An American in Paris: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A provocative and promising novel
Review: I opened this book with some trepidation. From the cover it looked like Ms. Vandenburg had taken an awful lot on herself. Paris in the 20s? "Talk about overdone!" However, from the moment I read the first line I was quickly transported into the world she had created. The main strength of the novel is the fine-tuned characterization of the protagonist, Henri Adams. The coming-of-age plot is nicely enhanced by the obvious growth of the character. The entire book is narrated by Henri, which helps this, even though she's supposedly reminiscing. The prose is occasionally overburdened with adjectives and awkward word combinations, and while some of that can be attributed to the narrator I found it a bit tough to get through once in a while. That said, there are some wonderfully witty bits of prose that stand out... the scenes in the Paris underground gave me exquisite chills and some of the dialogue made me laugh so hard I had to hold on to my chair. The setting of the story, while vast, is handled deftly. It is obvious that the author has a vast knowledge of the time period. All of the famous characters (Gertrude Stein, Picasso, etcetera) are nicely depicted in a way that makes me almost forget that they were and are celebrities. That was a nice touch. Overall, this is quite nicely done. I recommend it highly to most. I look forward to seeing more from this new face in the future.