Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes

by Elizabeth Bard

Overview

In Paris for a weekend visit, Elizabeth Bard sat down to lunch with a handsome Frenchman — and never went home again.

Was it love at first sight? Or was it the way her knife slid effortlessly through her pavé au poivre, the steak's pink juices puddling into the buttery pepper sauce? Lunch in Paris is a memoir about a young American woman caught up in two passionate love affairs — one with her new beau, Gwendal, the other with French cuisine. Packing her bags for a new life in the world's most romantic city, Elizabeth is plunged into a world of bustling open-air markets, hipster bistros, and size 2 femmes fatales. She learns to gut her first fish (with a little help from Jane Austen), soothe pangs of homesickness (with the rise of a chocolate soufflé), and develops a crush on her local butcher (who bears a striking resemblance to Matt Dillon). Elizabeth finds that the deeper she immerses herself in the world of French cuisine, the more Paris itself begins to translate. French culture, she discovers, is not unlike a well-ripened cheese — there may be a crusty exterior, until you cut through to the melting, piquant heart.

Peppered with mouth-watering recipes for summer ratatouille, swordfish tartare and molten chocolate cakes, Lunch in Paris is a story of falling in love, redefining success and discovering what it truly means to be at home. In the delicious tradition of memoirs like A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun, this book is the perfect treat for anyone who has dreamed that lunch in Paris could change their life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316042789
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	02/07/2011
Pages:	326
Sales rank:	255,200
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Bard is an American journalist and author based in Provence, France, where her second book, Picnic in Provence: A Memoir With Recipes, took place. Her first book, Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes has been a New York Times and international bestseller, a Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers" pick, and the recipient of the 2010 Gourmand World Cookbook Award for Best First Cookbook (USA).

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"She pleasantly details her joys and obstacles . . . provides poignant revelations about cultural differences. . . . A cozy, touching story." —-Kirkus

Editorial Reviews

"As charming and coquettish as Paris itself, Lunch in Paris reawakens our tired hearts and palates with a deliciously passionate journey through the city of lights. Be prepared to be seduced by french kisses, the richest chocolate, and the sweet charm of Bard's prose."—Nani Power, author of Crawling at Night and Feed the Hungry

"Elizabeth Bard's Lunch in Paris is delicious, romantic, and sexy, just as the title indicates. What captivates you is the story of a woman finding herself after she finds love, and the challenge that entails. I devoured this book with all the gusto I would bring to a plate of steak tartare with pommes frites."—Giulia Melucci, author of I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti

"A love story is always delightful, and one with recipes is also useful in the long run, part and parcel of a real French relationship."—Diane Johnson, author of Le Divorce and L'Affaire

"Lunch in Paris has got it all: romance in full on the front burner with delicious French recipes for sustenance. Elizabeth Bard's voice is filled with lust and longing-it's Eat, Stay, Love with a side of spiced apricots."—Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of Very Valentine

"In this pleasant memoir about learning to live and eat 'à la française,' an American journalist married to a Frenchman inspires lessons in culinary détente.... Bard's memoir is really a celebration of the culinary season as it unfolded in their young lives together.... both sensuous and informative."—Publishers Weekly

"A charming narrative.... Penetrating insights quickly add a subtle complexity that will captivate readers...She pleasantly details her joys and obstacles...provides poignant revelations about cultural differences ... A cozy, touching story."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

"[A] delicious story about falling in love-over food-in France."

Harper's Bazaar

"sweet and heartfelt with delicious recipes"

People "Style Watch"

"In this charming memoir, Bard searches for her new identity by balancing her love for two countries. She discovers the common denominator that will give her life meaning: food.... If you enjoyed the Julia Child romance that made the Julie & Julia film so entrancing, you'll love this voyage into the gastronomic soul of the French - complete with luscious recipes."

Carol Memmott - USA Today

"Lunch in Paris has got it all: romance in full on the front burner with delicious French recipes for sustenance. Elizabeth Bard's voice is filled with lust and longing-it's Eat, Stay, Love with a side of spiced apricots."

Adriana Trigiani

"A love story is always delightful, and one with recipes is also useful in the long run, part and parcel of a real French relationship."

Diane Johnson

"Elizabeth Bard's Lunch in Paris is delicious, romantic, and sexy, just as the title indicates. What captivates you is the story of a woman finding herself after she finds love, and the challenge that entails. I devoured this book with all the gusto I would bring to a plate of steak tartare with pommes frites."

Giulia Melucci

"As charming and coquettish as Paris itself, Lunch in Paris reawakens our tired hearts and palates with a deliciously passionate journey through the city of lights. Be prepared to be seduced by french kisses, the richest chocolate, and the sweet charm of Bard's prose."

Nani Power

"sweet and heartfelt with delicious recipes"

"Style Watch" - People Magazine

In this charming memoir, Bard searches for her new identity by balancing her love for two countries. She discovers the common denominator that will give her life meaning: food.... If you enjoyed the Julia Child romance that made the Julie & Julia film so entrancing, you'll love this voyage into the gastronomic soul of the French - complete with luscious recipes.
— USA Today

Carol Memmott