The first in a three-part memoir series exposing the darker side of French culture, a brilliantly funny and poignant study of French life that begins when a young graduate makes a spontaneous decision to follow the man she loves to Paris. He is, however, nowhere to be found. Now a penniless singleton she must work in order to survive. With only a smattering of French she begins a new life. "A Stranger in Paris" follows Karen in her formative years as she searches for friends, family, and love. A portrayal of French life `from the inside' by a narrator who has seen the various echelons of French society from rich to poor, from the capital city to the rural South West.