Think Brooklyn is the greatest place on earth? Try living in Paris for a year.
That’s the message behind adventure-seeking college professor-cum-romance novelist Eloisa James’s acclaimed new memoir — which she actually has the guts to read aloud in our fair borough on April 25.
“Paris in Love: A Memoir” is a colorful juxtaposition of French and American life that touches on subjects such as why Parisian women are so stylish what’s up with marathon-long European dinners.
“A year in Paris taught my family how to just sit — and talk each other,” said James, who will read from her book at Word bookstore in Greenpoint on April 25.
“French people spend a great deal of time at the dinner table,” said the writer, who will break baguette with fans after the reading at the Franklin Street French eatery La Gamin Cafe.
James, a professor of Shakespeare, learned she had cancer in 2007, so she ditched the Big Apple, rented an apartment in Paris, and hauled her family across the ocean for a fresh start.
The book features poetic observations about differences in cultures, including insights on parenting that come from watching her teenagers adapt to life abroad.
So what can Brooklynites learn from her life journey?
“It’s possible to have kids — and still have an adventure,” she said.
Dinner with Eloisa James at WORD [126 Franklin St. between Milton and Noble streets in Greenpoint, (718) 383-0096]. April 25, 7 pm, $45. Visit www.wordbrooklyn.com.
Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or by calling her at (718) 260-4505.
