β Scribed by Clarke, Stephen
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
In this entertaining third installment to his Paul West series, British journalist Clarke sets his acerbic sights on America. Paul, an ex-pat Brit running a tearoom in Paris, commits a grievous crime when he presents English menus at his tearoom. The Ministry of Culture slaps him with a massive fine, and a broke Paul returns to London and accepts a position with Visitor Resources: Britain to represent his home country in a global tourism contest. So, with his Parisian girlfriend in tow, Paul heads for America, picks up an embarrassingly decorated Mini Cooper in New York and heads to Boston, Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Los Angeles in an effort to win the prize. Trouble follows, of course, and what makes the transcontinental romp so much fun is Clarke's sarcastic sendup of each city, embellishing the traditional stereotypes of each with a dry, jaded Brit wit. (The magazines found in a Louisiana home include Sniper's Gazette, Drive-by Weekly, Firing Squad Monthly. Standard stuff.) Peripheral characters add even more color to the madcap story, and while not all of Clarke's stabs at the states hit their marks, the ones that do are sublime. (May)
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Clarke works his humor in a frantic, colorful choreography of mayhem, like Busby Berkeley conducting Harold Lloyd. Amusing travelogue from an engaging narrator who never lets a little bad news mess with his joie de vivre. Kirkus Reviews
Sublime. In this entertaining third installment to his Paul West series, British journalist Clarke sets his acerbic sights on America. What makes the transcontinental romp sp much fun is Clarkes sarcastic sendup of each city, embellishing the traditional stereotypes of each with a dry, jaded Brit wit. Peripheral characters add even more volor to the madcap story.Publishers Weekly
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### From Publishers Weekly In this entertaining third installment to his Paul West series, British journalist Clarke sets his acerbic sights on America. Paul, an ex-pat Brit running a tearoom in Paris, commits a grievous crime when he presents English menus at his tearoom. The Ministry of Culture s
Paul West is in deep financial merde. His only way out of debt is to accept a decidedly dodgy job that involves him touring America in a Mini, while pretending to be typically British.Also in the car is Paulβs French girlfriend, Alexa, and his American poet friend, Jake, whose main aim in life is to
Paul West entdeckt die U SA. Stimmt es wirklich, dass in Amerika mehr VerrΓΌckte leben als irgendwo sonst auf der Welt? Bei einer Reise im Mini Cooper quer durch die USA wird der Wahlfranzose Paul West es am eigenen Leib erfahren. Motels, die an Stephen King-Thriller erinnern, ein SchieΓstand m
'Edgier than Bryson, hits harder than Mayle' The TimesA year after arriving in France, Englishman Paul West is still struggling with some fundamental questions:What is the best way to scare a gendarme? Why are there no health warnings on French nudist beaches? And is it really polite to sleep with y