Stressed Spelled Backwards is Desserts • Paris, My Sweet

Paris, My Sweet: A Year in the City of Light (And Dark Chocolate) by Amy Thomas
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: February 1, 2012
Source/Format: Netgalley (Thanks!) || e-galley

[I received this from the publisher. This in no way affects my review.]

Part love letter to New York, part love letter to Paris, and total devotion to all things sweet. Paris, My Sweet is a personal and moveable feast that’s a treasure map for anyone who loves fresh cupcakes and fine chocolate, New York and Paris, and life in general. It’s about how the search for happiness can be as fleeting as a sliver of cheesecake and about how the life you’re meant to live doesn’t always taste like the one you envisioned. Organized into a baker’s dozen of delicacies (and the adventures they inspired) that will tempt readers’ appetites, Paris, My Sweet is something to savor.

It is no secret to people who know me that I am absolutely, utterly fascinated with Paris. I've been dreaming of visiting for the longest time, and to be able to do so vicariously through Amy Thomas in this novel is a dream. The novel is a quirky little exploration into the cities of New York and Paris, as seen through the eyes of a writer who is utterly fascinated with sweets. Combining mouthwatering descriptions of desserts with reflections on the year she spent in Paris, Amy Thomas really made me fall in love with the Paris, New York and sweet treats. It's a delicious, delectable gem of a book.

I absolutely enjoy reading memoirs, especially when they're written well and revolve around a theme. In this case, the theme was desserts. Each chapter title referred back to some sweet delight, and as someone with a sweet tooth, I definitely loved reading about all this food. But it was also intriguing to see how each type of dessert highlighted intertwined with a major lesson or experience the author had.

Her descriptions of both cities, the food she tasted and the places she visited were incredibly enticing and detailed. They made me want to pack up my bags and fly off to Paris straightaway. They also made me felt incredibly guilty for not realizing how many awesome dessert places are located in nearby New York City - and I'm making it my mission to now visit them all and try her suggestions!

There was just one thing that I found problematic - encountering various French terms. I have the patience of a saint so I actually opened up a French-English translation tab on my browser and looked up each unfamiliar phrase. Readers may get frustrated with having to do this, but since I'm a Francophile, I enjoyed discovering new terms (like miam).

All in all, PARIS, MY SWEET is indeed a sweet treat – perfect for fans of dessert, memoirs and Paris.