As cute as I think the cover of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is, I don't think it does the book justice. For one thing, this cover implies that the book is just some sweet, cute little romance about a girl and a boy in Paris. And while it is at times cute--and romantic--and even sweet...it's so much more than that. For one thing, I laughed like a freak reading this. ANNA has a razor sharp sense of humor that appeals to one's intelligence while still maintaining a youthful world-view. Any book that can make me that smiley must be something special. But it's more than just quick-witted humor, you know? Anna's voice is so strong, so incredibly real. All of her actions and dialogue are consistent with who she is. I would have LOVED to have a friend like Anna--no, check that. I would LOVE to be Anna, just like her, down to the bleached stripe and all. Anna is just so genuinely, so beautifully seventeen.
Everything about her is spot on, down to the way she views her dad. I mean, at first I thought to myself, okay, the dad is kind of a weaselly dork, but, whatever, people like him are nothing to get upset about. But to a seventeen year old girl like Anna, a dad like hers would feel like a nightmare, and through her eyes, I actually found myself detesting him just as much--talk about brilliant characterization.
But Anna is more than just a well-written seventeen year old, she's also a stranger in a foreign land, and Perkins does a remarkable job illustrating the trials and tribulations of an expat's life. I've been an expat, and I can't tell you how many times I thought, "Yes YES YES! That's what it's like!" I have to believe that Perkins must have actually studied abroad. Anna's Paris was the same Paris I've experienced, down to the nutella-filled crepes and the sticky sweetness of mille-feuille. She even goes to Shakespeare and Co, my favorite book store ever! Except Anna's experience was colored by her age, her love of films, and (at first) her fear and resentment (also a sign of excellent characterization). I'll just be upfront with you, if you read this, the first thing you will want to do is plan a trip to Paris. And then you will fantasize what it would be to like to go to school there...and fall in love with a hot English boy. It's just so dang bittersweet because I CAN'T BE SEVENTEEN AGAIN.
Okay, I'll be honest, the way that Étienne St. Claire is described doesn't exactly appeal to my tastes. Which is okay because I'm an old person. And he's a teenager. But seeing him through Anna's eyes, it's pretty much impossible not to fall in love with him. He's just so...dreamy. Indeed, every scene is filled with live-wire tension. The romance in ANNA is naturally progressed, but the desire feels so alive, so palpable that these characters and their relationship come to feel so real. But like I said, it's more than just a romance. It's a representation of what it is to be on the cusp of adulthood...the fears and dreams and hopes and embarrassment and sweetness of discovery--all of it reflected in Anna's experience living in a foreign country, which is essentially a perfect analogy for adolescence's evolution (a journey to a place where you haven't yet learned the customs and may not even speak the language). ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS is a smooth read--funny, poignant, full of heart and sexy as all get out.
