French By Heart
An American Family’s Adventures in La Belle France
French By Heart: An American Family’s Adventures in La Belle France
Can a family of five from deep in the heart of Dixie find happiness smack dab in the middle of France?
French By Heart is the story of an all-American family pulling up stakes and finding a new home in Clermont-Ferrand, a city four hours south of Paris known more for its smoke-spitting factories and car dealerships than for its location in the Auvergne, the lush heartland of France dotted with crumbling castles and sunflower fields. The Ramseys are not jet-setters; they’re a regular family with big-hearted and rambunctious kids. Quickly their lives go from covered-dish suppers to smoky dinner parties with heated polemics, from being surrounded by Southern hospitality to receiving funny looks if the children play in the yard without shoes.
A charming tale with world-class characters, French By Heart reads like letters from your funniest friend. More than just a slice of life in France, it’s a heartwarming account of a family coming of age and learning what “home sweet home” really means.
From The New York Times
“The mostly genial Ramsey can also be satisfyingly snippy and droll.”
From Publishers Weekly
“First-time author Ramsey adopts a sweet but never cloying tone to tell the charming story of her family’s four-year stint in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Ramsey, a young mother of three whose husband’s company relocates them to France, recounts what it feels like to sell the family home in South Carolina, say good-bye to everyone you know and move overseas. Ramsey acknowledges telling “the whole truth, even when it makes me look ridiculous”—and this results in an endearing memoir.”
From Redbook Magazine
“Rebecca Ramsey’s memoir, French By Heart, tells the delightfully down-home account of the four years she spent abroad with her South Carolina family– including three young kids and one elderly cat– faux pas and all.
From The Philadelphia Inquirer
“Ramsey takes the mundane…and turns it into nuggets of delight.”
