The English Experience - Julie Schumacher

 The English Experience - Julie Schumacher

Publication Date:  Aug. 15, 2023

She read

Jason Fitger, a longtime uninspiring English professor and now head of the department at Payne College, was the last choice to lead a group of students for a study abroad course in London.  But, it was last minute and there really was no one else.  The class is a conglomeration of students, including someone who has never been away from her cat, a student who thought he was signing up for a trip to the Caribbean, and another one who is claustrophobic and has a dubious history. What could go wrong?  

Fitger was the main character in Schumacher’s prior two novels, including Dear Committee Members which won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. 

This was an entertaining, humorous, surprisingly poignant satire.   Not only are readers privy to many of the misadventures on the trip, but, as an added bonus, there are a sprinkling of the non sequitur, scarily a grammatical /poorly spelled essays written by the students.  I loved some of Schumacher’s observations of the European experience.  One of my favorites was the comment about a guide they encountered who spoke six languages.  In the US, anyone with that expertise would be “considered a diplomat or a genius.” In London, that accomplishment only resulted in a part-time guide job.  

This was a fun break from some of the heavier novels I have read recently.  

Thanks to #netgalley and #doubledaybooks for the ARC

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