Anna and the French Kiss
written by Stephanie Perkins
Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, as told by many. There has been much spoken about the differences between the Martians and Venusians (that is what they are called, I kid you not), but at this time I am only interested in how these differences divide the reading world. I suppose a Martian’s book would look very much like a stereotypical “guy” movie, or at least as close as an author could get. I’m taking explosions, action-packed fight scenes, a suggestive damsel in distress, guns, lots of guns, and the unnecessary appearance of boobs. Wait, hold up…Okay, I just got a call from the Martians. It turns out that the boobs are necessary. I don’t mean to make the case that all men like these things, but it seems to be today’s expectation for them.
Now, I turn my attention to what a “girly” book looks like. In short; a written chick flick that contains a crock-pot of emotions and a big kiss at the finale. There are numerous expectations for genders to fill, but when it comes to a quality book, there are no boundaries. When it comes to a weel-written book there are no “guy” or “girl” classifications. A great book is a great book for all to read. With all this said Anna and the French Kiss is a great book and is totally a “chick” book.
This book has all the trademarks of a book meant for girls. It stars a girl, a guy with great hair, Paris, and feelings out the wazoo. Anna the protagonist is sent by her not-so-great dad to a boarding school in Paris for Americans to complete her senior year of high school there. The unique combination makes this book especially familiar when either remembering the last years in high school with feeling the ramp up to adulthood and what its like to leave home for college or otherwise. Anna experiences these emotions simultaneously making her all the more thankful when she falls into a group of friends that both help and tease her as she finds her footing in Paris, like friends do.
For Anna, the introduction of Étienne St. Clair quickly overshadows the appreciation of her new friends. It doesn’t matter that she has a crush waiting (she hopes) back at home in Atlanta, or that St. Clair has a girlfriend, or that her new friend, Meredith, has a crush on him too. The attraction between Anna and St. Clair is immediate and persistent. No matter how many promises she makes to herself to not fall for him or pursue him in any way, they keep coming back to each other… as friends. But, how log can they stay just friends?
In the face of chemistry like theirs, mutual “friend-zoning” may or may not keep them from trespassing into a new territory filled with land mines. This dilemma is the overlying plot and the main focus, but they way this story is constructed and seen out is impressive. My favorite part was how this book sets itself apart from the romantic comedy hordes; the characters are flawed, and not in a “bad-boy or girl” way. No one is perfect and can always do and say the right things. Anna is in no way perfect, in fact I didn’t always like her, but characters don’t have to be likable for the book to be great. This holds true especially for this book.
This book qualified as a wonderful page-turner and certified beach book. I would read it again for it is one of the most girly books and ranks among some of best books of its genre that I’ve read.
