My (Part-Time) Paris Life

How Running Away Brought Me Home

By: Lisa Anselmo

Narrated by: Lisa Anselmo

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Lisa Anselmo wraps her entire life around her mother, a strong woman who is a defining force in Lisa's life - maybe too defining. When her mother dies from breast cancer, Lisa realizes she hasn't built a life of her own and struggles to find her purpose. Who is she without her mother - and her mother's expectations?

Desperate for answers, she turns to her favorite city - Paris - and impulsively buys a small apartment, refusing to play it safe for the first time. What starts out as an act of survival sets Lisa on a course that reshapes her life in ways she never could have imagined. Suddenly she's living like a local in a city she thought she knew, but her high school French, while fine for buying bread at the corner boulangerie, goes only so far when Paris gives her a strong dose of real life. From dating to homeownership in a foreign country, Lisa quickly learns it's not all picnics on the Seine and starts to doubt herself - and her love of the city. But she came to Paris to be happy, and she can't give up now. Isn't happiness worth fighting for?

In the vein of Eat, Pray, Love and Wild, My (Part-time) Paris Life is a story for anyone who's ever felt lost or hopeless but still dreams of something more. This candid memoir explores one woman's search for peace and meaning and how the ups and downs of expat life in Paris taught her to let go of fear, find self-worth, and create real, lasting happiness in the City of Light.

©2016 Lisa Anselmo (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Bravo

I loved every second of this book!!!! I cried, laughed and smiled. I hope that you write another book. I learned a lot from this book. I too will choose happiness.

Loved it!!

Loved this book. Not to mention there are so many parallels to my own life the last 4 years it was mine blowing. Her articulation of the time spent in and out of the hospital with her mom was so poignant. I could so relate. And now I’m adjusting to the loss of my mom )and best friend) after freshly moving to a foreign country as well. But even if you don’t share these parallels to her life, it’s a beautiful book.

Insightful. Inspiring. Self-Examining Memoir

An insightful, inspiring, memoir about loss, letting go and choosing to live and be happy.

Loved it

Loved it. wonderful telling of the writers coming to grips with the death of her mother and finding herself

Très magnifique!

A beautiful story. The journey of discovering things about oneself is inspiring and moving. Narration was absolutely beautiful and the French was perfect!

I want more!

Lisa, thank you for sharing your journey! Although I am retired your life is the one that I’ve dreamt of. I’m a frequent visitor and resident of Paris, for the past 40 years. I dreamt about owning property in Paris after my retirement but it just isn’t a reality. I laughed and cried all the way through your book! I would love to know more about your life and the idiosyncrasies of Parisians as you navigate between the US and France.

A traveling life

A wonderful story of change . I also live far away from home but also understand that one can have many homes

More loss and recovery

Great narration. I love stories about Paris. This is a story of loss and recovery with less of Paris life.

Even if you've never dreamed of living in Paris ..

Even if you have never dreamed of living in Paris set aside the time to travel with "Leeza" ..."On her coming-of-age Journey "...That is to say at the point in our lives when we are now the adults ...candid, poignant, sweet, heartfelt ...

Charmant

This very personal story gives information as the frosting on the cake, rather than the cake itself. It is a true to life recounting of a not-unusual series of events. It is told in a very charming way that assures the reader that these were personal experiences. But in this day and age, I have to think that it got published because the author knew the right people at the right time. If I ever get mold in a Paris apartment, now I know what to expect. Still, it was well-written and beautifully told.