L'Affaire

By: Diane Johnson

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Diane Johnson returns with another expatriate comedy of manners in this tale of a young dot-com executive from California who sets off for Europe to find culture, her roots, and maybe a cause to devote her considerable fortune to. When Amy checks into one of the finest small hotels in the French Alps - a hotel noted for skiing and for cooking lessons - she encounters a memorable cast of Euro trash aristocrats and ski enthusiasts. She has no plans to fall in love. But on the first afternoon, she is nearly swept away by an avalanche. Johnson's unerring ear for the cadences of the two cultures, her wit, and her shrewd insight into contemporary manners make her latest work a treat for fans of transatlantic relations.

"If one were to cross Jane Austen and Henry James, the result would be Diane Johnson." (San Francisco Chronicle)© 2003 Diane Johnson; (P) 2003 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

“In Le Divorce and Le Mariage, Johnson polished her skill for sophisticated social comedy involving the cultural disconnections of Americans in France. Here, she perfects it in a deliciously entertaining story of a group of people drawn together—and divided by—the sharply different laws of succession in France and Britain… Johnson's dexterity with plot builds astounding but credible complications, and she is adept at rendering a kind of fugal counterpoint in which each character misunderstands what each of the others thinks. Because love and money are never far apart in Johnson's oeuvre, four affairs take place, with mixed results. Johnson is more droll than Henry James, to whom she's been compared, and she's as witty as a modern-day Voltaire. Vraiment, L'Affaire, c'est irresistible!”—Publishers Weekly

“Like the wildly successful Le Divorce and Le Mariage, Johnson's latest novel explores the strange alchemy that occurs when American and European social mores collide… Johnson's novel is exactly the kind of intricate, bittersweet comedy of manners her many fans have come to expect.”—Booklist

"Immensely amusing… devilishly on target."—The New York Times Book Review

"An international confection in which each flavor remains distinct, the comedy high, the suspense sharp." —Los Angeles Times

"Full of tip-top invention [and] lightness of touch that has nearly disappeared from literary fiction, comic or otherwise… a pleasure."—The Atlantic

“An engaging story of Americans abroad and the cultural mayhem that follows in their wake. Johnson's trademark ability to deliver insightful observations on cultural stereotypes makes the novel delightfully entertaining. This fresh and sophisticated satire brings each character's motivations and prejudices sharply into focus, making the reader aware that perhaps we are all more alike than we care to think.”—Joni Rendon, BookPage

Delightful book, terrific reader!

What a relief to hear a book with several French characters read by someone whose French doesn't make me wince, cringe or wonder what I just heard.

Particularly for a Diane Johnson book where dialogue and characterization are everything, having someone with an ability to transmit the appropriate tone takes the reading to a higher level. I truly enjoyed the book as much for the expert reading as for the delightful wit of the author and her astounding insight into the cultural differences among Europeans and Americans of various class.

ditto

one reviewer wrote this:

"What a relief to hear a book with several French characters read by someone whose French doesn't make me wince, cringe or wonder what I just heard."

To this I say: DITTO. It's a fun listen and the French is good.

Ending predictable

Overall this is an interesting book and paints a good picture of the main characters and their interaction with each other. However I did find that the ending fell flat.

A wonderful comedy of manners

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to anyone who has spent some time in France or England. The book is a modern meeting of Balzac and Jane Austen, very funny, very intelligent, and the author while bitingly satirical, is affectionate about her characters. An excellent book, superbly read.

Comedy of manners (not my cup of tea)

The New York Times wrote a very positive review of this book but I found it very boring and gave up listening. I enjoyed reading Johnson's previous books but couldn't get interested in this one. I didn't find the narrator's voice engaging...I felt like I was stuck listening to a proper English auntie telling a long, boring story about a bunch of people she met on holiday at a resort.