Peeking Between the Pages

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Book Review: Hungry Woman in Paris by Josefina Lopez

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Hungry Woman in Paris is the debut novel from Josefina Lopez who is best known for her critically acclaimed screenplay Real Women Have Curves.

This novel follows Los Angeles journalist Canela who is depressed after losing her cousin and best friend Luna to suicide. She is sick and tired of her job that censors everything she wants to say, she is tired of her interferring family, she is frustrated with the politics of her country and she doesn’t want to get married either to top off the list.

Thus begins her journey to Paris. She breaks off her engagement to her fiance Armando who is every woman’s dream just not hers. While being completely depressed and trying to fight off La Cala Flaca who is a figment of her imagination but nevertheless shows up whenever Canela has had life throw at her something that she just can’t handle, she finds the tickets to Paris that were supposed to be for her honeymoon. She decides to use them and get away from it all.

She meets up with her friend Rosemary when she gets there and they spend the week together in the honeymoon suite enjoying themselves. After the week though Canela just can’t see herself going back to LA-she hates everything there. Instead she picks up the phone, calls Rosemary, and ends up at her tiny apartment. Eventually Rosemary leaves to go back to the States as her mother is ill and Canela stays on in her apartment. However Canela doesn’t have much time left that she can legally stay in Paris. Lucky for her she learns that she can stay a year in Paris if she enrolls in and pays fully for the course at this world-class cooking school, Le Coq Rouge. So, this is exactly what she does.

This book is called Hungry Woman in Paris for more reasons than the cooking. There are *sex scenes, plenty of *sexual innuendo and bad language throughout. It is definitely not a book for the faint hearted but if you can handle material such as this it is a good read. It’s not my favorite but it did hold my attention and keep me reading. There is also plenty of digs at the politics of the US which fairly float over my head since I’m a Canadian. The parts I enjoyed the most were the parts taking place at the cooking school with the hussle and bussle of the classes and the food talk.

If you can look beyond the above, the character of Canela herself is likeable. She’s like a lost soul trying to find herself and we’ve all been there at one point or another. She has issues with her mother, her life, her job; she doesn’t know what will make it better anymore or what will bring the passion back to her life. The book is told in kind of a continuous thought pattern and at times it’s hard to follow. Several times throughout the novel though I found myself laughing out loud. I have to say also that the cover of this novel really caught my attention. I thought it was beautiful. So, to sum things up, by staying in Paris and enrolling in the cooking school, Canela ends up finding what she needs to start putting the pieces of her life back together.

Many thanks to Miriam at Hachette Books for sending me this advanced reader’s copy. This book will be released on March 9, 2009.

Other bloggy friend opinions can be found over at Mo’s from Un-Mainstream Mom Reads

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Comments

  1. Culinary fiction with a good dash of sexiness. Sounds like something I could read in one big gulp!

  2. I am not sure this is something I would enjoy, but I have to agree about the cover! It’s quite attractive! Great review, Dar.

  3. It does sound like a great premise…a little “Under the Tuscan Sun” kinda thing. Sex and language and food. Hmmm. Sounds like my kinda book!

  4. I like the title, Paris is my birth place. will look out for when this book is published.

    I do miss home 🙁

  6. This sounds like something I would like. I really liked the film Real Women Have Curves, and I wasn’t aware that Lopez had had turned novelist. Thanks!

  9. Janel, you’d probably get a hoot out of this one.

    Wendy, Teddy, Melody —thanks 🙂

    Sandy, lol. You’d love this one then!

    Madeleine, I bet you would miss Paris. I bet it’s a beautiful place to live.

    Beth, you may like the book then. This is her first book so that’s probably why you hadn’t heard she was writing books now.

    Naida, yes I agree. I like books that make me laugh too. It brightens the day.

  10. Would you say that thoe things are gratuitous? I can handle digs and s*x and language as long as it isn’t gratuitous. Other than that, the premise does sound like an interesting one.

  11. Sounds like a good one Dar.. I really want to read this one.. I like a little stem, and this and that. I like to shake things up.. and I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE anything French/Paris.

  12. Sounds like an OK read. Perhaps it was a bit of a let-down for you Dar, especially after reading and loving, The School of Essential Ingredients.

    **oh my gosh, Toni! “little stem” … tee hee, I know it was just a typo but THANK-YOU for the fit of giggles, lol, lol!** 😀

  13. I just love those stories that have lost souls trying to rediscover or find themselves.

    Great review…thanks.

  14. Trish, I would say that the sex scenes were more graphic than they needed to be. The digs at the political system are harder for me as I’m from Canada. Does that help?

    Toni, I think you’ll like it. It’s on it’s way to you.

    Wanda, you’re right. I think I was expecting more of a book like School of Essential Ingredients but it was still a good book and I did enjoy it.

    Serena, that is what was most appealing. Canela finding herself and knowing what she finally wanted.

  17. Hello! Sounds like a fun story line and main character. Please count me in!
    Many thanks…..Cindi
    jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

  18. I am a fan/follower of your blog!
    Thanks very much, Cindi
    jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

  19. After reading your review, I bought this one. I just started it today and I’m already enjoying it.

  20. Kathy, I’m glad you’re liking the book. How did you enjoy the Blog Talk chat. I was so upset that my computer wouldn’t let me stay in for it. Miriam is going to send my questions to her and then I’ll post it as an interview I think. That’ll be great.