Finding Paris

A Novel

By: Joanne Kimes

Narrated by: Jane Oppenheimer

Going to Paris had always been a dream for Julia and Kathy, two women who meet at a beginning French class and become fast friends. Julia is an empty nester whose husband is leaving her, and her daughter won't return her texts.

Kathy is a type-A workaholic who gave up on love after a painful secret. After both their lives implode, they say, “What the heck, let’s go to Paris!” and finally live out the dream they’ve both been too busy to live out before.

Once there, tensions mount and drama unfolds as they struggle with their new friendship and the cultural differences of the city, but with the help of romance, salted butter, the French countryside, vintage shops, pastry classes and bread...lots of bread, Paris teaches both women lessons they desperately needed to rebuild their lives, while having the adventure of a lifetime!

©2020 Joanne Kimes (P)2021 Joanne Kimes

Concept is better than execution

This is a wonderful concept, especially as the pandemic of 2020-21 has pretty much put paid to any real-life trips abroad, at least in the near future. (2022, maybe? We can only hope...) Sadly, the execution didn't quite live up to it, at least in my opinion.

First of all, let me say that I received this audiobook for free via Audiobook Boom!, in exchange for an honest review. Audiobook Boom! allows authors or narrators (whoever is offering the free deal) to specify if the content contains excessive violence, sexual content, or foul language. This one claimed to have none, when it really should have included a warning for language. F-bombs abounded, to the point that if I had not agreed to post a review, I would have deleted it from my library unfinished. In a printed book, my eye can skim over the word, but an audiobook makes it pretty hard to ignore, especially when it's in my ear as frequently as these were.

Before you write me off as a prude, I'll say that while one might expect to find F-bombs in certain genres--military suspense, for instance, or gritty crime stories--it's jarring in what is otherwise a light rom-com that would otherwise be suitable for all ages.

My only other word-related complaint has to do with the descriptions of Paris. Several reviews claim that these were so vivid that "I felt as if I were there!" That's what I had hoped for, since my own brief trip to Paris was several years ago, and thanks to Covid, I won't be able to repeat the trip (or any other) anytime soon. But as I listened to this book, it struck me how vague words like "amazing!" and "gorgeous!" really are. What made it amazing? What was so gorgeous about it? Inquiring minds want to know!

As for the plot, as I said before, this was (in most ways) a light rom-com with a healthy dose of female friendship besides. I'll admit, there were times when I wanted to choke Julia (whose lovely husband deserved better), but since that was, I suspect, what the author wanted me to think, I give her props for succeeding in that regard. As mother to a college-age daughter, Julia puts the "hell" in "helicopter parenting." (Kathy's life choices have/had little in common with my own, so my reaction to her problems was much less visceral.) Still, I was emotionally invested enough in Kathy's decisions that I was relieved when she chose not to take a step that might have damaged her marriage beyond redemption. But I found Kathy's "aha" moment a bit...anticlimactic. After monitoring her daughter's every move for almost twenty years, all it takes is a few minutes with a nine-year-old French child to show her the error of her ways? Granted, it was amusing to see her trying to swoop in helicopter-mom style to rescue a little girl who didn't need rescuing, thank you very much, but it felt like a very small incident to undo the habits of two decades. I also found her conclusion--apparently this one incident was enough to convince her that the French are better at parenting their children than Americans--a blanket generalization at best, and a flimsy premise on which to build a prominent social media presence.

Still, in spite of its flaws, I would be willing to take a chance on traveling with the author on another vacation abroad, if she should chance to offer another such tale. I only hope she washes her mouth out with soap first.

What a delight!

Absolutely loved every word of this novel! Paris had never been on my Bucketlist but now I will add it.
I even went out and got some macaroons after listening to this. You will love Julia and Kathy. You will love their flaws and see yourself in them. They are you and your friends and your family. They are every woman and also uniquely themselves. Narration was spectacular by Jane Oppenheimer. Really enjoyed her voice. I will definitely look up more by this author and this narrator.