Book Review: My French Whore by Gene Wilder

“Were you born in Germany?”

“No sir, Milwaukee Wisconsin.”

He let out half a laugh. “Where the beer comes from.”

“Yes sir,” I answered. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that joke.

Gene Wilder, My French Whore

Review:

I tried letting this one sit for a while to see if I was simply in a cynical mood when I read it. Time didn’t end up making my memory fonder. Quite the opposite. 

I’ve had this book on my TBR for several years because I like a number of Gene Wilder’s movies. I put it off because of the title, assuming it wasn’t going to be my cup of tea. I do like the time it’s set and the idea behind the war portion of the story is intriguing. Had this been wholly about a man who assumed the identity of a spy I think I would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it was more about Paul and Annie.

There’s no doubt that Gene Wilder created the character of Paul. If this had been a screenplay from the 1970s it’s easy to envision Wilder portraying him in a historical comedy film. That being said, this character was not one I enjoyed reading in a novel. Annie was slightly more tolerable, though showed little personality on the pages. There’s also major plot holes as well as completely dropping certain storylines, such as the one regarding Paul’s wife. Had the book been longer it might have been redeemable. 

Certainly a disappointing read because there have been screenplays by Gene Wilder that I’ve enjoyed even with the zaniness. I guess that style just didn’t translate well to a book for me. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Paul assuming the identity of a spy.

What I didn’t like:

• So many plot holes.
• Unlikable characters.
• Very blunt and definitely something that wouldn’t fly being published today.

Afterthoughts:

I had higher hopes for this, but I suppose Gene Wilder’s strength was screenplays and he had trouble getting away from that style.

Where to buy the book: