Rating: 
Summary: Paris in depth, but where's the author's?
Review: As an admitted Francophile, I loved the descriptions of Paris and the Parisians and appreciated the tips. But I was disappointed in the shallowness of the author's descriptions of her emotions following the loss of her husband of 25 years. One would think that after 25 years of marriage, her feelings might have been a little deeper than "I did not choose for my husband to die...but...I felt tinges of delight that I had the opportunity to start over". Also, I could not not help but think that anyone less connected with the famous and semi-famous (Patricia Wells and her husband were good friends) might not have had as much fun and ease.
All in all, fun to read about France and an American's experience with moving there, but not a less well-connected, more emotionally honest woman's guide to moving to Paris alone.
Rating: 
Summary: A joy to read
Review: Finding this little book was like stumbling upon a marvelous little patisserie on a Parisian side street: a jolt of unexpected pleasure. Gershman writes with wit and style; I didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable for the most part...
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, but as another reviewer said, I found the author's comments about not being able to afford this or that absolutely ridiculous. Her lifestyle is obviously upper middle class. While I don't want to belittle how difficult it must be to start over after losing a spouse, her integration into French society was much easier than it would be for the average expat, since she obviously had a comfortable amount of money with which to do it.
All in all, the story was fun to read and had some good humor. It's a quick read and entertaining. And there are some interesting insights into French culture in this book. I recommend it overall, but like I said already, I did find myself annoyed at her repeated comments about her budget, since she obviously lives a life of privilege. Most expats would not find integration into French life quite so easy from a financial perspective.
I liked Sarah Turnbull's "Almost French" better than this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Read!
Review: I enjoyed this book so much. Gershman writes as though she is talking to a good girlfriend. I appreciated her honesty and her candor. I recomend this book to anyone who loves Paris and has fantized about running off to live there.
Rating:
Summary: Vive le veuve!
Review: I loved this book! When I first visited Paris and London about 8 years ago I bought Suzy's Born to Shop books for those cities. Little did I know that in 1998 I would meet the man who would become my husband, rescue me from old maidhood and sweep me off my feet to live in Switzerland. Now I know Paris better than I know NYC and have had some similar adventures (well, not the Count story) myself. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Suzy's story, cheered her on, laughed at some of the language gaffes (been there, done that). And I truly hope that she is in the process of writing a sequel. Suzy, your readers are dying to hear about the Provençal house and your further adventures!
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Summary: That's Life? Perhaps, But Not for Everyone...
Review: I suppose some widowed women could afford to move to Paris and live the kind of privileged life that Gershman enjoys...then again, not everyone has the financial resources to lead such a glamourous life.The above is the main difficulty I had with this otherwise amusing little book. Gershman writes as though she is telling her readers "how to do it". ("It" being moving to Paris and beginning a new way of life in a new cultural environment). But I think she writes for someone other than women of "average" financial means. Ah, well! Taken for what it is ("A Princess Diary" as another reviewer called it), Gershman's book is informative and even humorous at times. Francophiles and armchair travelers will most likely enjoy her descriptions of things French. And a few well-heeled widows may actually be able to use her book as a "how to" manual. For the rest of us, it is an enjoyable fantasy read. Reviewer: Linda Painchaud
Rating:
Summary: The Princess Diary
Review: I'm a sucker for the move-to-Paris (Provence, Tuscany, Spain, etc.) genre, with one caveat. I like the stories where the writer has actually moved to Paris or wherever, and is not just buying a summer home and expects to become a native. In other words, I liked A Year in Provence, and was not so fond of Under the Tuscan Sun. In C'est la Vie, Suzy Gershman has indeed sold her house in the States and moved to Paris. She is newly widowed, which adds a slightly different twist to this story. Gershman tells how she managed to get an apartment and furniture, how she dealt with the French bureaucaracy without speaking much French, how she coped with losing her husband, and how she got back into the dating game. She keeps an upbeat attitude in spite of all the obstacles and becomes, as an acquaintance tells her, "almost French." C'est la Vie has everything going for it, and yet, I feel as if I should have enjoyed it more than I did. Granted, I was not aware of Gershman's Born to Shop series of books, so I ended up skimming the frequent and detailed shopping interludes. Apparently, she is also a celebrity of sorts, so she does a bit of name-dropping. She doesn't flinch at popping for regular trips to London to have her hair and nails done, so I'm afraid we run in different economic circles. C'est la Vie reads more like a fantasy than like a travel memoir. I guess I was expecting to identify with Gershman, but after the affair with the wealthy Count, the New Year's Eve assignation with a handsome Italian at the Ritz, the purchase of a summer home in Provence. . . Although I did enjoy C'est la Vie, I also recommend Almost French by Sarah Turnbull. It's written by an Australian journalist who travels to Paris, falls in love with a French man, and stays. Somehow, I found her story much more real.
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Summary: Get Acquainted with Suzy Gershman --- You'll Be Glad You Did
Review: Mike Gershman was in the final stages of lung cancer before the doctor discovered he was sick. Every night after that, his wife of 25 years lay in his arms and sobbed, "What will I do without you?" "You will go to Paris," he said. Six weeks after the official diagnosis, he was dead. In the officially-sanctioned grief book, the widow mopes in her house, wrapping herself in her husband's old shirts and becoming a pariah among friends and family. She hits bottom, crawls to some officially-approved house of redemption, and there, in the glow of the love of the Lord, starts the slog back toward life --- which includes, along the way, the writing of an officially-sanctioned grief book and the appearance of a Good Man (though never, of course, as good as her husband). This is not that book, for the simple reason that Suzy Gershman is not that woman. She grieves for her husband, alright, but she's no moper. Indeed, rarely have I encountered a woman with such an optimistic take on life. She likes people, and people like her right back. She likes going out --- she's the author of the Born to Shop guides --- and the folks she meets in shops and cafes quickly fall under her spell. So 52-year-old Suzy Gershman, to the surprise of her college-age son and a good many of her neighbors, walked out of her cozy, memory-filled house in Westport, Connecticut, and moved to Paris. (What would have surprised friends and family more: "I paid for the funeral with a credit card. I wanted the miles.") And once she got to Paris, she had adventures with a capital A. Renting an apartment is a chore at best in France; the rules are crazy, the landlords often sadistic. Suzy's spared nothing; good cheer carries her through. Ditto the buying of a bed --- you have no idea how complex a transaction that is --- and the shock of buying standard kitchen items at three times the American price. But Paris, she discovers, is a place where she can thrive. It's not just the flower-markets and cafes, it's the culture. A cheery news story reminds her that the French didn't have more sex per week, but that they have more sex later in their lives. Her conclusion: "Maybe every American woman over fifty should move to France." Prose this breezy grabs your hand and just pulls you along. You race with Suzy through the first year of her new life as "The Runaway Widow" tosses off useful advice for Paris visitors and the bereaved with equal insouciance. Naturally, because her charm is so infectious, she meets a man whose opening salvo is "You are too beautiful to walk past me. I say a prayer you will stop to talk to me." Widows don't have sex? That's only in the officially-sanctioned books. Suzy Gershman not only goes to bed with this man --- this married man, in fact --- she describes their frolics in what might be called lurid detail. Women of a certain age will cheer her, even as they want to tell her what she already knows: He's wrong for her. "Life handed me a lemon," she writes, near the very happy ending. "Somehow I had made citron pressè ...and it was sweet." How sweet? This book makes you want to go to Paris immediately. And, once you get there, it makes you think you must call Suzy, for in just 270 pages, she has become an old and dear friend. --- Reviewed by Jesse Kornbluth
Rating:
Summary: A Charming Book
Review: Suzy Gershman has managed to amusingly and realistically capture what it's like to move to Paris. In addition, her story is real to women who are divorced and/or widowed. Some choose to mope and stay with the familiar. Others opt to pursue other adventures. I've always been a fan of the Born To Shop series. However, now I feel as if I KNOW Suzy. ...and she's someone I like. She's candid and doesn't try to make everything nice-nice. I empathized with her regarding her relationship with her son. Her first "try-on" romance was bitter sweet. C'est La Vie is not just for woman who are moving. Any woman over "a certain age" can't help but relate.
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Summary: I Laughed, I Cried, I ate Tarte Tatin
Review: This book was so inspiring to me. The author, Suzy Gershman, is so brave and so witty that it makes me feel like if I gather the courage and keep a sense of humor, I can get through anything. I really loved the story and Gershman's interesting wordplay. It's funny, its sad and best of all its informative! I strongly reccomend this book to David Sedaris fans or anyone looking for a good read.
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