Books like We'll Always Have Paris

Emma Beddington's writing is sublime. Like, envy-inducing sublime. I should start by saying that I've been a big fan of her blog, belgianwaffling, for ages and was looking forward to this book for months. Suffice to say, it didn't disappoint. Although if you come to it expecting anecdotes about tortoise penises (penii?), you'll be, err, disappointed (that sounds wrong. You need to read the blog).This is a stunning memoir, written in Beddington's trademark comedy-to-tragedy-in-a-nanosecond style. And there's comedy aplenty here: she plays her awkward Francophile teenage self for laughs and sketches the judgemental harridans of Parisian playparks in razor-sharp detail (when they get her attention explicitly to critique her post-partum wardrobe? Oh my. I actually winced.) But it's the honesty and the sadness that really makes this book so beautiful, and surprising if you're a reader of her blog: her mum's untimely death in a bizarre accident, her eating disorder, abortion and the dismantling and rebuilding of her relationship. Beddington is ferociously clever and incredibly self-aware and, at times, this book sees her being very hard on herself. Be warned. Not all of it is comfortable reading. But the honesty is searing, and her conclusion - or at least the conclusion I took from it - that sometimes we need to realise what we have; what's impossible; that we're flawed; that we must stop the self-flagellation; that our time is limited - is perfectly put and is a billion times more articulate and profound than I'm attempting to convey here. Big fat recommend. Loved it.