Book Review and Giveaway: French Illusions by Linda Kovic-Skow

Synopsis:

In the summer of 1979, twenty-one-year-old Linda Kovic contracts to become an au pair for an wealthy French family in the Loire Valley. To secure the position, she pretends to speak the language, fully aware her deception will be discovered once she arrives at her destination. Based on the author’s diary, French Illusions captures Linda’s fascinating and often challenging real-life story inside and outside the Château de Montclair. 

The over-bearing, Madame Dubois, her accommodating husband, Monsieur Dubois, and their two children are highlighted as Linda struggles to adapt to her new environment. Continually battling the language barrier, she signs up and attends classes at the local university in the nearby town of Tours, broadening her range of experiences. When she encounters, Adam, a handsome young student, her life with the Dubois family becomes more complicated, adding fuel to her internal battle for independence.

From the Author's Interview with Pump Up Your Book:

Can you tell us why you wrote French Illusions?

About four years ago, after my husband and I dropped our youngest daughter off at college, I went through a sort of mid-life crisis. I missed being a mom and I wondered how I would fill the void. Sure I had my part-time bookkeeping business, but it consumed only a few hours a day and it wasn’t interesting any more. Something was missing, but what?

This prompted me to review what I like to call my “mid-life list.” This is similar to a “bucket list,” with an important twist. The idea was to refocus myself and figure out the things I wanted to do with my life in my fifties – while I could still do them.

My list was short.
-Learn to play the piano-Travel to Africa to see the elephants
-Travel to Tahiti and see the island of Bora Bora
-Travel back to France (with my family this time)
-Write a book

At the time, I didn’t own a piano and, with two daughters in college (on the east coast no less!), I couldn’t afford a trip to Africa or Tahiti. I had already traveled back to France in 2001 with my family, so that left me to examine the fifth item on my list more closely.  If I did write a book, would it be fiction or non-fiction? What genre would I choose?

The answers to my questions came to me in the shower (which is where many of my ideas seem to materialize, strangely enough). I decided to hunt down my diary from my au pair adventure in France and compose a memoir. It took me three years and countless hours to write French Illusions, but now I can scratch another item off my mid-life list. You can read the full interview here


Review: I wasn't sure how much I would get into this book, but I found myself not wanting to put it down! part of it was the fascination at how much French I actually understood (apparently, it's like Spanish to me- I read it a WHOLE lot better than I speak it). Linda peppers phrases through the book, which really helps to illustrate her 'fish out of water' situation. Kudos to her for taking such a leap of faith, and most importantly seeing it through, and finding the rainbow at the end! 

This was an interesting look at a part of France tourists don't get to see-sort of like an insider's tour! You'll find yourself turning down sections to add to your 'to see' list for if you travel to France, and learning a whole lot about a region most tourists forget about! If you have ever thought about moving to France, check out this book!



About the Author

Linda Kovic-Skow resides in Kirkland, Washington. She earned an Associate Degree in Medical Assisting in 1978 from North Seattle Community College and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Seattle University in 1985. She has been married for 27 years and has two daughters. An enthusiastic traveler, Linda also enjoys boating, gardening and socializing with friends. French Illusions, her debut memoir, is the culmination of a three-year project.

You can visit her website at www.lindakovicskow.com.


Ready to win this copy?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to head to the Book Tour Page to  enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a Kindle Fire HD !!!


Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from Pump Up Your Book tours, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it.