The Foreign Student
  • Published:
    May-1988
  • Formats:
    Print
  • Main Genre:
    General Fiction
  • Time Period:
    1940's-1950's 20th Century
  • Pages:
    288
  • Rating:
  • Purchase:
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A #1 bestseller in France, this is a nostalgic portrait of a French scholarship student's discovery of America during the academic year of 1954â€"1955.
 
I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be American, like any ordinary student, because I figured that was my only chance to survive the immense loneliness looming ahead of me. I was elated to be there, in that remote Virginia alley, on that college campus. I was elated because back there, far away in France, my brothers would never experience this. And the school friends I left behind -- they too were missing out on this tremendous adventure.
 
Soon the young freshman becomes seduced by American culture and the popular icons of the mid-fifties: Jack Kerouac, Elvis Presley, James Dean, Fats Domino . . . a green Buick convertible, drive-in movies, and pretty Grace Kelly lookalikes in tight cardigans.

Praise for The Foreign Student
 
“One of those books that is beyond criticism . . . a vivid portrait of life, American style.†-- L'Express
 
“A love affair with America . . . told with precision, clarity, and warmth.†-- France-Soir
 
“A Sentimental Education of the American South.†-- Lu
 
“A grand risk, successfully realized . . . F. Scott Fitzgerald, French style. A splendid novel about a fragile, fugitive era.†-- Magazine Litteraire
 
“The freshness of a first novel combined with nuanced reporting.†-- Le Monde
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EDITIONS
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    • First Edition
    • May-1988
    • Ballantine
    • Trade Paperback
    • ISBN: 0345346963
    • ISBN13: 9780345346964
    •  
    • Jun-1990
    • Ballantine
    • Mass Market Paperback
    • ISBN: 0345367774
    • ISBN13: 9780345367778
    •  
    • May-1988
    • Turtleback Books
    • Hardcover
    • ISBN: 1417707933
    • ISBN13: 9781417707935
    • Library Binding
    •  
    • Nov-1988
    • HarperCollins (UK)
    • Hardcover
    • ISBN: 0002233282
    • ISBN13: 9780002233286



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