Rating: 
Summary: uneven quality but a pleasant read
Review: "Le Divorce" is the coming-of-age tale of a young American in Paris. Isabel, the narrator, has left her California life to live with her sister, Roxeanne, who is pregnant and whose husband has just left her for another woman. Isabel is introduced to her sister's in-laws, a varied and entertaining clan, and she takes on a slew of odd jobs that lend glimpses of the lives of Parisians and the Americans who live among them. She enters into a clandestine affair with a Frenchman and begins to develop her own opinions about what it means to be American or French, at home or foreign. Meanwhile the drama of Roxeanne's imminent divorce unfolds, entwining the two families in a dispute over a newly-valuable painting. As the plot rises, Isabel's family arrives in Paris to mediate, opposing forces clash more bluntly, and the situation becomes increasingly complicated.
All this complexity can be distracting; aside from the two central plots (the divorce and the affair) there are several subplots which appear at intervals and are never fully resolved. The final chapters of the book, rather than taking on the real work of finishing the story in accordance with its themes, create an artificial crisis, inconsistent with the book's tone and style, to provide a convenient resolution. The characters are sufficiently developed but not terribly likeable (the main character, in particular, is conceited and self-centered as well as naive). But, despite these drawbacks, the book is an enjoyable read. It is a pleasant mood piece, fun and frivolous. The Parisian setting and the enthusiastically described clothes and meals add a bit of exotic flair. At times, the story approaches the wry hilarty of an Austen-esque comedy of manners, and these are its best moments.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolument pathetique
Review: I agree with the reviewer from Amherst - this is satire. The complaints of other readers largely stem, not from the writing, but from the way the book was marketed. It was made to look like a fun, rollicking exploration of two cultures - very fast-food and mindless, like the new lines of fluff books aimed at 20-30-somethings. Two of the quotes on the back cover appear to have been written for an entirely different novel ("Sparkly novel...Alluring...Delightful...Charming tale"). Le Divorce is actually an intelligent, funny book with a distinct edge. It is not a terribly good-hearted book. It focuses on a group of American, French and English characters, none of whom are entirely likeable. This includes the narrator, a pragmatic young woman who views the people around her in a clear-eyed, unromantic way and is surprised to find herself falling in love with an elder uncle of her brother-in-law's family - or is it love? "Even as a little girl, I lacked that endearing quality of female credulousness." Her entirely conscious examination of the romantic cliches she has fallen into, and her honesty about her own and others' less admirable motives throughout the book, make this an interesting story - but not one a reader should go to for a soothing, brainless read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a lipstick fluff novel
Review: I agree with the reviewer from Amherst - this is satire. The complaints of other readers largely stem, not from the writing, but from the way the book was marketed. It was made to look like a fun, rollicking exploration of two cultures - very fast-food and mindless, like the new lines of fluff books aimed at 20-30-somethings. Two of the quotes on the back cover appear to have been written for an entirely different novel ("Sparkly novel...Alluring...Delightful...Charming tale"). Le Divorce is actually an intelligent, funny book with a distinct edge. It is not a terribly good-hearted book. It focuses on a group of American, French and English characters, none of whom are entirely likeable. This includes the narrator, a pragmatic young woman who views the people around her in a clear-eyed, unromantic way and is surprised to find herself falling in love with an elder uncle of her brother-in-law's family - or is it love? "Even as a little girl, I lacked that endearing quality of female credulousness." Her entirely conscious examination of the romantic cliches she has fallen into, and her honesty about her own and others' less admirable motives throughout the book, make this an interesting story - but not one a reader should go to for a soothing, brainless read.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: I am glad that I bought this book used--it is not worth the retail price!
The reviews said the book is a National Bestseller, and it is delightful, humorous...I kept waiting for the book to get better. Plus there were french words and phrases without translations. Maybe that is where the humor is?!?!
If you would like to read a book based in Paris, read "Weekend in Paris" by Robyn Sisman.
Rating:
Summary: Le Crap
Review: i just finished reading Le Divorce and am not surprised that it is a best-seller. this book is to reading what fast-food is to eating. popular and inedible.
i am not in the least bit put off by the fact that Ms. Johnson's characters are not likeable. this, in my opinion, does not detract from a good work of fiction.
it's the writing that is awful. somebody please remove this woman's writing instruments! one wonders if she ever took the time to proofread her "work". the repetitions of words in the same sentence are too numerous to count, and the author often feels compelled to reiterate simple concepts several times in the same page. yes, sure, you can argue that this voice is Isabel's but then you stumble over these lofty over-writ phrases and pseudo-deep thoughts. Isabel again? whatever. also, if it's Isabel POV, how come we're privy to all kinds of conversations and scenes she does NOT witness?
furthermore, and more annoyingly, this author, who uses more commas than i can shake a stick at, writes interminable sentences, which one must sometimes reread several times to understand, and claims to live in Paris, clearly has no French friends, at least none who can spell (whew).
i am a franco-american, born and raised in France and i happen to be rather "à cheval" on the spelling of my native language (à cheval means to be a stickler, for those of you who enjoy understanding what you read). Ms Johnson's spelling and grammar of MOST French words and expression are quite simply wrong. defenders of this shlock may justify this by invoking Isabel's charming illiteracy in the language, but the mistakes are uttered mostly by French people and, correct me if i'm wrong, this doesn't really read like Isabel's diary. again - Ms Johnson may find it useful to retain the services of a proofreader.
of course, i was annoyed by the tiresome Adolphe quotes and all the Bosnia bla-bla, which just seemed added on to give the book some kind of intellectual weight. puh-lease.
and the lack of resolution about the painting - which gets sold despite Roxy and behind her back but you never get her reaction. oh and at one point, when they first begin their affair, Edgar tells Isabel that he'd love to meet Mrs Pace and later, Isabel mentions that they're old friends who share a common passion for tureens. proofreader alert again!
the whole French-American clichés didn't bother me so much. they were expected. some of the observations are astute, even. i can just picture this Ms Johnson in her little Parisian environment, stuffing as many French words into her English as she can, especially the ones that translate directly into English but have become a bit antiquated and therefore clever-sounding. so pleased with herself. and milking it for all it's worth, i see. glad i borrowed this book rather than contribute to its success. i'll pick up some real reading now. back to quality food for thought.
Rating:
Summary: Moderately entertaining but ultimately unsatisfying
Review: I started out really enjoying this book. Having never been to France but, like most Americans, having a wide variety of assumptions about French people and French culture, I enjoyed reading the cultural observations and comparisons of Isabel, a young American woman visiting her sister in Paris for the first time. However, that was pretty much the extent of my enjoyment. I felt like the story meandered meaninglessly and pointlessly. I found the main characters, Roxy and Isabel, both self-centered but also not truly well-developed. The plot created so many questions in my mind about why their characters do the things they do, yet these questions remained unanswered due to a lack of further character development. I also simply found many aspects of the story strange, like the characters' obsession with Bosnia. Perhaps that was simply intended as one more resource for cultural comparison -- a political controversy and the differing cultural viewpoints -- but I simply found it boring and random, not revealing much about the characters at all. Also, and perhaps this reveals my limited American perspective on love and sexual relationships, I became turned off by Isabel's relationship with a married man who is 70 years old. Furthermore, I found Isabel's personality and morality confusing and contradictory -- she was offended by Charles-Henri's betrayal of her sister, yet she had no problem with having an affair with a married man herself. Perhaps this contradiction was supposed to reveal something about Isabel's youth and naivete, but I simply found her continual lack of self-awareness confusing and unsatisfying. In addition, I also found the ending to be without any climax or resolution. The lack of attention paid by the author to the tragic violence that occurs seems to indicate a disturbing indifference on the part of the characters, despite their professed horror. In addition, the issues regarding the painting and the stolen French porcelain are never resolved. I suppose Diane Johnson had a reason for this, but it was lost on me. So, while I started out enjoying the book, I ended up unsatisfied. However, I do intend to see the movie in hopes that Kate Hudson can improve the story for me.
Rating: 
Summary: L Étrangere
Review: It is never easy to move to another country. It can be even worse when you have a problematic pregnant sister who is getting divorce, and you can't express yourself in the language spoken in this country. Well, this could be problematic enough, wouldn't Isabel --the protagonist of this novel-- bring more problems to her life, making 'Le Divorece' an interesting book. Diane Johnson has a nice style, and the book keeps in a good peace, being funny and tragic at the same time. The characters are well developed, as long as you consider the rich people's lives--don't expect people working or doing something serious. But it is not a problem, because that's the way they can be. The French are...well, French -- in all the senses the word can have. And the relationship between the two countries' people are cordial, albeit you think there must be a hidden agenda somewhere. More than a novel about social and cultural diferences between USA and France, as one may expect, this novel is a coming-of-age story, of a girl who has to travel many miles in order to find herself. Only after arriving is Europe is Isabel total free to experiment with her life, and other people's lives so that she can find out who she really is. Not that she hadn't suspected it before... I think Diane Johnson avoids falling into traps that the theme could have lead some other less experienced writers. She is not afraid of showing how silly we can be when it comes to make a good impression on the other. A highly recommended novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Is this an American woman ?
Review: Or you just might miss something. Since I live abroad I thought this would be a fun book...and it was up to a point. First off Ms. Johnson knows her French no doubt about it...I on the other hand am not completely fluent so I had to pull out my trusty French phrase dictionary! This was needed since there were so many French words, phrases, and complete paraghraphs in French that were not translated I thought I would miss something and the author does not do this for you. This did not impress me in the least. If anything it annoyed me. The characters were...unique but in my opinion unlikeable and at times literally stupid! Young girl has raving affair with a man old enough to be her granfather, she refuses to even try to pick up the language in her new home country, lots of references to Bosnia and other war type conflicts used I think just to help move the book from point A to point B. Otherwise these historic events were not necessary except to get across certain character's political statements. Again very annoying. And then the constant comparison of how Ameican's are totally clueless! And then lets not forget the young American married to young Frenchman, have one child together, pregnant with another, and said Frenchman having an affaire. Oh ya did someone say soap opera? What I did enjoy was the descriptive writing as far as describing a meal or a point of interest such as landmarks, and Paris in general. I have been to this European city on many occassions and I find it interesting to see how other author's see this city. Reading about cultural differences was also entertaining since I have run into some of the situation at times while living overseas. Otherwise unless you are looking to bone up on your conversational French or are really entertained by 'Dynasty' type books then this is for you! Otherwise borrow it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: Le, La, ...Have A French Dictionary Handy !!
Review: Or you just might miss something. Since I live abroad I thought this would be a fun book...and it was up to a point. First off Ms. Johnson knows her French no doubt about it...I on the other hand am not completely fluent so I had to pull out my trusty French phrase dictionary! This was needed since there were so many French words, phrases, and complete paraghraphs in French that were not translated I thought I would miss something and the author does not do this for you. This did not impress me in the least. If anything it annoyed me. The characters were...unique but in my opinion unlikeable and at times literally stupid! Young girl has raving affair with a man old enough to be her granfather, she refuses to even try to pick up the language in her new home country, lots of references to Bosnia and other war type conflicts used I think just to help move the book from point A to point B. Otherwise these historic events were not necessary except to get across certain character's political statements. Again very annoying. And then the constant comparison of how Ameican's are totally clueless! And then lets not forget the young American married to young Frenchman, have one child together, pregnant with another, and said Frenchman having an affaire. Oh ya did someone say soap opera? What I did enjoy was the descriptive writing as far as describing a meal or a point of interest such as landmarks, and Paris in general. I have been to this European city on many occassions and I find it interesting to see how other author's see this city. Reading about cultural differences was also entertaining since I have run into some of the situation at times while living overseas. Otherwise unless you are looking to bone up on your conversational French or are really entertained by 'Dynasty' type books then this is for you! Otherwise borrow it from the library.
Rating:
Summary: Absolument pathetique
Review: That means absolutely pathetic, for all you amèrloques. And if you knew enough French to know that already, then you know more about the French than Diane Johnson. You honestly have to wonder if this woman has even been to France or if she just listens to what the American media has to say about them. She plays into and capitalizes on stereotypes that don't exist. Her portrayal of the French is sickening. She makes them look like they hate all Americans (which isn't true). Her characters carry purses everywhere (only Americans carry purses). She portrays French women as bitc#es (which I've met more American versions of, to be quite frank). Also, she's simply wrong on some points of the French legal system. Towards the close of the book, she says the Napoleonic code is guilty until proven innocent. I just took a French law course, taught by an actual French lawyer, and that's NOT true. In the French system, defendants do not enter a plea at all because everyone is considered not guilty (pas coupable) until proven otherwise. For what it's worth, she also makes incorrect allusions to Henry James and the Bible. To be absolument franche, I was more than disappointed with this book. I'm an American girl, born and bread in rural Kentucky, but I lived in France in college and currently work as an interpreter. I'm pursuing my masters in French. If it's French at all, I love it. I don't know what country Ms Johnson thinks her book is set in, but I'm telling you, it's NOT France.
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