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Product Description
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 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)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
“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 Clarke’s 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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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Merde Actually: A Romp through the US by our hero Paul,
By sean liddle (Kingston, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Merde Happens (Paperback)
I haven't reviewed the first two books in Stephen Clarke's series though after finally getting the thrid book in my hands and spending a few weeks reading it, I feel I should. Whereas the first two are tight, hilarious travel-logue-ish tales of the very English protagonist's settling, working and sleeping his way through France, Merde Actually swings him across the Ocean to travel the much more wild and dangerous United States. Being forced through no means of his own to find a way to raise enough money to pay off ridiculous language issue based fines levied against him in Paris (a familiar story for Canadians such as myself as it occurs in Quebec as well!) he becomes an emmissary for British Tourism. He must host a series of events in various cities across the US, competing against teams from other nations. He must do so while accompanied by hid girlfriend who has negative interest in the US apart from using it as a subject for a video essay project and his former US pal who speaks now only broken Franglais. Fun, poignent, witty and finger poking. An excellent read for the winter months, or anytime really.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.1 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews) 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as the first two,
By Joshua Lambert - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Merde Happens (Hardcover)
I was disappointed by this installment of the series, after very much enjoying the first two. The book went on a fairly quick pace through the various parts of the US, without really diving deeply into any of them. I would have liked fewer cities maybe, with more focus on each.I also found it to be fairly sad, with the humor not quite making up for it. My own personal life following a similar path however may have made it hit home harder than most. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beach reading for the not-too-picky...,
By e. verrillo - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Merde Happens (Paperback)
Merde Happens pretty much sums up Paul West's life. In Clarke's third "merde" book, Paul bumbles his way across the United States hoping to win a prize for Britain's tourism board, and a big bonus for himself. Naturally, nothing goes as planned.The disasters start in Britain, where he is mistakenly photographed in a skimpy kilt on his way to an interview for Visitor Resources: Britain, and instantly achieves internet fame on a somewhat questionable website ("Meninskirts"). Things go downhill from there. In Boston, Paul hosts an outdoor Tea Party (in February) that ends in a brawl on Bunker Hill between two fractious restaurant owners. In Miami, he manages to burn down his hotel (with the help of the language-impaired Jake). New Orleans seems to be filled with gun-happy "swamp things" and Las Vegas, is, well, Las Vegas. (Not even Stephen Clarke is capable of exaggerating Las Vegas.) Throughout his trip, Paul is sabotaged by the nefarious Elodie (who intends to win the prize for France), verbally harangued by his girlfriend Alexa and surrounded, unfathomably, by gorgeous, voluptuous women. While I found the book entertaining, (more so than In the Merde for Love, but less so than A Year in the Merde), I can't say that I'd read Merde Happens anywhere but on a beach. Clarke's wit is sharp, but there chapters that drag, or that act as "filler." Paul West's personality grates after a while (and you'll really want to give Alexa a swift kick in the derriere about half way to Miami). Although I had fun with these three books, I hope there won't be a fourth. Clarke has wrung all he can get out of the premise that merde happens. 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely funny,
By tct - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Merde Happens (Hardcover)
Clarke's version of America is every bit as funny as his version of France. Paul West (lead character)drives across the US in an attempt to win a contest that will save his business back in Paris. Aside from the inevitable culture clashes, what makes this book so enjoyable is his relationships with his friends, who are a ragged yet good hearted bunch who end up looking out for one another as Paul West gets himself into one weird (and occasionally life-threatening) situation after another.I have read the previous 2 books based on the Paul West character, and I found this to be every bit as engaging, although I did not care for the end, and a few plots were too far fetched to suspend belief. But as with the other 2, I found myself laughing aloud several times.
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