Le Divorce by Diane Johnson | NOOK Book (eBook), Paperback | Barnes & Noble
Le Divorce
Add to List +
Please enter a list name
You entered an invalid character [!@#$%^&*()_+-{};"]. Please enter a valid alpha numeric character.
Please name your Essential List:
New Essential List
You may add a description of the list:
Please enter a list name
You entered an invalid character [!@#$%^&*()_+-{};"]. Please enter a valid alpha numeric character.
Please name your Wish List:
New Wish List
You may add a description of the list:
(Save 20%)$15.00 List Price
Add to Bag
Pick Up In Store
Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store
Find In-store
Enter your zip code
Other sellers (Paperback)
Used (201)
Available on NOOK devices and apps
NOOK Devices
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK 7.0
Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK 10.1
NOOK HD Tablet
NOOK HD+ Tablet
NOOK eReaders
NOOK Color
NOOK Tablet
Tablet/Phone
NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
NOOK for iOS
NOOK for Android
NOOK Kids for iPad
NOOK for Windows 8
NOOK for PC
NOOK for Mac
NOOK for Web
Want a NOOK?
All Available Formats & Editions
NOOK Book (1)
Paperback (3)
In Le Divorce, Diane Johnson delightfully recounts the adventures of two sisters from California who make a modern pilgrimage to the City of Light.
Pregnant and abandoned by her French husband, Roxeanne Walker de Persand turns to her younger sister, Isabel, for support, while the powerful Persand family exerts subtle but firm control over her decision whether or not to divorce. Complicating matters is the disposition of a family heirloom, a painting in Roxy's possession that is suddenly discovered to be worth millions. In the midst of a variety of schemes, the stakes are suddenly raised by a crime of passion, disrupting everyone's motives and plans.
Not since Edith Wharton penned her brilliant portraits of Americans abroad has an American novelist so perfectly captured the possibilities and perils of succumbing to the allure of Paris.
Diane Johnson is the author of the bestselling novel Le Divorce, a 1997 National Book Award finalist, as well as twelve other books, including the novels Persian Nights, Health and Happiness, Lying Low, The Shadow Knows, and Burning (all available in Plume editions). She divides her time between San Francisco and Paris.
Good To Know
In our exclusive interview, Johnson shared some fun facts about herself:
"I worked for the UCLA library for a few months when I was 19 -- otherwise I never had a job until I became a professor, and I know people debate
whether that is a job -- perhaps it's a privilege or a scam. So I'm not sure I've ever had a real job. My writing comes from life and from books, as everyone's does, and from my head. I try to nourish my head with art and wandering...."
"I am rather domestic and like to cook and sew, though not to do housework. And I love to ski. To wander around. To read. Am interested in animals and politics."
"I am always appalled when people send me books that they think I will like because of what the books I write are like. I almost always think they are too light and silly, and it rather hurts my feelings to see what people imagine. I don't really like to read novels -- I find it more amusing to write them to read them, but maybe this is only because reading them gets in the way of what I am trying to write. I am reading Max Weber at the moment, and some early Henry James -- The American. I am fond of a lot of people and try to make time to see them. Life seems to sweep by at such speed...."
Paris, France, and San Francisco, California
Date of Birth:
Sat Apr 28 00:00:00 EST 1934
Place of Birth:
Moline, Illinois
Education:
B.A., University of U M.A., Ph.D., UCLA, 1968
Average Rating 3
Absolument horrible!!!
I can't believe how much I disliked this book.
I was prepared to like it, since I'm a huge Francophile, but this was just terrible.
Isabel, the narrator, was completely unsympathetic.
I couldn't care about her, and the only emotion that she evoked from me was derision.
Her level of intelligence was not at all consistent, and I have a hard time believing that a person who had gotten into as many scrapes as Isabel had in her lifetime would continue to be so relentlessly naive.
I couldn't understand anyone's motivation, and pretty much all of the characters seemed rather dull to me.
I would recommend this book only if you are determined to punish yourself or somebody else for some large sin and need the proper vehicle for penance.
Otherwise, avoid this book at all costs.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Eye catching, but not worth your time
The novel is interesting with respect to Paris and plot ideas, however, it is a very slow read.
Without doubt, Diane Johnson is a great writer but the story could have been told in half the time.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
A Paris jaunt
I think you have to have lived in Paris to really understand this entertaining book.
It's very well written and really captures the inimitable residents.
A very good story line that is full of surprises and liasons.
I'm anxious to read more of her books.
Well deserved award.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
i thought it was great
i read it a year ago and when i saw so many negative reviews i had to say something. reading it made me want to go to paris and be that american in paris just trying to blend in. the affair i thought was beautiful and realistic. i dont know how anyone could have found it confusing or horrible or whatever because i thought it completely made the book as wonderful as i thought it was. it was sexy and timid and unsure and just real. all the dillemas between the french and american controversies i thought were really interesting. love in paris. how could anyone say no?
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Disappointing
I picked this book up thinking that it sounded interesting. I found it, however, to be ridiculously slow, the entire book was about a completely wishy washy woman who just needs to make up her mind! Also slightly offensive to me. Don't waste your time.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Deplorable Book
This was a boring, simply awful book.
The characters were the most despicable, amoral, hideous people ever grouped together in one book.
Not one was remotely likeable.
And the ending! Where was the sense to that?
To illustrate how gun crazy and violent Americans are?
I wish, desparately, that I had never seen this book much less read it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
I thought this was going to be a great book.
I was wrong.
It was so slow and the characters were all awful.
I barely finished the book.
About halfway through I just started skimming pages to see how the book ended.
A waste of my time.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
disappointed beyond belief
I picked up this book thinking that if it had been made into a movie then it had to be good. I couldn't stand the thing. The characters seemed selfish and naive. Isabel's affair disgusted me beyond words. I was constantly going back to paragraphs trying to figure out what they said. I'll never recommend this book or this author.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
A wise and witty peek at Paris and zee French
Diane Johnson's espertise with the French Culture has been lightly and brightly brought to us on a Baccarat crystal platter. One can view all sides at once. The book is enjoyable if you have never been to France, but if you have, it is 'Tres Bon.' Her contrasts and interplay within the American and French cultures is both insightful and charming. It is easy to be delighted by the French, Diane makes it possible to also be enchanted and enlightened.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
I actually loved it...
I really thought this book had a lot to offer, despite what everyone else said. The writing was amzing, the depiction of the social contrast was well said, and the character portrayal was very well done. There were a lot of long descriptions, but they were totally worth it. You have to really appreciate french culture to enjoy this book, and most americans don't, so I guess that's why it didnt do so well. I myself had to read it a few times before I fully enjoyed it. But I thought it was a good read, and it does help a lot to know french when you read this book, otherwise you're just wasting your time.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Highly disappointed
I was eager to get this book hoping that the
plot line set in Paris would be a fun escape.
I was hoping to get a bit of the French atmosphere and have a fun read.
While I found the writing to be a bit tedious at times, some parts were okay but overall I never felt involved with any of the characters.
And the ending was a major disappointment.
It made no sense and seemed to me that the author knew that this was going to be a movie and so threw some wild Hollywood ending in there.
Don't bother.
If you want something fun, read one of Jane Green's books.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
DON'T BOTHER!!
Slow, tedious, too many French words without the translation, and NOT FUNNY!!
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Interesting, but slow
What attracted me to this book was the fact that I have had 5 years of French class.
For that reason it was enjoyable to read, and notice all the subtle and not subtle references between the different cultures. I liked the book, but was hoping it would have more charcter development.
Worth reading, but not something many people will read more than once.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
WAS IT WORTH READING?
I was looking forward to enjoying this book when I saw a teaser for the upcoming Kate Hudson movie.
The book doesn't let you get very close to the characters and then proceeds to drag in the middle.
I found the whole American in Paris idea interesting but with more character development the plot wouldn't seem to be so rushed at the end to wrap up the family and financial crisis.
I felt let down when I could have skipped the middle 100 pages and just read the last 50 to see how everything ended up.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Two-leg place
Town hall. Mayor is Ms. Brownduk.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
This is my first one star review
book boring and had to skim through all the pages to get thru this LONG book. And there was no end. Dont know if its a nook thing but there was no end.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
can you read French
This book has a lot of French and big words you have to look up.
It rambles on sometimes. It eventually has a good plot.
If you can tolerate waiting it gives you a good idea what it would be like for a young American living in Paris.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Great book!
Unique writing!
I loved this book!
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Samantha (Sam)
Walks in scared not knowing what to do
0 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
Not worth the read
I am going to sound like a borken record but I thought this book was going to be wonderful!
But I had a hard time even getting past page 100 because I found it boring.
I didn't like the Characters and I am very dissapointed that I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? & Thank you for your feedback.
Thank you, this review has been flagged.
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to
Publisher doesn't hold rights to book
Publisher doesn't hold rights to cover image
Inaccurate description
Objectionable content
Please enter a valid email address. Thank you. A welcome email has been sent.
Visit NOOK in:
B&N Services
Shipping & Delivery
Quick HelpFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Orange Pekoe" redirects here. For the Japanese jazz band, see .
Tea leaves of different sizes just after plucking. Small leaves are more valuable than big ones.
Black tea grading
industry, tea leaf grading is the process of
products based on the quality and condition of the tea leaves themselves. The highest grades are referred to as "orange pekoe", and the lowest as "fannings" or "dust".
Pekoe tea grades are classified into various qualities, each determined by how many of the adjacent young leaves (two, one, or none) were picked along with the leaf buds. Top-quality pekoe grades consist of only the leaf buds, which are picked using the balls of the fingertips. Fingernails and mechanical tools are not used to avoid bruising.
When crushed to make bagged teas, the tea is referred to as "broken", as in "broken orange pekoe" (BOP). These lower grades include
and , which are tiny remnants created in the sorting and crushing processes.
Orange pekoe is referred to as "OP". The grading scheme also contains categories higher than OP, which are determined primarily by leaf wholeness and size.
Broken, fannings and
orthodox teas have slightly different grades.
teas, which consist of leaves mechanically rendered to uniform fannings, have yet another grading system.
Tray bins of dried tea leaves: O.P. (Orange Pekoe), B.O.P.(Broken Orange Pekoe), and dust graded black teas at a Sri Lankan tea factory
Wilson Ceylon Earl Grey F.B.O.P. (Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe)
Orange pekoe ( or ), also spelled pecco, or OP is a term used in the Western
trade to describe a particular genre of
(orange pekoe grading). Despite a purported Chinese origin, these grading terms are typically used for teas from Sri Lanka, India and countries other than C they are not generally known within Chinese-speaking countries. The grading system is based upon the size of processed and dried black tea leaves.
The tea industry uses the term orange pekoe to describe a basic, medium-grade black tea consisting of many whole tea leave however, it is popular in some regions (such as ) to use the term as a description of any generic black tea (though it is often described to the consumer as a specific variety of black tea). Within this system, the teas that receive the highest grades are obtained from new flushes (pickings). This includes the terminal leaf bud along with a few of the youngest leaves. Grading is based on the 'size' of the individual leaves and flushes, which is determined by their ability to fall through the screens of special
ranging from 8–30 mesh. This also determines the 'wholeness', or level of breakage, of each leaf, which is also part of the grading system. Although these are not the only factors used to determine quality, the size and wholeness of the leaves will have the greatest influence on the taste, clarity, and brewing time of the tea.
When used outside the context of black-tea grading, the term "pekoe" (or, occasionally, orange pekoe) describes the unopened terminal leaf bud (tips) in tea flushes. As such, the phrases "a bud and a leaf" or "a bud and two leaves" are used to describe the "leafiness" they are also used interchangeably with pekoe and a leaf or pekoe and two leaves.
Pekoe tea is a fine grade of tea which includes young tea leaves and buds. The tea once handled and brewed has "a rich forest-like scent with a hint of bitterness and a sweet finish."
A black tea with white "hairs" plainly visible on its surface
The origin of the word "pekoe" is uncertain. One explanation is it is derived from the transliterated mispronunciation of the
(Xiamen) dialect word for a Chinese tea known as "white down/hair" (白毫; : pe?h-ho). This is how "pekoe" is listed by Rev.
() in his Chinese dictionary (1819) as one of the seven sorts of black tea "commonly known by Europeans". This refers to the down-like white "hairs" on the leaf and also to the youngest leaf buds. Another hypothesis is that the term derives from the Chinese báihuā "white flower" (: 白花; : báihuā; : pe?h-hoe), and refers to the bud content of pekoe tea.
Sir , the 19th-century British tea magnate, is widely credited with popularizing, if not inventing, the term "orange pekoe", which seems to have no Chinese precedents, for Western markets. The "orange" in orange pekoe is sometimes mistaken to mean the tea has been
with , orange oils, or is otherwise associated with oranges. However, the word "orange" is unrelated to the tea's flavor. There are two explanations for its meaning, though neither is definitive:
, now the royal family, was already the most respected aristocratic family in the days of the , and came to control the de facto head of state position of
of Holland and Zealand. The
performed a central role in bringing tea to Europe and may have marketed the tea as "orange" to suggest association with the House of Orange.
Color: The copper colour of a high-quality, oxidized leaf before drying, or the final bright orange colour of the dried pekoes in the finished tea may be related to the name. These usually consist of one leaf bud and two leaves covered in fine, downy hair. The orange colour is produced when the tea is fully oxidized.
Fannings are small pieces of
that are left over after higher grades of tea are gathered to be sold. Traditionally these were treated as the rejects of the manufacturing process in making high quality leaf tea like the orange pekoe. Fannings with extremely small particles are sometimes called dusts. Fannings and dusts are considered the lowest grades of tea, separated from broken-leaf teas which have larger pieces of the leaves. However, the fannings of expensive teas can still be more expensive and more flavourful than whole leaves of cheaper teas.
This traditionally low quality tea has however experienced a huge demand in the developing world in the last century as the practice of tea drinking became popular.
and the South Asian sub-continent, and Africa prefer dust tea because it is cheap and also produces a very strong brew - consequently more cups are obtained per measure of tea dust.
Because of the small size of the particles, a
is typically used to brew fannings. Fannings are also typically used in most , although some companies sell tea bags containing whole-leaf tea.
focus primarily on broken leaf teas, fannings, and dusts.
This section does not
any . Please help improve this section by . Unsourced material may be challenged and . (January 2009)
Choppy contains many leaves of various sizes.
Fannings: are small particles of tea leaves used almost exclusively in tea bags.
Flowery: consists of large leaves, typically plucked in the second or third flush with an abundance of tips.
Golden Flowery: includes very young tips or buds (usually golden in colour) that were picked early in the season.
Tippy: includes an abundance of tips.
The grades for whole leaf orthodox black tea are: Ceylon orange pekoe (OP) grades'
OP1—slightly delicate, long, wiry leaf with the light liquor
OPA—bold, long leaf tea which ranges from tightly wound to almost open
OP—main grade, in the middle between OP1 and OPA, can consist of long wiry leaf without tips
OP Superior—primarily from Indonesia, similar to OP
Flowery OP—high-quality tea with a long leaf and few tips, considered the second grade in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh teas, but the first grade in China
F OP1—as above, but with only the highest quality leaves in the FOP classification
Golden Flowery OP1—higher proportion of tip than FOP top grade in Milima and Marinyn regions, uncommon in Assam and Darjeeling
Tippy Golden F OP—the highest proportion of tip, main grade in Darjeeling and Assam
TGF OP1—as above, but with only the highest quality leaves in the TGFOP classification
Finest TGF OP—highest quality grade (Note: "Special" is occasionally substituted for "Finest", with a number 1 at the end to indicate the very finest), often hand processed and produced at only the best plantations, roughly one quarter tips
SFTGFOP(1)—sometimes used to indicate the very finest
A joke among tea aficionados is that "FTGFOP" stands for "Far Too Good For Ordinary People".
BT—Broken Tea: Usually a black, open, fleshy leaf that is very bulky. Classification used in Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and some parts of Southern India.
BP—Broken Pekoe: Most common broken pekoe grade. From Indonesia, Ceylon, Assam and Southern India.
BPS—Broken Pekoe Souchong: Term for broken pekoe in Assam and Darjeeling.
FP—Flowery Pekoe: High-quality pekoe. Usually coarser with a fleshier, broken leaf. Produced in Ceylon and Southern India, as well as in some parts of Kenya.
BOP—Broken Orange Pekoe: Main broken grade. Prevalent in Assam, Ceylon, Southern India, Java, and China.
F BOP—Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe: Coarser and broken with some tips. From Assam, Ceylon, Indonesia, China, and Bangladesh. In South America coarser, black broken.
F BOP F—Finest Broken Orange Pekoe Flowery: The finest broken orange pekoe. Higher proportion of tips. Mainly from Ceylon's "low districts".
G BOP—Golden Broken Orange Pekoe: Second grade tea with uneven leaves and few tips.
GF BOP1—Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe 1: As above, but with only the highest quality leaves in the GFBOP classification.
TGF BOP1—Tippy Golden Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe 1: High-quality leaves with a high proportion of tips. Finest broken First Grade Leaves in Darjeeling and some parts of Assam.
PF—Pekoe Fannings
OF—Orange Fannings: From Northern India and some parts of Africa and South America.
FOF—Flowery Orange Fannings: Common in Assam, Dooars, and Bangladesh. Some leaf sizes come close to the smaller broken grades.
GFOF—Golden Flowery Orange Fannings: Finest grade in Darjeeling for tea bag production.
TGFOF—Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Fannings.
BOPF—Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings: Main grade in Ceylon, Indonesia, Southern India, Kenya, Mozambique, Bangladesh, and China. Black-leaf tea with few added ingredients, uniform particle size, and no tips.
D1—Dust 1: From Sri Lanka, Indonesia, China, Africa, South America, and Southern India.
PD—Pekoe Dust
PD1—Pekoe Dust 1: Mainly produced in India.
Musc.—Muscatel
Cl.—Clonal
Ch.—China varietal
Qu.—Queen jat
FBOPF Ex. Spl.—Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings (Extra Special)
FP—(Flowery Pekoe)
PS—Pekoe Souchong
S—Souchong
BOF—Broken Orange Fannings
BPF—Broken Pekoe Fannings
RD—Pekoe Dust/Red Dust
FD—Fine Dust
GD—Golden Dust
SRD—Super Red Dust
SFD—Super Fine Dust
BMF—Broken Mixed Fannings
, a standardized method of tea brewing used to compare tea leaf flavor and aroma characteristics
, an equivalent tea term in China
Marian Segal (March 1996). . FDA Consumer magazine.
TeaFountain (2004). . TeaStation & TeaFountain. Archived from
. Stash Tea. 2006.
Swann's Classic Teas. . Swann's Classic Teas. Archived from
Peet's Coffee (2006). . Peet's Coffee & Teas.
Barnes & Watson Fine Teas (2006). . Barnes & Watson Fine Teas. Archived from
. Tea grades. House of Tea 2012.
Campbell Ronald Harlers (1973), ""Tea Production"", The New Encyclopaedia Britannica 1973 18 (15 ed.), Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc.
Olde Wyndham Tea Company (2002). . Olde Wyndham Tea Company. Archived from
AFD (Appui à la Formation et au Développement). . Théier (Camellia sinensis).
. What is Pekoe Tea?. Wise Geek 2012.
James Norwood Pratt (May 2002). . TeaMuse Monthly Newsletter.
Rev. , , pp. 3-4. Quote: "The sorts commonly known to Europeans are these, ... ; 4th, Pekoe, 白毫, Pih- ...". The same text is reproduced in the .
Gillards of Bath (2006). . Gillards of Bath. Archived from
. Plain T.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to .
: Hidden categories:}