The Sweet Life in Paris, David Lebovitz
The Sweet Life in Paris, David Lebovitz
3 Rating(s)
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The Sweet Life in Paris
Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious---and Perplexing---City

Bestseller

Author: David Lebovitz

Narrator: David Drummond

Unabridged: 6 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 06/29/2012

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Like so many others, David Lebovitz dreamed about living in Paris ever since he first visited the city in the 1980s. Finally, after a nearly two-decade career as a pastry chef and cookbook author, he moved to Paris to start a new life. Having crammed all his worldly belongings into three suitcases, he arrived, hopes high, at his new apartment in the lively Bastille neighborhood.

But he soon discovered it's a different world en France.

From learning the ironclad rules of social conduct to the mysteries of men's footwear, from shopkeepers who work so hard not to sell you anything to the etiquette of working the right way around the cheese plate, here is David's story of how he came to fall in love with—and even understand—this glorious, yet sometimes maddening, city.

When did he realize he had morphed into un vrai parisien? It might have been when he found himself considering a purchase of men's dress socks with cartoon characters on them. Or perhaps the time he went to a bank with 135 euros in hand to make a 134-euro payment, was told the bank had no change that day, and thought it was completely normal. Or when he found himself dressing up to take out the garbage because he had come to accept that in Paris appearances and image mean everything.

The more than fifty original recipes, for dishes both savory and sweet, such as Pork Loin with Brown Sugar-Bourbon Glaze, Braised Turkey in Beaujolais Nouveau with Prunes, Bacon and Bleu Cheese Cake, Chocolate-Coconut Marshmallows, Chocolate Spice Bread, Lemon-Glazed Madeleines, and Mocha–Crème Fraîche Cake, will have listeners running to the kitchen once they stop laughing.

The Sweet Life in Paris is a deliciously funny, offbeat, and irreverent look at the city of lights, cheese, chocolate, and other confections.

About David Lebovitz

David Lebovitz lived in San Francisco for twenty years before moving to Paris. He baked at several notable restaurants before starting his career as a cookbook author and food writer. He has written for many major food magazines, and he's the author of several highly regarded books on desserts, including The Perfect Scoop, Room for Dessert, and The Great Book of Chocolate.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sketchbook on May 29, 2016

Americans, writes the savvy author, don't get out much (Hawaii, the Caribe duz it) and arent good at adapting becos we're rarely in a position that requires this. How come the French in Paris don't speak Americanese? (Can you find an American in the US who speaks French? Gee, it aint fair izzit.) To......more

Goodreads review by Howard on April 11, 2024

3 Stars for The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious-and Perplexing City by David Lebovitz read by David Drummond. I enjoy reading about places I’ve been to before. It can help unlock memories from the trip that I’d forgotten about. Unfortunately this time, the auth......more

Goodreads review by Deb (Readerbuzz) on February 09, 2023

The Sweet Life in Paris is the moving-and-starting-over story of Lebovitz’s venture into Parisian life. It’s a story we have heard many times before, of the trials of dealing with French bureaucracy, of figuring out how to get service in French stores, and of trying to fit into a world that secretly......more

Goodreads review by Antonia on May 15, 2014

Très délicieux ! After 12 years of working as a pastry chef at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, David Lebovitz moved to Paris, where he has now lived for several years. His book is an amusing and entertaining chronicle of becoming a Parisian — from getting along with other Parisians to finding the most de......more

Goodreads review by Beth on April 16, 2023

David Lebovitz has a particular and totally recognisable voice, and it’s one that I find very charming. He has a bit of David Sedaris waspishness, but he’s more self-deprecating. Humour is a constant base note, even if he is describing things that make him frustrated and crazy. Although this book is......more