Road to Rouen

• Book: Road to Rouen
• Location: France
• Author: Ben Hatch

I have read a few books based in France which are written in a ‘humorous Englishman trying to cope in France’ style. I generally really enjoy them and this one was no exception although the beginning of the book made me think otherwise. It started out by making the family seem like the most incompetent bunch of people to have ever tried to travel in France and the children came acoss as obnoxious and spoilt, it felt like an over exaggeration written simply to be funny. However after the first couple of chapters the author settled down and began to write some genuinely funny scenes such as the insistence the French have on making men wear speedos in swimming pools. He also began to explore his relationship and his family as he continued to write of their travels through France. I began to really enjoy the observations and started to care about his family and before I knew it I had read the book and was coming to the end and the return of the family to the UK. So all in all a fun and light hearted read for the summer and something to make you giggle occasionally as you identify with some of scenarios he comes across.

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