Reviews for Running in Place: Scenes from the South of France

The average rating for Running in Place: Scenes from the South of France based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-07-04 00:00:00 David Poel So many travelogues, so many of them to France. What gives this one schtick? Nicholas Delbanco has a keen eye and a sensitivity for situations. Instead of glossing over his experiences, he understands the "predicament" of the expat and can get right to the bloody center of discomfort (or delight!)- in other words, the "why". The ability to write about it effectively is icing on the cake. But the schtick, and what gives him this sensitivity, may be the fact that he spent multiple years in France, at various milestones in his life. Young graduate, young lover, new husband, father.... comparing the french to themselves through time allowed him rich observations.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-12-08 00:00:00 John Faessel I had a very hard time enjoying this book. It felt disjointed, and I could not relate to the writer. It is a literature professor's memoir on traveling to the same area in Provence over the course of 30 years, and has a very literature-based take on it. I got the feeling from the writer that he was of the sort who has many opportunities given to him, and that, combined with some minor name-dropping, kept me from connecting to his story. Some passages (particularly Lascaux), piqued my interest and kept me reading. Otherwise, it did not hold my interest at all.