When in French: Love in a Second Language by Lauren Collins

Love and language meet in a foreign country

Very Good Condition - Hardcover with dust jacket under a clear protective covering. Pale jacket/covering shows scuffing, soiling and light edge wear; corners are lightly bumped.

When American writer Lauren Collins falls in love with Olivier, a Frenchman she meets in London, their relationship begins in English. After moving to Geneva, she sets out to learn French and discovers that sharing a life can be complicated when words, humour and cultural assumptions do not translate easily. Her efforts to understand her husband's language lead into a wider exploration of identity, intimacy and the ways language influences how people see the world. Blending memoir with reporting and linguistic curiosity, Collins tells an engaging story of learning to communicate across both personal and cultural boundaries.