Not Quite a Stranger: Essays on Life in France - Softcover

This collection of fifty-three personal essays by David Bouchier isn’t quite a travel book or a memoir. With many of these essays originally broadcast on National Public Radio stations in New York and Connecticut, Not Quite a Stranger provides a lively portrait of France and the French through the unique voice of a beloved commentator.

With this book, you’ll love reliving Bouchier’s romantic attempt to establish himself as a Bohemian intellectual in Paris and look at the City of Lights with a fresh perspective.

You’ll also enjoy exploring French village life alongside Bouchier and his wife, Diane, examining the countryside, history, art, social habits, and local politics. And then there are the penetrating questions: For instance, why are dangerous bulls encouraged to run through the village once a year?

Each chapter features a delightful short essay covering a wide array of topics. Sometimes thoughtful and sometimes humorous, they’re always entertaining and enlightening, each capturing life in France from a different angle.

Drawing from Bouchier’s background in sociology and education and expressed through a wonderfully engaging style, these essays reveal a deep love and affection for all things French and celebrate a lifestyle that’s a virtual mirror image of “the American way.”