An American in Pandemic Paris. A Coming-of-Retirement-Age Memoir

Fresh from an 'eat-pray-love' adventure in Costa Rica and trying desperately to mend her broken heart, Michelle was in Paris in March 2020 with a decision to make. Stay indefinitely or return to one of two homelands: a polarized and chaotic U.S. or a let's-pretend-everything's-normal-even-though-it-isn't Sweden? After two weeks in Paris, Michelle's choice was clear, persuaded by President Macron's reassuring leadership and the imagined thrill of frolicking in a tourist-free Paris. A series of incremental incidents that left her 'stranded' in France without income converted Michelle's two-month stay for camaraderie, cuisine, and culture into a transformative sixteen-month journey of self-discovery, path realignment, romantic adventure, and a deeper relationship with the City of Light, one often haunted by memories of her rich, insouciant ex-lover, Trocadéro Man.

Join Michelle the Art Historian as she explores the jasmine-scented streets of Paris, navigates the world of senior dating, weekends with aristocrats, winters on the Côte d'Azur, and converses with her favorite artworks. Meet the new people in her world--Puzzle Man of Montparnasse, Amazing Accordionist, Madame Chocolat, Jim the Expat, and Caroline the Professor--who made her (first) pandemic year one of metamorphosis and joy.