Fantastique

A wonderful rendition of a splendidly written memoir. A veritable feast for the ears. The contrast between French and American accents and the French dialogue made this book come alive. Thank you Linda and Lucy.

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Loved as much as reading the eBook

What did you like most about My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley?

I loved the eBook version of this Memoir and loved this audio-version just as much - was great to 'hear' the memoir being narrated. I thought it was put together very well for all the folks that were part of the Author's life at that time...

Who was your favorite character and why?

Difficult to say, but, Madame Dubois was portrayed very well - as was the author herself - all of it really.

What does Lucy Floyd bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I have also read the book and I thought Lucy Floyd narrated the whole thing very well.

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A pleasure to listen to

Where does My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have listened to only two audio books, both of which are of excellent quality.

What did you like best about this story?

This story is told skilfully, honestly and without pretensions by the author, and is beautifully delivered by the reader.

Which character – as performed by Lucy Floyd – was your favourite?

I liked Lucy's portrayal of Linda, although her Madame Dubois was suitably stern and forbidding.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I didn't feel compelled to spend one whole day doing nothing else but listening to Linda's book, although my answer should not be taken as a comment on the quality or delivery of the story.

Any additional comments?

It has been a pleasure listening to the style, so easy on the ears. I will listen to this again another time.

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Wonderful to be read to. Great narrator.

The idea was to have something to listen to while I did decorating. In the end I just sat and soaked up the story. Terrific narrator, who had all the relevant accents nailed and also spoke French. She didn’t just read the book she dramatised the story which put the listener smack bang in the middle of it all.
Linda applied for the job as an Au Pair with a French family in the Loire Valley. Linda lied in her application. Applicants were required to be able to speak French. Linda didn’t.
She imagined, as a guileless twenty one year old, that all would be forgiven when she arrived from the USA at her new employers’ chateau. It wasn’t. The relationship between Linda and Madame Dubois never recovered from that first ‘tense’ encounter, probably not helped by the fact that Monsieur Dubois remained amenable throughout. I personally felt that the very pregnant Madame was feeling a little vulnerable. I started off having more sympathy with Madame Dubois than with Linda but as the story unfolded I could see how exposed young girls, who take up these types of jobs, can be. With little or no knowledge of the language, poorly paid with few rights and less means of being able to extricate yourself from the situation or return home, it was easy to see how these girls can become exploited. Linda was made of sterner stuff and when her love interest, Adam, comes onto the scene to complicate matters, events escalate. A highly recommended Audible story.

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A refreshing and different memoir.

What made the experience of listening to My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley the most enjoyable?

I just loved how the narrator read this book.

What other book might you compare My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley to, and why?

I'm really looking forward to listening to Linda Kovic-Skow's follow-up book. I have read that before too and I am sure Lucy Floyd will make an excellent job of that one too.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I enjoyed it all and Lucy Floyd really got the feeling and meaning across really well.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was a delight to listen to. The narrator got the varying emotions across beautifully-she didn't just read it-she injected real meaning into the words.

Any additional comments?

I've read quite a few memoirs of people retiring and moving to Spain, Italy and Greece but this is something different. Linda tells of when she was twenty-one and working as a medical assistant for a family practice clinic in Seattle. Her real ambition was to be a flight attendant with an International Airline. The only stumbling block was that she needed to be able to speak another language. This is Linda's story of how she went to France to work as an Au Pair to try and 'drop herself in at the deep end' to learn the language as she went along.

She wasn't entirely honest with the Dubois family who she went to work for as she told them that she could already speak French. At first, on finding out her deception, they seemed quite tolerant and helped her to enrol in classes to learn the language. Gradually Madame Dubois asks more and more of Linda so that she gets to the point of wondering if she can cope with the job anymore.

Linda does quite an amount of cooking with Madame and there are some lovely descriptions of the foods in the book which evoke smells and taste. I really enjoyed this, it was nice easy listening with fairly short chapters. It's intriguing, you are kept guessing as Madame Dubois's behaviour is changeable, it must have been very confusing for the young Linda. There's a bit of romance in here too, a lovely varied read.

I really liked the audio version of this book. It was read very well. There was a nice tone to the narrator's voice. I could imagine her as Linda with her American accent. I am no expert but I thought her French accent was also excellent, not overdone, it was very natural. I've already enjoyed this book a couple of years ago in kindle format; it's good to hear it and experience it again from another angle. The narrator really made it come to life. I loved her French accent-both for the actual French, and when she was portraying Madame Dubois speaking English with a French accent. An excellent production.

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A pleasure to listen to!

Any additional comments?

I confess to having read the paperback version of this book some while ago. Having really enjoyed it, I wanted to broaden my range by listening to some audio books. I chose this one, and was not disappointed. The author as a young girl gets a position with a French family although she cannot speak the lingo. Her trials and tribulations, the ups and downs of her life with the Dubois family are laid bare in a light and witty style, making listening to the book a most pleasurable pastime as I reacquainted myself with the storyline and, for me, those glorious scenes set in the Loire valley; one of the regions of France that I know so well.If I had a slight criticism, it would be the fairly strong American accent of the narrator, which took some getting used to, but I suppose that is the main target audience. Great fun, nevertheless.

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