Get a unique perspective on The City of Light when former Darien native and bestselling author, Rosecrans Baldwin, author of “Paris, I Love You, but You’re Bringing Me Down,” comes to Barrett Bookstore.
Rosecrans Baldwin, who grew up here and graduated from Darien High School in 1995, wrote this keenly-observed memoir of life in Paris after living there for 18 months with his wife.
“Growing up in the suburbs, I always had dreams of living somewhere else… I think I wanted what was different,” said Baldwin in a recent interview. “A lot of my desire to live in France was formed in Middlesex Middle School.” Though, he admitted his decision to take French was motivated purely by the promise of an 8th grade trip to Quebec City, Canada.
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On becoming a Francophile, Baldwin had always dreamed of living in Paris—drinking le café, eating les croissants, walking in les jardins—so when he was hired by a French advertising agency, it was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
Paris, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down is a nimble, comic account of observing the French capital from the inside out. It is an exploration of the unromantic underbelly of Paris -- of Sarkozy, text-message romances, smoking bans, and a McDonald’s beneath the Louvre— the story of an American who arrives loving Paris all out of proportion, but finds life there to be completely unlike what he expected. Over eighteen months, Rosecrans must rely on his dogged American optimism to get him through some very unromantic situations.
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Kirkus gave this book a starred review, calling it “A charming, hilarious account of la vie Parisienne as experienced by an observant young American.”
“(Baldwin’s) vivid impressions of Paris and its people (expats included) are most engaging. Great fun and surprisingly touching.”
Refreshments will be served. Seating is limited, please call 203 655-2712 to reserve a space or for more information.
