BOOKWORM // DREAMING IN FRENCH

I'll be honest with you, I didn't mean to read this book. That sounds strange, but it's true. I actually intended (and do still intend) to read Dreaming in French by Alice Caplan. Instead, I read Dreaming in French: A Novel by Megan McAndrew.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this mistake of a book. The novel is a coming-of-age story about a daughter and her mother. Her mother is American and her father is French. They live in Paris and live a luxurious life until a few of her mother's decisions take Charlotte (main character) to New York which causes her to live in a very disenchanted state, reality.

It's refreshing to see a flawed character struggling with the reality of growing up. In fact, all of Megan McAndrew's characters are beautifully and artfully flawed. It makes for a very enticing read.

It doesn't hurt that there is a healthy dose of ex-pat in this novel, seeing as I'm dying to be one myself. Fun fact: when I was a sophomore in high school, my family contemplated a move to Germany for my Dad's job. We opted out of that opportunity, but I often wonder what life would have been like..

Have you read Dreaming in French by either author? What did you think? Are there any other books about ex-pats that I should pick up?