DNF @ 78%

This was too much white woman parisian history for me to be interested in this. I love travel writing, and I love feminist writing, but I do not care about Paris, and maybe I should have known better- but I just thought this would be less about Paris and more about the author! Unfortunately, I did not care much for those parts either. I appreciate her self confidence ("people seem to hate me because i don't hate myself for being single & childless) but I think she just completely lost me when she mentioned she stopped posting on Instagram because her life makes everyone jealous.

I really enjoyed reading about MacNicol's experience in Paris & loved reading about a woman who was happy in her child-free independence. Her friendships in Paris were really the star of the show for me! That being said, I feel like perhaps this would have been better off as an essay or perhaps a series of essays? It felt repetitive at times & like a stream of consciousness rather than a memoir.

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but this is spicier than I expected! That narrows the potential audience a bit but MacNicol's distinctive voice is sure to be a hit with the right readers.

I loved Glynnis MacNicol's first book No One Tells You This, so when I heard that she was publishing a book about her time in Paris in 2021, I couldn't wait to start reading it. It is a joy to explore Paris with MacNicol. I found myself Googling street views of different blocks she describes. I was pulling up bios of women writers, photographers, and painters who also resided in Paris whose houses MacNicol's visits. I was also searching for the art that they created while in Paris. Equal parts reflection on female pleasure and the pursuit of it as it is a memoir, a great read!

After spending the Covid lockdowns alone in NYC, Glynnis MacNicol seizes the opportunity to spend time in Paris when restrictions are lifted. While in the city, she pursues pleasurable interactions through dating/hooking up apps, enjoys girl time with friends, and savors the beauty and food of Paris. This was a great book about finding pleasure as a middle-aged woman and feeling good about it.

Parts of this book resonated with me so strongly I read them over several times. Other parts (somewhat repetitive descriptions of the Fruitz app encounters) had me saying “just get on with it” out loud. However, it was wonderful to explore Paris with MacNicol . It’s one of those books you have to read and decide for yourself.

I don’t normally read biographies but this sounded really fun and it was but also insightful and relatable. I don’t rate memories or biographies anything other then 5 stars unless the writing is really bad as it is a reflective of the authors life. I had a great time reading this and loved the Paris setting. Will be checking out more biographies in the future now.