In my experience, every book lover has that one book that has just captivated their minds for years. Maybe it was an important part of their childhood or maybe it was a read that just connected with them so strongly that they can never go a day without thinking about it. For me, that book is “Anna and the French Kiss.” The story follows a girl named Anna, who is sent to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school by her rich and pretentious father. I absolutely love this book.
I first encountered this book in seventh grade, I don’t exactly know how I found it but it seems exactly like the type of book I would’ve wanted to read at 12 years old. I had always been intrigued by Paris and have been a hopeless romantic since birth, so a book titled “Anna and the French Kiss” was basically made for me to read. From my first reading of this story, I knew it was going to have such a massive impact on my life. That year, I made most (if not all) my friends read it, they all loved it too. By the end of seventh grade, I had reread the book over five times.
And while I might be biased, I do genuinely think that this book is one of the cutest, most romantic, and most infectious books to exist. From the beautiful setting of Paris to the multiple twists and turns, this book is amazing in every single way, starting with the greatest male love interest: Etienne St. Clair.
Described in the book as handsome, charming, and thoughtful, Etienne St. Clair captivated my little 12-year-old heart and embodied the checklist for what I wanted in a future partner. The first time Anna meets Etienne has got to be one of my favorite parts: they bump into each other outside of her room, and upon hearing his British accent, Anna thinks, “Seriously, I don’t know any American girl who can resist an English accent,” and as an American with a British boyfriend, she definitely got that one right. But alas, he cannot be completely perfect. His flaws include: having a girlfriend, being short (Anna is approximately three inches taller), and having a horrible dad.
Etienne is and will always be my favorite fictional male love interest. The tension between him and Anna is so thick and strong throughout the novel and it truly keeps me coming back for more. Anna is very naive; she never notices when Etienne is making it obvious that he likes her back. And yes, it might be because for most of the novel he has a girlfriend, Elle, but c’mon girl. He buys her love poetry, sleeps in her bed, tells her his darkest secrets, and chooses to hang out with her over his girlfriend or even his best friends. He punches a guy who is bothering Anna and protects her from the “mean” girls. Etienne is so in love that it hurts and is truly painful sometimes to watch Anna deny not only her feelings, but also his. But that is why I love it.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I discovered GoodReads. I decided to check it out and look to see what the reviews were for “Anna and the French Kiss.” This was heartbreaking. I don’t remember exactly, but it had plenty of bad reviews and while I already knew that it was a very cheesy and simple book, I didn’t think that anyone would hate it so much. I vividly remember one commenter who was upset about Etienne’s “cheating.” This person claimed the book glorified cheating even though Etienne has a quote in the novel arguing that no matter how horrible of a boyfriend he was to Elle, he would never cheat on her. And although he does say that he “cheated on her every day in [his] mind,” I don’t think it’s glorifying cheating due to the fact that Etienne admits to being in the wrong (Yes, I know I’m biased but still, I will defend him).
And while that GoodReads user clearly didn’t understand Etienne the way I do, I think that the true issue in the novel is Anna. I agreed with every review I saw that said that she was dumb, ignorant, and selfish because she is. Sure, there is no way to expect American teenagers to know much about France, but this girl at 17 thought that Oui was spelled w-e-e. She was also very upset when her best friend Bridgette started dating Toph, Anna’s coworker in Atlanta whom she shared a kiss with before she left for Paris. I don’t know anyone that thinks that one kiss will make someone wait for you for an entire year. Needless to say, I understand every criticism about Anna but I also love books with a difficult to-like main character. It’s unique and different because most novels write their main characters to be extremely lovable and as if they can do no wrong.
I also love the way that Paris is displayed in this novel, through the eyes of someone who knows little to nothing about the city. Etienne shows Anna around and the childlike wonder that fills her as she is introduced to Notre Dame or the Partheon, or to the hundreds of single theater cinemas, truly captivates the reader. When I took my first trip to Paris when I was 15, I used the book as a guide, picturing Anna and Etienne in places that I had read about in the book. It made me so happy when I saw El Champo, the movie theater Anna frequents in the book, real and in front of me. Or being able to stand on the Pointe Zero star in front of Notre Dame, making a wish the same way that they do multiple times in the novel.
This book has meant so much to me growing up and has helped me become the woman I am today. In eighth grade I emailed the author, Stephanie Perkins, asking for a movie based on the book (clearly I didn’t understand how that worked back then). I got a response from her manager saying that although Stephanie has no control over the novel being adapted into a film, it did warm her heart to hear from people who loved her book. A few years ago, I also got the honor to receive a signed copy of the collectors edition of the book. It is one of my prized possessions.
“Anna and the French Kiss” played a big role in my goal of becoming an author. The way that reading this story, no matter how many times I’ve read it before, makes me feel is a feeling that I wish everyone can experience. I hope one day to write a novel that has the same impact on someone that “Anna and the French Kiss” had on me.