Seven Letters From Paris

Twenty years, seven letters, and one long-lost love of a lifetime At age 40, Samantha Verant's life is falling apart—she's jobless, in debt, and feeling stuck... until she stumbles upon seven old love letters from Jean-Luc, the sexy Frenchman she'd met in Paris when she was 19. With a quick Google search, she finds him, and both are quick to realize that the passion they felt 20 years prior hasn't faded with time and distance. Samantha knows that jetting off to France to reconnect with a man that she only knew for one sun-drenched, passion-filled day is crazy—but it's the kind of crazy she's been waiting for her whole life.

Samantha's life is falling apart she's lost her job, her marriage is on the rocks and she's walking dogs to keep the wolf from the door. When she stumbles across seven love letters from the handsome Frenchman she fell head over heels for in Paris when she was 19, she can't help but wonder, what if? One carefully worded, very belated email apology, it's clear that sometimes love does give you a second chance. Jetting off to France to reconnect with a man you knew for just one day is crazy but it's the kind of crazy Samantha's been waiting for her whole life. Truth may be stranger than fiction but sometimes it's better than your wildest dreams. Deliciously funny, honest and beyond romantic, Seven Letters is the perfect feel good gift for any woman with a heartbeat.

A New York Times bestseller For readers of Eat Pray Love, Under the Tuscan Sun, and The 4-Hour Workweek, comes a funny, romantic, and inspiring travel memoir about a woman who quits her job, moves to Paris, and finds love—and herself. Exhausted and on the verge of burnout, Janice MacLeod cuts back, saves up, and buys herself two years of freedom in Europe. In Paris, Janice meets Christophe, the cute butcher down the street—who doesn't speak English. They embark on a whirlwind Paris romance, and she soon realizes she can never return to the world of twelve-hour workdays. But her dwindling savings force her to find a way to fund her dreams again. So Janice turns to her three loves—words, art, and Christophe—to figure out a way to make her happily-ever-after in Paris last forever. Not only is this a charming nonfiction love story, but it's also filled with financial tips, including MacLeod's list of "100 Ways to Save," and other practical advice to make your dream of living abroad reality. Paris Letters invites you to experience the magic of Paris, find inspiration in Janice's journey, and perhaps, ignite your own quest for a life less ordinary. Praise for Paris Letters: "Janice MacLeod's charming Paris Letters takes us on her starry-eyed discovery of Paris, the joys of learning the French language, a unique career in art and, best of all, the romance of a lifetime! C'est bon!"—Lynne Martin, author of Home Sweet Anywhere "Written as though to a best friend telling her story over lattes—or café crème. Relatable and inspiring ... cleverly crafted with wit and unexpected wisdom"—New York Journal of Books "Aspirational fiction? No, a true story to inspire similar dreamers out there."—National Geographic's "Intelligent Travel" A wonderful gift for the armchair traveler, artist, and people who love to travel.

Say bonjour to a whole new way of life! Take one French widower, his two young children, and drop a former city girl from Chicago into a small town in southwestern France. Shake vigorously... and voilá: a blended Franco-American family whose lives will all drastically change. Floating on a cloud of newlywed bliss, Samantha couldn't wait to move to France to begin her life with her new husband, Jean-Luc, and his kids. But almost from the moment the plane touches down, Samantha realizes that there are a lot of things about her new home—including flea-ridden cats, grumpy teenagers, and language barriers—that she hadn't counted on. Struggling to feel at home and wondering when exactly her French fairy tale is going to start, Samantha isn't sure if she really has what it takes to make it in la belle France. But when a second chance at life and love is on the line, giving up isn't an option. How to Make a French Family is the heartwarming and sometimes hilarious story of the culture clashes and faux pas that , in the end, add up to one happy family.

Pauline Garcia Viardot, the daughter of the famous singer and composer Manuel Garcia and younger sister of the celebrated Malibran, was a singer of genius and a woman of outstanding intellect. The first biography of Viardot not only recreates the drama of the prima donna's own life, but perfectly captures the scintillating brilliance of nineteenth-century artistic life: the colourful and diverse personalities of the Musset brothers, Chopin, George Sand, Meyerbeer, Berlioz, Gounod and Saint-Saens move in and out of Viardot's life. In 1843 Madame Viardot met the young Ivan Turgenev. From their first meeting until his death in 1883, he remained passionately devoted to her, following her around Europe and spending long periods of time as a member of her household.This authoritative study, which makes use of much hitherto unknown source material, has the fascination of a great Russian novel.