Almost French - Sarah Turnbull

Resisted reading this for awhile, for some vague reason like maybe it was just another bandwagon book. But when I finally read it, I found it quite engaging partly because of its Australian perspective. Funny to read of the writer's gradual transition from wearing baggy trackpants to becoming more stylish by osmosis as the environment began to have its effect. It provides insight into some common stereotypes of the French, and destroys some myths, clarifies others. Because she's with a French partner, it gives her more of an inside view, while her Australian origin provides an outsider's view. Still, threading through the narrative are the dilemnas of someone who's between 2 cultures. Finally at the end, she says she can now resonate with "Once you leave your homeland, nothing is ever the same" - said to her by a Greek man who felt Australian in Greece and Greek in Australia. So true.