I absolutely love David Lebovitz, and his writing and recipes are superb. L’Appart is just as wonderfully written as I would expect!

David Lebovitz is a great storyteller. This is an interesting story of a kitchen renovation, which on the surface seems like it would not be a great story, but somehow he turns it into a wonderful read!

This is a charming memoir about moving from San Franscisco to Paris, France and the apartment hunting troubles and renovation disasters along the way. I really enjoyed this memoir.

L'Appart is the entertaining memoir of chef and writer David Lebovitz. Originally from San Francisco, David fell in love with Paris and his French husband, and decided to move to Paris. Then the search for an appartment starts, which turns out to be anything but easy. But finding the right appartment turns out to be to easy compared to what follows next. The appartment needs a renovation and after a short search, through a friend they find a contractor to do the job, Claude. Claude's stop word is ''Pas de probleme, Daveed!''. Little does David know that Claude is covering up all his renovation faults with this phrase. Two years of a lot of ''merde'' and an appartment that doesn't seem to get finished follows. This all goes with the well known infamous French bureacracy, which David vividly describes, along with the differences in the American system he is more familiar with.

The difference between the two are quite interesting to read, and apparently this is not quite known to everyone who likes Paris, and this book shows that it's not all beauty and romantic but also that Paris has a quite outdated system, that might need some renovating and updating too. The expensive renovation disasters in his apartment last untill the end of the book, where he luckily meets a friend who has a friend who is a contractor. And this one is not like Claude, but know to point out all the terrible mistakes Claude has made, so in the end, everything falls a little more into place in David's new house.

Beside the retelling of his ups and down in his Paris apartment, David included some delicious mouthwatering recipes, like Tarte Tropezzienne which are the ending of each chapter, and he describes why he chose for this recipe.

Overall it is a very entertaining book that shows a different side then the Paris you usually see, and behind its beautiful facade it's system (and the buildings..) truly has some cracks that need repair and updating. Davids retelling was entertaining, but at some points it was repeating itself a little bit. But most of all it was fun to read!

I'm not sure I know anyone who hasn't dreamed of packing up and moving somewhere exotic at some point. For me, it was always England. Until I read Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. And then I read Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun. And then I realized that I need to be careful where I read about, because it doesn't take much to make me want to pack up and try an entirely different life. Or a life in an entirely different place. 

Author and pastry chef David Lebovitz, formerly of Chez Panisse and now of the fabulous city of Paris, France, did just that. After many years in California, he moved to Europe and rented a tiny top floor apartment with a fantastic view. And after many years of renting, he decided to make the leap to buying an apartment. And lucky for us, he wrote about the entire experience in his newest book, L'Appart. 

It sounds so easy, buying a home. In America, it would be easy. In France, it's not. Lebovitz struggles through every step of the process, from finding the right apartment in a city where there is no system for organizing homes on the market to dealing with the mountains of paperwork and bureaucracy necessary to buying a home. And he shares every step of his struggle, from the urine test to get his bank loan through all the renovations to creating his perfect Paris home with a kitchen amazing enough for an American pastry chef and cookbook author. 

And throughout his honest and utterly delightful memoir, Lebovitz talks food. He shops for the freshest ingredients from the most discerning of Parisian farmers. He buys pastries and talks constantly of chocolate (consider that a warning as well as a selling point). He shares his recipes for some of his favorite French treats. And he makes almost every inch of the city sounds magical and delicious. To visit. Living there sounds like a challenge that is beyond my level of patience. But I do admire anyone who's willing to take that kind of chance. And if they can write about it in a way that infuses each chapter with humor, charm, self-deprecation, and intelligence? Then I have found my new home in the pages of that book. So if you need to find me, I'll be in L'Appart. 


Galleys for L'Appart were provided by Crown Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Despite suffering while reading about this nightmare apartment renovation when my own kitchen redo was to start in just a few days, I really enjoyed reading this memoir. The beginning is a much more enjoyable read than later pages; he touches on his moving from Paris to San Francisco and shares humorous (and personal) stories of doing his best to integrate with Parisian culture. It has a more personal slant than his other food-based books, but there is still plenty of kitchen talk and recipes. I felt like laughing and crying with him throughout the ups and downs with contractors and electricians, but mostly crying. I cannot believe he went through what he did and is still here to share the story. Okay, that may be a bit dramatic, but it is a wonder that he's still living in Paris.

L'appart will be out on November 7th, 2017. Check here to see if he's coming to your area for his book tour

As charming as it is informative, L’appart offers a chef’s eye view of the beauty and bureaucratic madness that is France.

After moving from San Francisco to Paris, Lebovitz spent a decade living in a tiny top-floor flat with a magnificent view of the City of Light. When he finally decided to buy his own place, he had no idea what he was in for. In this fresh, funny memoir, sprinkled with insider knowledge about Paris life (sales only happen once a year, for example, and baguettes always come wrapped in tiny paper "because excess is ground upon in France"), Lebovitz chronicles his attempt to buy and remodel a Paris apartment amidst miles of red tape and misunderstandings. Each chapter ends with a recipe, which, for the culinarily untalented among us, may prove as daunting as dealing with the Parisian real estate agents and electricians. Even if you can't imagine pulling off a pain perdu caramelise, you'll be happy to learn that pain perdu got its name because it "takes lost (Peru) bread and turns it around, making it something marvelous."

Leibovitz’s love of his adopted city, as well as his passion for the bounty of the Parisian marche, comes through loud and clear. An utter delight.

I've been reading David's blog for years, and this glimpse into his life in France was funny and revealing....and it has great recipes too!
When the book starts, Davis has been in Paris for several years, renting an apartment. He decides it's time to buy, and descends into the Parisian world of bureaucracy, red tape, and unwritten rules that an American from California could not possible understand.

Fortunately, he has his partner, a native and fearless Frenchman to help him through some of the rougher parts of the negotiations and eventual acquisition to his dream apartment. The journey as described is alternately frustrating and funny, and gave me an opportunity to know David Lebovitz as more than just an outstanding chef.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it. Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful real life story of Leibovitz's trials and tribulations in purchasing and renovating his apartment in Paris. At turns hilarious and horrifying, somehow - from a distance - he is able to analyze his mistakes and share his hard earned lessons in navigating the French bureaucracy and construction business. The recipes sprinkled throughout are enticing. An expat who had embraced French life but still can see the pitfalls of being a stranger in a strange land. As charmed as I am by Paris, this story gave me a new appreciation for American efficiency and customer service!

I would like to recommend this book for Library Reads.

If you've ever wanted to live the romantic life in Paris, but haven't won the lottery, don't worry, David Lebovitz has done it so that you don't have too. Like his previous book The Sweet Life in Paris, L'appart is Mr. Lebovitz's honest, witty, and funny account of his life as an American ex-pat in Paris; only this time through the lens of real estate and home renovation,

Interesting read. The eGalley didn't have any photos--I hope that the print edition will and/or the Lebovitz will create a portion of his website for some. I found a few "before" pictures but would like to see the apartment in all of its before and after glory. I don't know how Lebovitz had the stomach for this whole process but it made for interesting reading for someone with no emotional or financial involvement.

I'm not really much of a Francophile. My experience in France consists of a full eight hours of wandering around Paris like a giddy touriste Américain so I don't know the answer to my question: Will Franophiles like this book? I honestly don't know. While I would love to go back to Paris to spend more time there rather than simply buzzing past the Louvre and saying, "Look, honey, it's the Louvre!" this book didn't want to make me spend *that* much time there and certainly not as a place to live. Lebovitz definitely loves Paris--it is clear--but he doesn't paint a very flattering picture of Paris (beyond the pastry and chocolate....) Maybe those who have an affinity for Paris and for France will interpret it differently. Still, I really enjoyed the book and now my husband's cocoa-dusted almonds from Maison Georges Larnicol purchased on our recent trip really *are* on borrowed time.

To say I loved Sweet Life in Paris would be an understatement. Given that, this book was a disappointment. It felt like it could've used a good edit. Chapters felt drawn out and repetitive. They felt like there was no thought given to their flow, as if they were separate essays collected without considering the surrounding essays. The story was interesting and had the potential to be amazing, but it could've used a major polish. Also, I expected more actual cooking and less about various types of refrigerators and washing machines. Fun, but not as good as his previous books.

“When I started looking for an apartment, I had no idea what I was doing or what I was getting into- just like how I decided to move to Paris. I just did it, then learned the steps along the way, aka, the hard way.”

After spending years in Paris, David Lebovitz (a cookbook author) decides to finally make the City of Light his permanent home. Following his (mis)adventures in renovation, readers get an inside look at the outlandish behaviors of his contractor and the odd Paris traditions that may ultimately ground any dreams to move to the city.

With quirky details such as the way real estate works in Paris (did you know once you list your property with an agency, you’re not allowed to sell it for more than it’s asking price? And if someone offers you the listed price, you must accept it?), Lebovitz doesn’t leave anything behind. He shares every struggle he faced. He was a fish out of water and not in control of the entire situation.

And in addition to the renovation details, Lebovitz also includes a few of his recipes in the book since he’s a pastry chef and cookbook writer. It’s a smart move because I’ve since checked out his blog (everything looks insanely delicious) and looked at his cookbooks on Amazon.

“I clearly had no business moving to a foreign country, let alone buying an apartment in one. My head had been in the stars. And now everything had been ruined- all that I had invested in Paris, not just financially, but emotionally, was in this apartment, and it was a complete désastre.”

L’Appart is very conversational- it’s like you’re catching up with your friend David in a café and he’s giving you an update on his renovation process. But it’s not HGTV with problems quickly solved- Lebovitz didn’t have three relatively nice properties with only minor paint color changes to manage. The apartment- not even zoned as an apartment to begin with- needs a complete overhaul and we’re along for the ride.

Learning customs, phrases and recipes, L’Appart is a great read for any Francophile. It’s an eye-opening and grounded look into a real renovation in Paris and Lebovitz doesn’t leave any details behind. While it may damper your Paris dreams, it’s an extremely close look at a renovation process without having to manage one yourself.

(I received a copy of David Lebovitz’s L’Appart in exchange for an honest review. L’Appart is available to purchase on November 7, 2017.)

"People tell me I'm lucky to live in Paris. But I didn't have any lucky stars (les astres) to thank. I was responsible for making it happen, but I was also to blame for the mess I was in."

I adore American expat in Paris chef and blogger David Lebovitz, even if his more glorious and complicated recipes are lost on me and my lower level cooking skills. I discovered him when I was also an expat in France, not cooking as much and not navigating nearly the bureaucracy he faced, as I was there doing temporary projects for my American employers. Still, I've been a European expat for years elsewhere, so we certainly have a lot in common to whine about.

Although I occasionally use his blog for recipes, like this one for carottes rapee, a simple grated carrot salad I miss SO much from France, most of his cooking and baking is far beyond my limited repertoire. But I loved The Sweet Life in Paris, his memoir of the ups and downs of moving from San Francisco, where he was a pastry chef at Chez Panisse, to Paris.

For what seemed like a painfully long time, Lebovitz was "living the dream" of owning his own little piece of Paris, in the form of an in-need-of-renovations apartment. "I was well on my way to owning my very own place in Paris, which was scary and exciting at the same time. The excitement was short-lived. The scary part was just beginning." Because it was really more of a nightmare, as he suffered under an incompetent contractor, his equally incompetent and surlier electrician, and, considering his profession, perhaps worst of all the effects and stress of lacking an adequate kitchen to invent and test recipes for his popular blogs and cookbooks.

His owner's dream-to-nightmare scenario is along the lines of the Tom Hanks classic The Money Pit. Except he's also navigating the added complication of making arrangements and buying IKEA cabinets in French, not to mention the ocean-wide cultural differences, and dealing with the maddening, often nonsensical workings of French bureaucracy. As the French say when they're frustrated, oh la la.

He's already told his stories of falling for France in The Sweet Life in Paris, his wonderful first memoir of establishing himself and carving his niche in the city, so this book understandably focuses more on his journey to happy homeownership. It's a winding, treacherous, frustrating journey, but he makes it so much fun to hear about, plus there's the safety of our positions of not being Parisian homeowners.

But he does fill in some of his backstory for those who haven't had the pleasure of reading Sweet Life, and although I highly recommend that book it's not necessary to have read to enjoy this one. But for example, he reminds us of where he came from and why he chose Paris:

I had been cooking in Northern California for so long that it was natural I'd eventually fall for France. My life revolved around my cooking and baking, and in France, everyone seems to be either: 1) talking about what they had eaten, 2) eating, or 3) talking about what they were going to eat.

In addition to the farcical walk through the Alice in Wonderland-esque process of renovating a Parisian apartment, the sort of B-plot, if you will, is Lebovitz's ongoing reconciling of a lifetime's American culture with the Parisian and French cultures he's living amidst.

He has a sunny outlook: "Like my life as an American in France, I straddle two cultures, appreciating the qualities of each." That familiarity in two cultures allows him to make observations like this, about a particularly glamorous office: "It made the posh tea salon at Ladurée look like the cafeteria at Walmart."

But his outlook is also a tad optimistic, and he's both hilarious and sympathetic as he recounts some cultural oddities contrasted with his own. A favorite example: his struggle to acquire an American-size fridge in a country (a continent, I think) where mini-fridges and frequent small shopping trips are considered the norm. It's absolutely the worst for anyone who loves cooking and hates too-frequent shopping. Sure it saves energy, but it's still the inconvenient worst.

I've been an American expat in Europe myself, so coming from a similar perspective I loved how he handled this subject. It's not easy, and what may initially seem like not so vastly different cultures quickly reveal their differences in any extended stay, let alone life here. He puts it succinctly but completely accurately: "You never feel more American than when you leave America." AMEN.

I particularly appreciated how he highlighted these cultural differences with sensitivity to their source but also with the frustrations that seem unique to Americans abroad encountering the special stubbornness of Europeans and their beliefs. I've also lived and worked in France, albeit not as long or as deeply entrenched as he has, but I've been much longer in the German-speaking countries. I was internally constantly nodding along with his eyebrow-raising observations because my experiences were uncannily identical. Here's a good one:

When I moved to France, I also learned that adding ice to your drink would cause all sorts of stomach ailments, including causing your stomach to freeze, which, if true, the hospitals in the States would have to have separate wings to handle the ongoing epidemic of ice-related frozen-stomach emergencies.

Austrians go a step further and will serve you a lukewarm glassful if you ask for water, perish the thought of ice. Don't get them started on the health-related horrors of air conditioning, which is never cooler than somewhere around mid-setting in an American home or office, but nevertheless sends them running for a sweater and unleashes seemingly endless robust complaining. When you've been frustrated by these differences or pseudo-sciences for so long, it's pretty delightful to read his experiences.

One last such stinger: "In a country where 'thinking outside the box' isn't encouraged..." Ditto here. He makes observations I'm afraid to make for fear of the criticisms inevitably launched, but he does it so charmingly that I think and hope his Parisians won't mind.

I love his optimism, I love his well-intentioned snark and constant smart humor, I love the persistence he showed when things were tough. Occasional passages meander a bit, or anecdotes have some repetitions, but it wasn't a massive flaw for me because I love his natural, lighthearted, writing voice so much.

I'm admittedly biased, but you could not ask for a better neighbor than David Lebovitz...I have an endless supply of cookies and cakes coming out of my oven and am more than delighted to share with neighbors, who get first dibs.

There are lots of reasons to love him, and I did even more after reading his trials and tribulations of apartment shopping and renovating. His Paris neighbors are lucky to have him.

Lebovitz is an American chef and cookbook author who moved to Paris to advance his career. I have read his previous books, and he is a talented and engaging author. This particular book is about his search for, purchase of, and renovation of a home in Paris. And what a great story it is!
I found myself surprised at the difficulty in even locating a property for sale in Paris (House Hunters International makes it look so easy and fun on TV!). Upon finally finding the property, the author experienced the infamous Paris bureaucracy in the purchase of it. And then, just when you think it should all be smooth sailing, the real trouble begins in the renovation stage!
I cannot believe what Lebovitz went through. His stamina and perseverance are amazing. I am sure that I would have gave up many times, escaping back to the safety of the United States. Kudos to him for his overcoming of all the obstacles thrown at him.
I found the book to be fascinating, and could not put it down. I literally devoured it in two evenings. The author is very engaging, writes extremely well, and manages to keep the reader "pulling for" him. I highly recommend this book, even if it does lay to rest my "House Hunters International" fantasy of moving to France!

Very interesting adventure in a foreign country and renovation. Also - FUNNY!