"Most famous for "The Snow Goose," a novella that has been dramatized several times, and for _The Poseidon Adventure_, which also became a hit movie, Paul Gallico was a native New Yorker and former sportswriter who lived most of his adult writing life in Europe and specialized in tales that are delicate, heartwarming, and just plain lovely. This one concerns a London char (a working class woman who cleans other people's houses), who sets her heart on owning an original Dior gown. Worth maybe $1200 in the late 1950s when the story takes place, this is astronomically far out of her budget. How she does it, and what happens to her in Paris when she makes a day trip to purchase the dress, is the stuff of storytelling magic. Call it a fairy tale for grownups."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- upbeat
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Culture clash?
- visiting a culture in other country
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Age:
- 60's-90's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 3 (some)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
- France
City?
Yes
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog