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A virtual media and web consultant by day and author by night, Carolyn Davenport-Moncel moved to Paris from Chicago, her hometown, in 2001. In Paris, she started the first English-speaking Virtual Assistance firm. Known for her online articles on media relations, Moncel owns MotionTemps, LLC (www.motiontemps.com), a Digital Project and Web Content Management firm with offices in Chicago, Paris and Geneva; and its subsidiary, Mondavé Communications (www.mondaveinc.com), a media relations training and publishing company. She has written, placed articles and been featured in such diverse publications as Entrepreneur.com, Expatica.com, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Wired News, International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Working Mother, Bonjour Paris, and PrissyMag.com. She currently resides in Lausanne, Switzerland with her husband and two daughters Encounters in Paris is her first work of fiction. Her next collection of short stories, 5 Reasons to Leave a Lover will debut in fall 2011.
Reviewed by Anne Boiling for Readers' Favorite
Our main character is Ellery. She is an American living in Paris with her French born husband Julian and their twin daughters. Ellery is an executive for the PR firm she help found. When she receives a pink slip she turns to her husband for support even though she knows he has been having an affair for over 6 months. He has no idea that she knows about his liaison. When Ellery and an old flame have a reunion they end up in an intimate situation. While visiting an old church Ellery feels grief concerning the death of her mother. Eventually she returns to Chicago where she contemplates whether to end her marriage.
This is a unique book in that it is short stories each concerning Ellery. While they are called short stories they could almost be called chapters. Ellery’s story is very realistic. This book is a mere 114 pages long and yet it is packed with emotion. This is not an in your face emotion. It is very understated but it is there. Being a woman in the business world is never easy as is clearly demonstrated. Ellery is a realistic woman. Her story could be any woman’s story.
Carolyn Moncel is a talented author. I was impressed with her description of life in Paris. Her characters are realistic and the plot is interesting.
