Paris Letters by Janice MacLeod

Published: February 4, 2014

Number of pages: 272

Genre: Memoirs

Synopsis:

“How much money does it take to change your life?”

Unfulfilled at her job and unsuccessful in the dating department, Janice MacLeod doodled this question at her desk. Then she decided to make it a challenge.

Over the next few months, with a little math and a lot of determination, she saved up enough to buy two years of freedom in Europe.

But she had only been in Paris for a few days when she met a handsome butcher (with a striking resemblance to Daniel Craig)—and never went home again.

A love story in the vein of Almost French and Lunch in Paris, Paris Letters (February 4) is a joyful romp through the City of Light, and an inspiring look at what can happen when we dare to create the life we want.

Realizing that her Parisian love affair would be forever, MacLeod began her own business on Etsy, creating beautifully-illustrated letters from Paris inspired by artists like Percy Kelly and Beatrix Potter. She now paints and writes full-time, bringing beautiful things to subscribers around the world and reviving the lost art of letter-writing.

What I thought about the book:

I thought this was a good book. One of the things I liked was how the author decided she wanted to go to Paris and then found a way to do it. She did this by saving or earning $100 a day or tried to anyway. Her ideas for saving made a lot of sense and I wish I had the courage to do what she did. When she want to Paris she had no idea she would find the love of her life and all this while not really being able to speak the language. I thought her idea of letters from Paris was a great idea. I wish I had some of her letters. 

What I thought about the cover:

I really liked this cover as it showed a nice view of Paris. Not just the Eiffel Tower but one of the many bridges and the town itself. I thought the cover was inviting that is one of the reasons I picked the book up. 

About the author:

How much money does it take to quit your job?

Exhausted and on the verge of burnout, Janice posed this question to herself as she doodled on a notepad at her desk. She started a blog to record how she would answer this question. With a little math and a lot of determination, Janice cut back, saved up, and bought herself two years of freedom in Europe. She skipped town and traveled with nothing more than a suitcase and a small set of watercolors. Along the way, she painted letters about her travels and mailed them to friends.

A few days into her stop in Paris, Janice meets Christophe and embarks on a whirlwind Paris romance--and soon realizes that she can't ever return to the world of twelve-hour workdays and greasy corporate lingo she left behind. 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.

Janice is originally from Canada. She called California her home for a decade, then moved to the land of stinky cheese and lippy waiters. Ooh la la.

Author website: janicemacleod.com