Au Revoir, Tristesse: 12 Lessons in Happiness from French Literature

Why are we so drawn to a “French” way of life? How can one learn the mythical joie de vivre—the purely French art of enjoying the moment? Journalist, writer, and comedian Viv Groskop has been asking these questions since childhood. Every summer she traveled to France, diligently studied the language, and dreamed of absorbing a little of “French-ness,” becoming a bit closer to Françoise Sagan—freer and bolder. Viv gradually opened herself up to other authors too, the ones who managed to capture the essence of French culture and mentality.

Like her previous book, “Self-Development by Tolstoy,” “Goodbye, Sadness!” helps rethink classics, find something new and relevant in them. And behind the funny and witty facade lie lessons in nostalgia from Proust, altruism from Hugo, psychology from Stendhal, and even a lesson in loving your mustache from Maupassant.