Paris or Die: A Memoir

Description

Sharp, funny and unflinchingly honest, Jayne Tuttle's memoir lifts you off the page and into a Paris far beyond the postcards. This new edition of Paris or Die is a headlong plunge into not just life in Paris, but life itself. Aspiring actor Jayne lives in Melbourne, where she dreams of a creative life. But after her mother dies unexpectedly, Jayne loses her bearings. Untethered, heartsick, she is soon on a plane to Paris with no return ticket. The city, it seems, has its own plans for her. She finds herself in a vibrant and dizzying neighbourhood, living in a former monastery, studying at a famous theatre school, falling in love with a Frenchman too beautiful to be real. She will forget her past and disappear into the culture if it kills her. And one strange night, it nearly does. Raw, real and evocative, Paris or Die is an unforgettable picture of love, grief and adventure.

Jayne Tuttle is the author of Paris or Die (2019) and My Sweet Guillotine (2022). Paris or Die was developed into a solo theatre show with director John Bolton and performed in 2021 and 2022 in a variety of venues including La Mama in Melbourne. Jayne graduated from the Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in 2006 and went on to live and work in France as an actor, voice-over artist, playwright, translator and bilingual copywriter. Jayne was awarded the Eric Dark Flagship Fellowship in 2021 from the Varuna Writer's House. She co-owns The Bookshop at Queenscliff in coastal Victoria.

'joltingly alive, beautiful and terrifying' - Helen Garner, The Age 'By turns madcap and heart-breaking, Paris or Die is a witty and wise reflection on the power of cities to help us become ourselves. I devoured it and I can't wait to read more from my new favorite writer.' - Lauren Elkin, author of Flaneuse: Women Walk the City 'A vivid memoir of damage, grace and healing which manages to be funny, irreverent and moving all at once.' - Luke Davies, author of Candy, Totem, script writer of Lion 'Jayne Tuttle's writing is a delicious delight.' - Christos Tsiolkas, author of Damascus, Merciless Gods, Barracuda, The Slap 'An electric rollercoaster ride through the streets of Paris, this is also a moving memoir of love, exploration and loss - at times utterly joyful, at times gut-wrenching and always fierce and beautifully written.' - Jemma Birrell, artistic director of Sydney Writers' Festival, 2012-2016 'I was entranced from start to finish. A tantalising tour through the life of a young, spontaneous, in love, in lust, foreigner whose inimitable joie de vivre opens her to a Paris that yields its local charms, its particular customs and its unexpected dangers ...' - Martine Murray, author of The Last Summer of Ada Bloom, How to Make a Bird 'A riveting, moving, funny and at times shocking memoir about a young Australian woman whose dream journey to the city of light turns into a nightmare. I loved it.' - Jennifer Higgie, writer and editor Frieze magazine 'Moving, raw and more than a little bit sexy, I practically inhaled this book about a woman determined to grab on to art, love and life with everything she's got in the world's most romantic city.' - Rachel Power, author of The Divided Heart: Art and Motherhood 'Joyous, sexy and compelling ... a wonderful read.' - Paddy O'Reilly, author of Peripheral Vision, The Wonders 'Tuttle, a writer, actor and charismatically charming first-time author, takes us on quite a journey. Her writing is pitch-perfect and pacy - very, very funny at times, and raw and affecting at others.' - Linda Jaivin, The Saturday Paper 'A latter-day Bonjour Tristesse.' - Steve Carroll, Sydney Morning Herald / The Age 'A witty and observant raconteur, and merciless chronicler of her own foibles, she's like the love child of David Sedaris and Helen Garner.' - Linda Jaivin, The Saturday Paper 'A love letter to Paris: not the idealised city Tuttle had imagined it to be, but a real and imperfect place where she feels "alive, more alive than ever before"' - Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian 'A rollicking yarn that is humorous, poignant and sexy, and always evocative of Paris.' - Graham Erbacher, The Australian 'Tuttle's honesty and raw self-exposure creeps on you, as does her own near-death experience.' - Wendy Mason, The Herald Sun 'Beautifully written with an unfiltered lens, Paris or Die is gritty, funny and heartbreakingly real.' - Emily Harms, The Wheeler Centre By turns madcap and heart-breaking, Paris or Die is a witty and wise reflection on the power of cities to help us become ourselves. I devoured it and I can't wait to read more from my new favorite writer. -- Lauren Elkin, author of Flaneuse: Women Walk the City Jayne Tuttle's writing is a delicious delight. -- Christos Tsiolkas, author of Damascus, Merciless Gods, Barracuda, The Slap An electric rollercoaster ride through the streets of Paris, this is also a moving memoir of love, exploration and loss - at times utterly joyful, at times gut-wrenching and always fierce and beautifully written. -- Jemma Birrell, artistic director of Sydney Writers' Festival, 2012-2016 I was entranced from start to finish. A tantalising tour through the life of a young, spontaneous, in love, in lust, foreigner whose inimitable joie de vivre opens her to a Paris that yields its local charms, its particular customs and its unexpected dangers ... -- Martine Murray, author of The Last Summer of Ada Bloom, How to Make a Bird A riveting, moving, funny and at times shocking memoir about a young Australian woman whose dream journey to the city of light turns into a nightmare. I loved it. -- Jennifer Higgie, writer and editor of Frieze magazine Moving, raw and more than a little bit sexy, I practically inhaled this book about a woman determined to grab on to art, love and life with everything she's got in the world's most romantic city. -- Rachel Power, author of The Divided Heart: Art arid Motherhood Joyous, sexy and compelling ... a wonderful read. -- Paddy O'Reilly, author of Peripheral Vision, The Wonders Tuttle, a writer, actor and charismatically charming first-time author, takes us on quite a journey. Her writing is pitch-perfect and pacy - very, very funny at times, and raw and affecting at others. -- Linda Jalvin, The Saturday Paper A latter-day Bonjour Tristesse. -- Steve Carroll, Sydney Morning Herald / The Age A witty and observant raconteur, and merciless chronicler of her own foibles, she's like the love child of David Sedaris and Helen Garner. -- Linda Jalvin, The Saturday Paper A love letter to Paris: not the idealised city Tuttle had imagined it to be, but a real and imperfect place where she feels "alive, more alive than ever before" -- Gemma Nisbet, The West Australian A rollicking yarn that is humorous, poignant and sexy, and always evocative of Paris. -- Graham Erbacher, The Australian Tuttle's honesty and raw self-exposure creeps on you, as does her own near-death experience. -- Wendy Mason, The Herald Sun Beautifully written with an unfiltered lens, Paris or Die is gritty, funny and heartbreakingly real. -- Emily Harms, The Wheeler Centre