L’appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

Lebovitz’s tale of the miseries and woes of buying and renovating a home in Paris will most likely send anyone thinking of doing the same running the other way. After living for 10 years in a small rented apartment, Lebovitz (My Paris Kitchen) decides to buy his own place. His adventures in home hunting include finding the right neighborhood, the right real estate agent, and, of course, just the right l’appart. But it’s only after he locates his ideal apartment that his adventures truly begin. Despite his partner Romain’s misgivings about the apartment, Lebovitz offers the asking price even before the apartment is inspected by an architect friend. During the inspection, the architect determines that the place needs extensive, costly renovations. Lebovitz plunges in, hiring a contractor and workers who turn out to be unscrupulous, never completing any work on time and so badly installing plumbing, flooring, and wiring that the apartment needs to be redone completely. In spite of his attempts to convince readers how much he still loves Paris—when describing being able to run down the street for a freshly made baguette or getting to know the ruggedly handsome man at the little café close by, for example—Lebovitz peels off the plaster to reveal a Paris beyond tourism. Lebovitz’s stories shimmer with despair, distress, and regret, but he nevertheless embraces life with all its flaws in the city he loves. (Nov.)