That Paris Year

The story begins with That Paris Year which tells the tale of five young women from California—J.J., an aspiring writer, who narrates the story; Jocelyn her gorgeous and multi-talented roommate who aspires to be an actress; Evelyn, the proverbial minister’s daughter  who is a sexy redhead and has wild oats to sew; Melanie, a pretty blonde from a bruising, wealthy family, who has a budding social consciousness and aspires to do good; and Gracie, the short, unattractive friend in a bouquet of beauties, who struggles with her supersized intelligence and a crush on the unattainable  boyfriend of Evelyn. In the heyday of Kennedy-era glamour, and following the long rebellious wake of poet Arthur Rembaud’s Drunken Boat, they sail to Paris together in 1962 to study at the Sorbonne. Beyond the grueling demands of the Sorbonne by day and late nights in smoky cafes and cabarets, they learn that seduction is intellectual as well as sexual. Ten years later, J.J., now a journalist, begins the tale of that year when asked to address students at their old college.