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Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
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Paris for One and Other Stories

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Paris for One and Other Stories by Jojo Moyes
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Oct 18, 2016 | ISBN 9780735288577 | 345 Minutes

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  • Oct 18, 2016 | ISBN 9780735288577

    345 Minutes

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Praise

Praise for Paris for One and Other Stories:

“Moyes is in fine, cheeky form in this collection of short fiction, deploying the wit and charm that animates Me Before You and her other popular novels. The title novella offers a vicarious jolt of Parisian romance, while shorter stories deliver pithy insights into the joys and woes of marriage, ending with delightful twists.” –People

“An old-fashioned, feel-good love story. . .  [“Paris for One” is] as light as a French pastry. It will make you smile and even, maybe, sigh. It’s as if Moyes has booked a vacation and is taking us along. To Paris. Amour! . . . Think of these short fictions as palate cleansers after the sweet, tasty Parisian treat Moyes so deliciously serves up.” –USA Today

“Paris for One and Other Stories. . . [is]  dreamy escapism, a book you can curl up with and easily finish over a weekend, with or without a glass of wine.” –Miami Herald

“[A] charming novella. . . [and] a collection of short stories rounds out the work and adds up to an engaging way to spend fall’s first chilly afternoon.”—Good Housekeeping

“These stories are a treat—quick, short nibbles of Moyes’ character genius, storytelling charisma, and writing grace, plus a new, intriguing format for the author, with the occasional surprising twist.” Kirkus Reviews

“Vibrant. . .Bold, humorous and genuine, the stories in this collection are classic Moyes.” Publishers Weekly

Praise for After You:

“Jojo Moyes has a hit with After You.USA Today

“Think Elizabeth Bennet after Darcy’s eventual death; Alice after Gertrude; Wilbur after Charlotte. The ‘aftermath’ is a subject most writers understandably avoid, but Moyes has tackled it and given readers an affecting, even entertaining female adventure tale about a broken heroine who ultimately rouses herself and falls in love again, this time with the possibilities in her own future..”Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR 

“The genius of Moyes . . . [is that she] peers deftly into class issues, social mores, and complicated relationships that raise as many questions as they answer. And yet there is always resolution. It’s not always easy, it’s not always perfect, it’s sometimes messy and not completely satisfying. But sometimes it is.” —Bobbi Dumas, NPR.org

“Charming.”People 

“Expect tears and belly laughs from Me Before You’s much anticipated sequel.” Cosmopolitan

“Moyes is at her most charming here, writing with a sense of humorous affection about family dynamics among working-class Brits. . . a Maeve Binchy for the 21st century.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[A] heart-tugger.” Good Housekeeping

“Like its predecessor [Me Before You], After You is a comic and breezy novel that also tackles bigger, more difficult subjects, in this case grief and moving on. . . . We all lose what we love at some point, but in her poignant, funny way, Moyes reminds us that even if it’s not always happy, there is an ever after.” —Miami Herald

“Once again, Moyes delivers a heart-wrenching and relatable book about love and loss that will stay with you long after you’ve finished.” InStyle.com
 
“Moyes wisely knows that life-changing events don’t always change our lives for the better. . . . After You may not be the sequel you expect, but it is the sequel you needed.” —Entertainment Weekly
 
After You is an immersive experience, inviting readers back into the homes of the characters they fell in love with in Me Before You. They’ll experience the mourning that follows a devastating loss, and the glimmers of hope that propel the brokenhearted forward.” —BookPage  
 
“[After You] left me thrilled by the possibilities of fiction to entertain and inform, and astounded by [Moyes’s] deep well of talent and imagination.” —Bask magazine

Praise for Me Before You:

“A hilarious, heartbreaking, riveting novel . . . I will stake my reputation on this book.” —Anne Lamott, People

“When I finished this novel, I didn’t want to review it: I wanted to reread it. . . . An affair to remember.” The New York Times Book Review

“An unlikely love story . . . To be devoured like candy, between tears.” O, The Oprah Magazine

“Funny and moving but never predictable.” USA Today (four stars)

“Masterful . . . a heartbreaker in the best sense . . . Me Before You is achingly hard to read at moments, and yet such a joy.” New York Daily News

Praise for One Plus One:

“Safety advisory: If you’re planning to read Jojo Moyes’s One Plus One on your summer vacation, slather on plenty of SPF 50. Once you start the book, you probably won’t look up again until you’re the last one left on the beach. . . . [A] wonderful new novel.” The Washington Post

“Jojo Moyes’ new novel One Plus One adds up to a delightful summer read, where the whole is greater than the sum of its charming parts. . . . Moyes’ observations on modern life are dryly hilarious. . . . You don’t need to be a math whiz to figure out this book is one worth adding to your summer reading list.” USA Today (four stars)

“Bridget Jones meets Little Miss Sunshine in this witty British romp from bestseller Moyes. . . . Wryly romantic and surprisingly suspenseful.” People

“Fans of the 2006 summer sleeper hit Little Miss Sunshine will find a lot to love in British author Jojo Moyes’ latest, about a madcap road trip that’s packed to the boot with familial drama, class clashes, and romance.” Entertainment Weekly (A-)

“No need to worry where this road trip is headed. Just sit back, roll down your window and enjoy being a passenger.” Cleveland Plain Dealer

Author Q&A

A Conversation with Jojo Moyes
 
1. You’ve had great success as a novelist—why choose to do a collection of stories? In what ways does the process of writing short fiction differ from novels?
 
I find writing short stories infinitely more difficult than writing novels. For a start, there’s the twist—I don’t believe a short story is complete without one—and we live in an age where readers—and audiences—are very hard to surprise. Second, you have a limited word count in which to convey a lot of information: Every word really has to matter in a way that it doesn’t in a novel. Each one takes me around a month—a disproportionately long time, really. When they come together they’re great fun, though.
 
2. The collection begins and ends with a character departing for a trip, and, in both cases, a woman whose life desperately needs overhauling. Why do people find travel so liberating?
 
I think because it’s the one thing that allows you step outside your own life. I have the clearest view of my own when I’m thousands of miles away from it. In certain circumstances, people can always be someone else, too, freed from the constraints of what everyone around you already knows about you.
 
3. “Paris for One” is the centerpiece of the collection, but which of the stories did you write first? Which was the most satisfying or challenging to write?
 
Well, I wrote these over a long period of time, so I struggle to remember which came first. Possibly “A Bird in the Hand”? I think my favorite is probably “Paris for One”—I’ve actually extended that into a movie-length script. But I confess that I have a soft spot for “Between the Tweets,” too—I laughed when I reread it—I had completely forgotten my own twist.
 
4. Although your stories aren’t directly linked, they do touch on related themes. Was this intentional?
Not at all. If I’d known that one day I would assemble these into a collection I might have introduced something way out there, like a horror story about lion tamers or something! But obviously the themes of female metamorphosis and self-determination must have been in the forefront of my imagination for some time—as a theme it pops up again and again.
 
5. Infidelity—past, present, and imagined—recurs in a number of stories, including “Thirteen Days with John C” and “A Bird in the Hand.” Why is this such a fruitful area for writers?
 
I think because all stories have tension as their central motor, and if you’re writing in the domestic sphere, writing about someone doing something wrong and under fear of discovery is a pretty powerful tension indeed.
 
6. In “Paris for One,” the descriptions of the city are so vivid that the reader is transported there with Nell. Your novel The Horse Dancer also takes place, in part, in France. Do you have a special affection for the country? Do you visit often?
 
I do. Until last year I shared a tiny studio apartment in the center of Paris with another writer and I loved disappearing there to work and sit in cafes (and shop). I went there regularly on holiday from my youngest years and it feels quite odd if I go more than a few months without a visit. Until recently, though, I hadn’t realized quite how many of my books have a French element.
 
7. In “Crocodile Shoes,” a pair of designer high heels bring out a bold, sexy side of Samantha that she couldn’t express before. Do you have a piece of clothing or accessory that has a similar effect on you?
 
Hah! NO. Especially not shoes. I am, these days, very much a jeans-and-boots or trainers kind of a person. It doesn’t feel sexy to me to be dressed in something in which I can’t move freely or run around. For me, sexiness is just about being comfortable in your own skin. Although scent . . . that’s another matter.
 
8. You write of Fabien’s lost manuscript, “Seeing his words out there, his innermost thoughts exposed to view, made him feel as if he were standing in the street stark naked” (p. 40). Have you felt the same way about your own writing?
 
Frequently. I believe there’s something of the author in every book you write—sometimes you only see it several years after you wrote it. But putting any creative endeavor out there for public judgment, especially in the age of social media, feels like exposing yourself in quite an uncomfortable way.
 
9. What inspires you? Do you ever experience writer’s block and, if so, do you have any tricks to break through it?
 
Life inspires me. Sorry, but it’s true. If you train yourself to really look and listen, all human life is out there to be recreated and dissected and pondered over. If I get stuck, I just read a newspaper or watch the news and I can usually be inspired by something from real life. But I’ve never had writer’s block as I’ve heard of it in its extreme form. If I get stuck, I tend to just skip to another scene. Also, I really love my job, which makes it easy to keep going.
 
10. What are you currently working on? Do you plan on writing another collection of stories?
 
I’m currently working on the next book featuring Lou Clark of Me Before You and After You, and am just nervously tweaking the final chapters. And no! I think it would take me far too long. So definitely not for a while, anyway.

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