yes reading in a foreign language is demanding ... have you tried "je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part" by Gavalda? The level of French used by Gavalda is much easier to understand as there are many dialogues and lots of "French as it is spoken"... I loved this book! Her "Ensemble c'est tout" was wicked too. Did you read the answer to your comment on my blog re: visit to France? What do you think? Chaddy says can he rub noses with Parsley, Chloe, Toby and co?? :D!!