Espinasse, Kristin 1967-

PERSONAL:

Born 1967, in AZ; immigrated to France, 1992; married; children: two. Education: Attended college.

ADDRESSES:

Home—France.

CAREER:

Author and publisher, French Word-a-Day (Web log).

WRITINGS:

Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France, Touchstone (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kristin Espinasse had been a Francophile for many years, studying French in college and marrying a Frenchman. She moved with her husband to a new home in Provence, where she became the mother of two children. Despite studying the French language and living in that country, she has said she still feels like a foreigner; her children speak the language better than she does, often teasing their mother about her faux pas. Not above making fun of herself, Espinasse began to write and publish an online newsletter called French Word-a-Day that attempts to explain the subtler nuances of the language. Her first book, Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France, is a collection of her favorite pieces from her newsletter. Library Journal contributor Linda M. Kaufmann described the book as a collection of "charming short essays on French life." Mark Knoblauch, writing in Booklist, praised the author's explanations, which "go far to demystify French idioms for anyone wishing to speak and write more fluent French."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2006, Mark Knoblauch, review of Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France, p. 12.

California Bookwatch, August 1, 2006, review of Words in a French Life.

Library Journal, April 15, 2006, Linda M. Kaufmann, review of Words in a French Life, p. 97.