French Exit audiobook

This novel is unbelievable. The family, (father, mother son), are unbelievably dysfunctional. Their story is unbelievable. There is a cat in this story who is unbelievable. Their lives in New York and then later in Paris are comprised of unbelievable bits of the present day (including unbelievable friends and would-be friends) mingled with unbelievable jaunts down memory lane.Somehow, Patrick de Witt takes all of this unbelievability, wraps it up into a story, and I read it with complete believability. I have no idea how that happened, but it did.I enjoyed this short novel a great deal, and it passed one of my biggest tests: “Did I think about this novel, these characters, and their stories when I was doing things other than reading?” Yes, I did.

Sixtysomething Manhattan socialite Frances, her 32 year old son Malcolm and their cat, Small Frank, live a relaxed life – until the family fortune runs out. Suddenly homeless, they head to Paris, France, to stay in a wealthy friend’s apartment where destiny awaits… Oui - Patrick deWitt’s latest novel French Exit is tres bonne! It’s this pleasingly bizarre comedy about nutters that reads uncannily like a Wes Anderson movie by way of Arrested Development. I read the book with Lucille and Buster Bluth in my mind as Frances and Malcolm as their characters/relationship are almost identical: Frances, the domineering, constantly-squiffy elderly mother used to a life of pampered luxury, and Malcolm, the hapless, coddled thirtysomething man-child, bumbling through life, content to be steered by his ma (though he doesn’t have Buster’s hook-hand!). And even though you could call French Exit derivative in that regard, deWitt’s execution is so perfect and so much fun to read, I couldn’t care less – not least as I love Wes Anderson and Arrested Development!The novel would have benefitted from an overarching plot as its directionlessness allowed for a lot of stagnation once all the characters had congregated in the Parisian apartment and the story noticeably slowed at a time – the final act – when it should be building to a climax. That and the surprisingly grim and underwhelming finale were the only aspects I disliked. I suppose the ending lives up to the title but it still felt like an awkward fit tonally for an otherwise breezy read. I was just hoping for something more imaginative and subversive. Otherwise, there’s nothing but good stuff to revel in! The cast are a delightfully eccentric bunch, the dialogue is consistently funny, almost every scene is amusing, and the overall effect is a charming and playful read. I also loved the well-calculated element of fantasy deWitt introduced into the story with the reveal of Small Frank’s secret, displaying a refreshingly carefree lack of confinement to genre, and his subtle but pointed refusal to explain it thereafter. French Exit is a barrel of ohoho fun. Anyone who likes Wes Anderson’s movies, Arrested Development, PG Wodehouse’s novels, and A Confederacy of Dunces, will have a blast with this one. And despite those comparisons, Patrick deWitt has crafted a beast distinctly his own. He’s done it again – this guy can’t write a bad book!

Would you like to read a laugh-out-loud funny, lighthearted, smart, sassy, somewhat dark and weird and fantastical novel that will take you completely away from current events and make you feel like you're eating birthday cake all day long, only now birthday cake is somehow good for you?That's this novel.Also, I would like to read an essay about how THE SISTERS BROTHERS is a Coen brothers movie and this one is a Wes Anderson movie.

Update 1-Oct-2018: Giller Prize Shortlisted!I've long been a fan of deWitt's writing and his latest novel, French Exit, feels like it could have been written by no one other than him, but also feels like a move in a different direction from The Sisters Brothers and Undermajordomo Minor . DeWitt has always been funny, but French Exit is a comedy first and foremost. I was definitely getting in a good belly-laugh every 10 pages or so, and its rare that an author is able to deliver the goods to consistently over an entire novel.Fellow reader Sam Quixote pointed out in his review of the novel that the book operates on a kindred wavelength to the films of Wes Anderson. I didn't see it so much at the start of my reading, but by the time the formerly-wealthy Prices make their journey across the Atlantic and the quirky cast began to expand, I was feeling the Andersonian-vibes. If you've read and enjoyed anything by Patrick DeWitt before, then you're going to love what he's cooked up this year. The ending felt a bit off-tone compared to the rest of the novel, which knocked it down a touch from the full-five stars, but in no way spoils the experience. French Exit was a book I was always happy to come back to, and one that I tried to spread out over multiple readings to extend my enjoyment. This is deWitt at his most absurd, funny, and irreverent. Even if it isn't my favourite of his three major works, French Exit stands out as the funniest of the bunch. Highly recommended![4.5 Stars]

Too bad Rosalind Russell isn’t still alive, she’d be the perfect Frances Price, the main character in “French Exit”. Reading this novel, I was reminded of “Auntie Mame”: the madcap and absurd scenes and rollicking banter. In fact, the repartee is such that it requires re-reading. It’s funny and witty yet generally profound.The story opens as Frances is dodging her financial adviser. She is bankrupt after a twenty-year spending binge (noted as pathological spending in the text) after her husband died. Her husband was an angry unprincipled attorney who defended the most untenable despicable characters and made a load of money. She faces the music and sells all of her worldly possessions to procur funds. Her best friend offers her apartment in Paris to Frances and her son Malcolm so that they have a place to go into hiding.The two take a cruise ship to Europe, rather than flying. The zany adventures begin. It’s a silly story of riches to rags. The cast of characters grow. Malcolm suffers from arrested development and is the laziest person on earth. His dutiful fiancé Susan blindly loves him. They become friends with a psychic, an inept private investigator, a physician who travels with his wine purveyor, and a servile American expat. The urban dictionary defines French Exit as an early exit without saying goodbye. Author Patrick DeWitt entitles his story as a double entendre. I can’t say I saw the ending coming!

deWitt is a mordant genius. That's all.

How refreshing it is to read a story with no physical violence, murder, psychological torture or with the ubiquitous unreliable narrator.deWitt, like Willy Vlautin is a highly underrated author. His amazing novel, The Sisters Brothers has a loyal following but it is no where near the size it should be.The central characters of French Exit are Franklin, Francis and their son Malcolm. Franklin Price has made a fortune as a ruthless and ethically suspect litigator. When we meet Frances, it is 20 years after Franklin's death and she has blown through his entire fortune. With only a small remnant left, she decides to go to France with Malcolm and her cat, Small Frank in order to gain time to decide her next step. While there, she unwittingly meets a perfectly enigmatic cast of characters that aid in her decision.French Exit is a story about people and their desire for connection. It is about their flaws, their vulnerability and ultimately their humanity. Patrick deWitt's strength is in creating engaging characters that do really eccentric things yet become endearing. His prose is sharp, sparkling, darkly humorous and totally enchanting. However, the extraordinary quality of French Exit is that it feels like it was entirely written by a woman. It is a testament to his writing skill that he can come completely out of himself and embody a woman like Francis Price, or Mme Raynard, or Susan or Madeleine or Joan and he does it masterfully.French Exit is wonderful and I have nothing but praise for Patrick deWitt.If you liked The Sisters Brothers, I think you'll enjoy this as well.Is it just a coincidence that both he and Willy live in Oregon?Thank you HarperCollins for this ARE!

This was love at first read.I knew nothing about this book,although I had previously read The Sisters Brothers.It just magically appeared and I finished it very quickly.Frances is one of my favourite characters ever.The things that came out of her mouth astonished me.Probably the toughest,smartest,and most sophisticated woman in fiction.I liked the cat,and Madeleine the medium.Now I have to read the rest of DeWitt's books.

The ease and comfort money affords can tease those of weaker character out of a life of true human fulfillment. This is true at all economic levels, but is most obvious when shown through a super-rich protagonist, as in this book. We follow Francis Price through what I read as her sole act of personal fulfillment, which is to go through a process of negating the source of her listless, purposeless, unfulfilled life: money. Other distractions from fulfillment are treated in passing: like love, death, loneliness, amusements, social life, and the influence of others. But considering that Francis seems to believe pennilessness to be the greatest gift one could ever give, this book is clearly dwelling on the pitfalls of money.'French Exit' is at once dark, sad and funny. It feels like comic nihilism, but really it is a statement against nihilism. The book reminds me of Sister Carrie, but it’s been so long since I read it I couldn’t tell you why.

Video reviewBeautifully written, at times hilarious, riddled with supernatural mysteries and featuring one of the most unforgettable cats I've read in a long time, the book - much like the life of its protagonists - is a thing of beauty cursed by chronic pointlessness.Not a problem to me, but I fear the wrong reader may find this book insufferable. If you haven't read DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers, it makes little sense to choose this over that one.