Overview

    BOOK 1: MY STORY AS AN AMERICAN AU PAIR IN THE LOIRE VALLEY
    It’s 1979 and Linda needs to learn a language fast in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a flight attendant. Broke yet determined, she chooses French immersion and contracts to become an au pair for a wealthy family in the Loire Valley. Yielding to poor judgment, she lies on her application and claims to speak basic French, confident she’ll be forgiven once she arrives at the Château de Montclair. As she struggles to adapt to her challenging new environment with the hard-to-please Madame Dubois and her two incomprehensible children, Linda signs up and attends language classes at the local university. When she encounters, Adam, a handsome young student, her life becomes more complicated—much more complicated—adding fuel to her internal battle for independence. French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley is the first of two books based on the author’s diaries.

    BOOK 2: FROM TOURS TO PARIS
    Linda Kovic’s story continues in From Tours to Paris – the final book in the French Illusions series based on her diaries from 1979 and 1980. Still determined to learn French and fulfill her dream of becoming an international flight attendant, she puts her disastrous stint as an au pair behind her and revels in newfound freedom in the city of Tours. She finds lodging, enrolls at a French institute, and spends eight glorious days with Adam before he leaves for the holidays. When he returns, his shocking announcement propels her in a different direction, eventually leading her to Paris. Join Linda as she struggles with money, faces challenges at school, and learns some tough lessons about love and life.