Petite beginnings

‘What on earth are you reading?’ said Working Mum. Her accusing tone making me feel unnecessarily guilty.

‘It’s called Petite Anglaise,’ I replied. ‘It’s about a blogger living in Paris’.

Working Mum clearly had reason to be intrigued as she knows that I don’t read a lot, and when I do, certainly not for this amount of time.

I finished it in three sittings and immediately felt compelled to fire off an email to Petite Anglaise herself (aka Catherine Sanderson). I was both surprised and indeed thrilled when just a few hours later my mailbox pinged with a reply from Paris. Catherine was very pleased to hear that I liked her book, but even more so to hear from a man for a change! Catherine went on to say that she was very glad I hadn’t been put off by Penguins ‘girly’ cover.

Looking at it more closely, I think she may have a point, the pushchair would certainly alienate many men and probably should go. Why I didn’t reject it as ‘chicklit’ instantly and keep walking towards the sports section, is puzzling. Was it my sensitive new-age guy side having a dominant moment? Or did I not look at it very closely and was perhaps just in the mood for a bit of ‘French’ read? One day I hope to convince Working Mum to spend at least a whole summer with me in France, fully immersing ourselves in French life and culture. But with Rodent Boy still only in Year 3, that dream of mine seems a long way off yet.

Working Mum immediately pounced on the book as soon as I’d finished reading it, eager to find out exactly what had been engrossing me so persuasively. She finished it herself in just two sittings, even continuing to read as she gave the dog a once round the block.

So apart from suggesting that you should certainly read this book (assuming you haven’t done so already), I felt it only approriate that I should begin my first post with an acknowledgment to Petite Anglaise. Catherine’s book has inspired me to begin my own blog and I thank her for that. I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead…