotel restaurant. There she makes new friends, finds romance, and discovers a new passion for life and beauty. Marianne determines to permanently leave her old life (and husband) behind and start a new life in Kerdruc, thus milking as much joy and passion as possible out of the rest of her life.

<b>Literary analysis</b>
Nina George is one of the few writers of our time who has a unique ability to seamlessly go from being conversational to lyrical. This book is beautifully written, and even more wonderfully edited. There were no grammatical errors, at least not that I noticed.

The story flows smoothly and the characters, although not too deeply developed, are diverse and eccentric enough to be endearing. There were a few times I thought the diction a bit too flowery, and a few of the characters' stories are perhaps a bit too stereotypically European. The overall storyline itself is entirely predictable, but so well written that you still enjoy the journey. I will say that I appreciated that Ms. George did not feel the need to throw in graphic sex scenes; the romance, is sweet and just spicy enough to hold your interest without resorting to trashy play-by-play. I don't often read romance for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is I just don't enjoy it. But this was a sweet little coming-of-age story (despite the character being well past middle-age), with just the right amount of romance as to be a redeeming plot tool instead of a sales ploy.

My only criticisms of this book all have to do with it's predictability. The storyline, although sweet, is entirely predictable. I felt that I knew the ending before I got there; I did, however, still enjoy getting there alongside the main character.

One extra praise for this book: any time Ms. George uses foreign language quotes, especially in the unique Breton language, she actually provides the translation! So many writers don't do that and it can be infuriating. So brava, Ms. George, for not leaving your readers in the dark!

<b>Conclusion</b>
This is a well-written, sweet, easy read that I recommend as a fun poolside/summer option!

Love this book! Every woman considering making life changes should read it for inspiration. I was hating Marianne for being such a wimp and put the book aside but for some reason I started reading it again and became immersed in her new joy in life. The characters developed her story into an exciting read that was hard to put down. Her adventures are intriguing and give hope for any down on her luck woman.

A delightful novel that explores what it means to live, be in love, and find community, no matter how old you are. It has a wonderful and diverse cast of characters who, with the help of one another find their own paths to happiness. I most enjoyed this book.

I haven't read Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop, but have only heard wonderful things about how charming a read it is. And so when I requested an advanced copy of "The Little French Bistro" from Netgalley, I expected to be charmed senseless.

Unfortunately, I wasn't (and I realize that I am in the minority with this opinion).

If you read the blurb you know that we are following the story of Marianne, a 61 year old woman who is stuck in a loveless, unhappy marriage. While on vacation in Paris, Marianne leaves her life (and her husband) behind and begins a journey to Brittany, aka "the end of the world."

The beginning reminded me somewhat of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and so I tucked in expecting to read a story about self-discovery as the main character re-visits past hurts, comes to terms with events that have led her to this point; experiences spiritual growth, while also visiting a beautiful part of France.

This book went in that direction, but I just didn't connect with the characters (or even the description of Brittany). It actually read more like a movie - a cross between "Chocolat" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" - the majority of the characters are elderly (Marianne, Geneviève, Alain, Simon, Paul, Colette, Pascale, Emil, Lothar) (hence The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), and all of them come to terms with past hurts in order to move forward: Marianne's character seems to be the protagonist that pushes everyone towards happiness (hence the comparison to Chocolat).

I was hoping for a light read that would get me in the summer spirit - -and ended up struggling to pick up this book, mostly due to a lack of connection with the story. This wasn't a poorly written story and for that reason I've given this a 2 star rating.

A true Nina George novel.. The character divests herself of her old life and goes in search of what was missing from her life. If you enjoyed The Little Paris Bookshop you will not be disappointed by George's latest.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. I was so much looking forward to reading this latest novel by Nina George. I very much enjoyed "The Little Paris Bookshop". For some reason, this book just didn't work for me. I had so much trouble getting into the storyline and the characters, and found the pace of the story to be very slow. However, I did enjoy the beautiful descriptions of the scenery and I could imagine the places she described.

"The Little French Bistro" follows a little too closely the trajectory of "The Little Paris Bookshop," which I found charming. This time, the central character is a German woman, who's despondent after decades in a loveless marriage. She finds hope and renewed vitality after attempting suicide. There's a lot of truth here about women who fail to keep some internal flame burning or to seek satisfaction in something just for themselves. But the story feels trite in places and page after page would've been covered in "show don't tell" if they had been submitted in a high school English class.

This is my first Nina George novel and I am pleased to say it didn't disappoint! I love character driven novels and this one dished up a lovely cast (except her husband...). Everyone gets to the point, that life, such as it is seems pointless at times, some are so despondent they lose all hope of it getting better. While I have never felt that hopeless, I am sure glad that our main character was fished up out of the drink! Loved her transformation, loved her awakening, loved her interaction with life and the living! A fun read for the lovers of new adventures, learning to love the little things in life, and smelling the roses.

This is a woman's life rediscovery story. As well as my personal discovery of Brittany for me! After reading this book I googled all I can about Brittany and I want to travel there. I think many women readers will be critical of Marianne character, but she will win readers' hearts at the end. Everyone should live for themselves and not someone, because that's the only way to be happy!

The Little French Bistro follows Marianne, a 60-year-old German woman who tries to commit suicide while on holiday in Paris with her husband. She has lived in an oppressive household with him the entire time they've been married -40 years- and she has never stood up to him. He refused to allow her to have a job, drive a car, or play the accordion. After surviving jumping off a bridge, she finds herself on the coast of Brittany after being lured there by a beautiful painted tile of the coastal town of Kerdruc. This is a story of discovering your true self and shedding the person you've only pretended to be so far.

This seems to be a very rough draft that lacked the magic that The Little Paris Bookshop had. Enough good stuff peeked through that the book is bordering on magical realism, but it just doesn't sparkle like I feel it should and know it can. I hope in the final draft the story that it is a bit more smoothed out and the switches in points-of-view are more seamless. It felt like when a scene or POV was changed it was very abrupt. Also, there was a particular sex scene that I though was pretty weird, probably due to the character's ages.

I had a rough time with the first part of the book, with Marianne's self pity and inability to stand up for herself. She was married to a selfish controlling man for over 40 years and decided the only way out was to kill herself. She was so annoyingly helpless that I was about to throw her into the sea myself but the tide turned at about 10% when she arrived in Brittany to the town of Kerdruc, more or less by accident, and it's then that the writing of Nina George came alive.

The townspeople adopt Marianne as one of their own and as improbable as the story was, I reminded myself that the Bretons are Celtic descendants and maintain their attachment to their Druid past. There are liberal doses of mysticism with witches and spells and plenty of romance. I was reminded of Like Water for Chocolate.

The slow beginning turned into a lot of fun and I enjoyed bits like "I'm not old...I've just lived a little longer than some people." Or "You know the tragic thing about a long life expectancy? You have more time to be unhappy." I loved her characters and the cat and I wanted more of them. I could have clobbered Marianne when she fell back into her Eeyore self pity "searching for the place that was meant for her; and if it were not to be found here (Paris), then she would have to travel further afield." What was Kerdruc? Chopped liver?? Apart from the beginning and a hiccup near the end, I absolutely loved this book.

A quirky summer read

I enjoyed Little French Bistro as a light, quirky summer read, especially suited to us Francophiles. It is so very refreshing to read a novel with a protagonist around 60! Yet, our heroine is still trying to find out who she is, to the point of attempting suicide. She happens upon a painted ceramic tile that resonates with her soul, and the story evolves from there...finding the location pictured, finding the painter, finding a new life and loves -- platonic and romantic. As other reviewers have remarked, some of the situations seem a bit unreal, but to my mind, the book has an element of fantasy that is quirky and enticing.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for furnishing a time-constrained e-galley with no obligations.

Food and France. An older protagonist with some real life experience behind her. Second chances at love. A little mysticism with what lies beyond the veil.

I really wanted to like it more. There were so many ingredients that set it up as a book right up my alley. But, the emotional connection was just never there for me. I felt pity <i>for</i> Marianne but I didn't feel the pain with her. That disconnect never went away unfortunately. The book is swarming with characters who blend together, none particularly standing out besides Pascale and Emile. Most of those characters add very little to Marianne's story, serving as distractions for the reader. Even Yann felt stale to me.

The story itself is solid and charming (I can suspend doubt as to where she ends up and why. It is fiction, after all.) but begged to be told <i>more.</i> The prose was flowery without being very descriptive and there were some repetitions in the plot, making the book longer than necessary. I think my biggest disappointment though is there is so much elusion to this bordering on the other-world, that Marianne may or may not have a connection to it. That magic doesn't get played with, just sitting there amongst the pretty words without action.

Story good, characters alright, prose meh. Wish I could have liked it more but others seem to enjoy it.

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the publisher, Crown Publishing, and the author, Nina George, for the opportunity to do so.

I have to admit that at first I was pretty sceptical about whether or not I would enjoy this book, but from the first page I was hooked.
I was incredibly sympathetic to the main character from the start and enjoyed her journey. The environment was alive and really enjoyable.
The writing was beautiful and the story has a really beautiful message. I highly recommend this book to someone who is looking for a nice summer read.

I am torn on this book. I didn't love it, but I'm not sure why. I liked the main character who started out miserable and suicidal but slowly found her strength and joie de vivre through the sea, a small town she finally belonged in, friends, and a new love. She seemed realistic to me, of an era when women married and that was their life, happy or not, who had finally had enough. Some of the supporting characters were good, others were not at all fleshed out. It was easy to get irritated with Marianne as she waffled and alternated between embracing her new life and feeling guilty about leaving her old, even as I understood it. Maybe that was what was holding me back. The descriptions of the food and the small town were really wonderful and made me want to travel to the Brittany Coast something awful.

Lovely story! So well written. 60 year old woman tires of her life as a door mat for her awful husband. She is saved from suicide and runs away to a town in Brittany. Not as depressing as it sounds, it's actually quite uplifting! Beautiful! Nina George writes lovely tales!

Everything was more sacred than yourself, and your own longings were the least sacred thing of all.

This single sentence beautifully conveys the spirit of this gem of a story about a 60 year old woman who suddenly finds her life unbearable. When we first meet Marianne, she is readying herself to take a final plunge into the Seine in a desperate attempt to end her boring, insignificant life. Then we witness the first of many times Marianne’s life is saved, literally and figuratively, throughout the story.

That first “save” launches Marianne on a journey across France which begins as a quest to drown herself in the sea and ends with her figurative rebirth as a woman. Along the way, an incredible sequence of events, initiated by a painted tile of a seaside village, draws her closer and closer to Kerdruc, the lush and magical Breton village depicted on the tile. As Marianne journeys across France with nothing but a bit of cash and the clothes on her back, she reflects on the loveless marriage and cold-hearted, indifferent husband she’s running from, and begins to remember the girl she was before she was a wife.

When she reaches Kerdruc and finds the sea, she lands in the middle of a quaint village full of colorful, kind-hearted people who accept her at face-value. Their kindness and friendship begin to change her and reverse her wish to die. It is the sea, however, that gives her the strength to reject the old Marianne and let the real Marianne come forth and embrace her own magic and, ultimately, find love.

Nina George has once again created a world full of magical, quirky, witty, and human characters who live and love enthusiastically. There’s all sorts of love here – unrequited, rejected, deep and old, hidden, and raw. George’s Marianne is the catalyst that brings multiple love stories to their apex, while at the same time, creating a new story all her own. Marianne’s story is all too familiar – the middle-aged woman who suddenly realizes most of her life is gone and she has nothing to show for it. She has become a maid for her husband, invisible except when he wants something, unable to assert herself and fulfill her own needs, essentially voiceless. Under George’s care, Marianne comes alive in the pages of this story, and ultimately sees herself as other see her, through an artist’s eyes. I was reminded a bit of a book I read years ago – Praisesong for the Widow by Paule Marshall – as I accompanied Marianne on her journey. Like Avey, the protagonist of that book, Marianne connects with the land and people of Brittany, and especially with the sea, just as Avey connects with her African ancestors. Their journeys were similar and powerful, sending a message about how women sacrifice their lives for others, often living their lives through their families, and how there is always time to rediscover the young woman who once dreamed of a very different life.

Sometimes stories like this one leave me sad and unsatisfied. The Little French Bistro left me feeling joyful and hopeful, something we all need a bit more of these days. This would make an excellent book for a group discussion. Highly Recommended.

Marianne is very unhappy. Well, that’s not quite right…those words do not begin to describe her state. She is in a loveless marriage, as a matter of fact her husband is verbally abusive. And she has had enough! She decides to end her life by jumping into the Seine. A good samaratian saves her. This begins her journey to a new destiny.

Marianne starts out as a desperate, mousy woman in need of hand-holding and guidance. But she turns into a lion that ROARS! When she finally runs away she creates a wonderful new life for herself. She has a job, which she was told she could never do. She has many friends, which she was told she could never have. She toughens up and becomes the lady she knew she could be! Did I mention she is in her 60’s when she accomplished all of this!

The quaint little French village Marriane takes up residence in, is adorable. I would love to visit it one day. I could just picture it in my mind, the shops, the Bistro. All of it a sanctuary for Marianne and her new self. Because of this village there are many minor characters to keep up with. This is a little rough when you are trying to snatch 10 minutes here and there to read.

This book is really about following your dreams. Not letting convention get in the way, whether it is playing the accordion or eating pizza for breakfast. (Read the book for these references!!!)
Being true to yourself is so important.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.