Petite Anglaise Hardback - 2008

A long-suffering Francophile, Catherine Sanderson spent years pining for the romance and allure of France from her dull surroundings across the Channel. Finally, she lands a job in Paris (albeit at a satellite office of a British accounting firm), a handsome Frenchman (who is increasingly preoccupied and less available), and a charming apartment with sweeping views of the city skyline. Soon after, she gives birth to a baby girl and the dream seems complete. But the triple whammy of motherhood, stale romance, and the daily grind begins to sour Catherine's Parisian fantasy. One slow day at work, she reads an article about starting a blog and--voila--Petite Anglaise is born. Initially, the virtual Catherine muses about expat life and the adventures of raising a bilingual toddler, but before long the blog evolves into a raw forum to air her most intimate desires. Petite becomes a powerful alter ego and the blog a haven for her to think out loud, miles away from the real world and its consequences. But when the real world and the virtual one collide, sending Catherine into a tailspin, she must reconcile her life and her creation. Petite Anglaise chronicles a year in Catherine's beloved Paris when all that seemed stable--motherhood, romance, work, even her very identity--explodes. Fizzing with the candor, wit, and panache that have drawn millions to her blog and attracted the attention of publishers around the world, Petite Anglaise offers a decidedly fresh twist on the classic story of reinvention abroad: how a young woman transforms herself wielding the power of a mouse.