Critics hail Diane Johnson as a cross between Jane Austen and Henry James. In this best-selling comedy of Americans abroad and Parisians at home, she celebrates the mores and manners of contemporary marriage. Struggling American writer Tim Nolinger pursues his journalism career in Paris while proper Frenchwoman Anne Sophie plans their wedding. When Tim covers the theft of a valuable manuscript, the story leads the couple to the local home of a reclusive American film director and his actress wife. Once there, Tim and Anne Sophie find themselves in the midst of a murder investigation, a French-American feud, and a reckless love affair that threatens to destroy their marriage even before it begins. Diane Johnson weaves acerbic humor and refreshing observations into this thoroughly modern tale of love and marriage. With her dramatic performance, Suzanne Toren brings out the moral complexities that shimmer just beneath the surface.
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"What I like about Diane Johnson's amusing comedies of manners are her extremely apt yet remarkably detached observations on cultural life, French and American. "
— Katy (4 out of 5 stars)
" Not worth reading. I just couldn't stop once I started it. "
— Valeri, 2/13/2014" A good summer read. Le Mariage and the inevitable Le Divorce and L'Affaire were lighthearted enough, also a clue as to understanding some of the cultural differences one encounters along the way "
— Linda, 2/1/2014" What I like about Diane Johnson's amusing comedies of manners are her extremely apt yet remarkably detached observations on cultural life, French and American. "
— Katy, 1/28/2014" one of the best beach books i've read in a long while. delightful! I'll read more by this author. "
— Paulah, 1/24/2014" Enjoyable, light read, but the ending was dull and unsatisfying. "
— Mary, 1/22/2014" I love Diane Johnson. She has a style like no one else. When you give yourself over to her, it is a wonderful reading experience. "
— Anita, 1/21/2014" i liked Le Divorce better. i did not like any of the characters in this book. and the murder mystery was such an afterthought making this reader wonder why she needs it, as if she could not carry the novel on social/national stereotypes alone. her books do that: a little mystery, little love and angst, little social commentary and always americans in France, usually Paris. i like the way she writes, she is smart and witty, but i didn't feel like hoping for any of the characters and i need that in a novel. also i think she hates marriage. it seemed that way in Le Divorce, too. like she (the author) doesn't believe in it or something. "
— Nikki, 1/17/2014" This was a fun break to read. I got out my French dictionary and read it in short bursts. She isn't much on realistic plot, but her characters' views on French/American attitudes is really delightful. "
— Sylvia, 1/13/2014" I enjoyed reading this, I like Diane Johnson's style, however this book had a really disappointing ending that I felt didn't really wrap up anything. "
— Jennifer, 12/6/2013" Fun Paris setting, characters not believable. "
— Kirsten, 11/8/2013" I loved this story as tragic as it became about getting married. "
— Wendy, 10/26/2013Diane Johnson is an American-born novelist and essayist. A two-time finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in three different genres—essay, biography, and fiction—she is the author of a dozen novels, including Le Divorce, Le Mariage, and L’Affaire. She is a frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books and splits her time between San Francisco and Paris.
Suzanne Toren, award-winning narrator, has over thirty years of experience in narration. She was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She has won the American Foundation for the Blind’s Scourby Award for Narrator of the Year, AudioFile magazine named her the 2009 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture, and she is the recipient of multiple Earphones Awards. She performs on and off Broadway and in regional theaters and has appeared on Law & Order and in various soap operas.