I first introduced you to Hilary Reyl’s novel “Lessons in French” in my recent post 6 French-Inspired Reads for Summer. Since the book provided a bevy of insights into adulthood as scene through a prism of life in Paris, I thought it would be interesting to have Hilary share a few of the life lessons she gleaned from her own experiences in the capital. All three are prefaced with related excerpts from the book.
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1// “In Paris, I am virtually transparent. A gift perhaps, un don, so to speak, voilá. But when you feel invisible, there is no end to the trouble you can get into.”
The heartbreaking beauty of Paris, along with its push to stylish conformity, seduces you, in your youth, into constructing ever-fresh identities in its myriad images. It is a city where you can lose yourself in version after version of gorgeous otherness. This is at once liberating and quite dizzying. Along with my heroine Kate, I have slowly learned that you cannot simply be seduced over and over. You yourself have to assume a seductive presence; you have to be visible.
2// “…the importance of Berthillon ice cream [is] on a par with…
