An American in Pandemic Paris
A Coming-of-Retirement-Age Memoir
Michelle Facos
Michelle found herself at a crossroads in the City of Light that March evening as she watched the first twinkling of the Eiffel Tower. An internationally respected art historian with three marriages behind her, a vague longing in her breast, and one of those terrifying life-might-never-be-the-same choices in front of her, she weighed her options. Does she pull a Shirley Valentine, abandon caution, and go for all the joie de vivre she can squeeze out of pandemic Paris or return to one of two homelands: a polarized and chaotic U.S. or a let’s-pretend-everything’s-normal-even-though-it-isn’t Sweden?
What began as a brief visit to hang with friends and to revel in the culinary and cultural marvels of Paris would not stay confined to the pages of any guidebook. Before she knew it, Michelle found herself suddenly without salary, on a life-changing journey of self-discovery, and on the adventure for which almost every lover in the world hopes—a deeply personal relationship with the Ville de l’amour.
Join Michelle as she walks the jasmine-scented streets of Paris, fumbles her way through the mature-dating landscape, weekends with aristocrats, winters on the Côte d’Azur, and converses with her favorite works of art. Meet her improbably ideal lover, Trocadéro Man, and the characters in her new world: the Puzzle Man of Montparnasse, Madame Chocolat, the Amazing Accordionist, Jim the Expat, and Caroline the Professor.
Share in all the people, places, and experiences that can’t possibly leave a woman unchanged.
Paperback and ebook
ISBN: 979-8218009021
Published by Pouthier Press, 25 August 2023