Paris for One Jojo Moyes

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Deborah Byrd
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1 Paris for One Jojo Moyes

About the book Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She has never even been on a weekend away with her boyfriend. Everyone knows she is just not the adventurous type.

Alone in Paris, Nell meets the mysterious moped riding Fabien and his group of care free friends. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?

Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include The Girl You Left Behind, Me Before You and The One Plus One. She lives in Essex with her husband and their three children.

2 About the book Nell is twenty-six and has never been to Paris. She has never even been on a weekend away with her boyfriend. Everyone knows she is just not the adventurous type. But, when her boyfriend doesn t turn up for their romantic mini-break, Nell has the chance to prove everyone wrong. Alone in Paris, Nell meets the mysterious moped riding Fabien and his group of care free friends. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life? About the author Jojo Moyes is a novelist and a journalist. She worked at the Independent for ten years before leaving to write full-time. Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include The Girl You Left Behind, Me Before You and The One Plus One. She lives in Essex with her husband and their three children. Charlotte Murphy Key Visit Jojo s website Follow her on Reading ICT Speaking, listening and communication Maths Writing Other The speaking, listening and communication activities can be used in two ways. If you are working in a group, you can use these as prompts for discussions. However, if you are reading alone, these can be used for individual reflection. 2

3 Starting off... This novel is called Paris for One. What do you think it is about? What makes you think so? What do you know about Paris? Have you ever been? Speak to someone who has been to Paris, try to find a book in a library about Paris (you could ask a librarian) and/or use the internet to search for some pictures of, or facts about, Paris. Does this change what you think this novel could be about? Chapter 1 What does this chapter tell us about Nell? What adjectives could you use to describe her? Who is he (page 1)? What do we know about him? Nell and Pete communicate by text in this chapter. How would you reply to his texts? Write your own replies (either using a pen and paper or write them as texts to someone else in your group). How do you get from London to Paris by train? Find out. Use the internet if you need to. Which station in London does the Eurostar leave from? Which station in Paris does it arrive at? How many times does the Eurostar travel from London to Paris in a day? And how many times does it travel from Paris to London? How long does the journey take? How much would it cost to buy a return ticket from London to Paris leaving exactly a month from today and coming back three days later? 3

4 Chapter 2 On page 8, we learn that Nell doesn t speak French. Find the sentence that tells us this. Imagine you were going to Paris for the weekend. Which words or phrases would you want to learn to help you get around in Paris? Write them down in English. Do you know them in French? If so, write them down. If not, speak to others, use a French-English dictionary or phrasebook (you could ask at your local library) and/or use the internet to find out. Present your list of words or phrases to the rest of your group. What does s il vous plait (page 8) mean? Could guess from the context? What is the name of Nell s hotel? On page 11, Nell decides, I m going to be Parisian. What does she mean by this? What happens with the American woman at the hotel? Describe the American woman. Find words or sentences in this chapter that give us an idea of the American woman. Explain how these words tell us so much. At the end of Chapter 2, Nell gets a text from Pete. Imagine you are Nell. Reply to this text. Still imagining you are Nell, write a post-card home to your best friend telling her what is happening and how you feel. Now, imagine you are the American woman. Write an home to your sister to tell her what has happened at the hotel and how you feel. Chapter 3 Who is Fabien? What do we know about him? 4

5 Draw a picture of Fabian, or draw a series of pictures, or storyboards, showing what happens in this short chapter. Do you think Fabien will be important in this novel? Why or why not? Chapters 4-6 On a piece of paper, make a list of everything we now know about Nell, Pete and Fabien. Add all the other characters we have met and note down what we know about them. Share your notes with a partner. Together, choose five words that best describe each person. Compare your chosen words with another pair and talk about how you know what you know. On page 42 we learn that Nell has decided to stay one more night. Why? What would you have done? Chapter 7 On page 44, which artists are featured in the exhibition? What do you know about these two artists? Use the internet to find examples of their art. Do you like what you have found? Can you find any of the pictures described in this chapter? On page 46, Fabien says that he thinks Nell is impulsif. What is the correct English spelling of this word? Do you agree: is Nell impulsif? And do you think being impulsif is a good quality or a bad quality? Why? Can you think of a time when you have been impulsif? This chapter ends with Fabien asking Nell a question. What do you think she will say? Chapters 8-9 On page 56, Nell writes a list of REASONS I AM RIGHT TO STAY IN TONIGHT. Write a list of REASONS NELL SHOULD GO OUT TONIGHT. Look back at the five words you used to describe Nell and Fabien. Would you change this list? 5

6 On page 64 we learn that Nell was named after a character in a Charles Dickens book. Do you know where your names came from? Or what they mean? Talk in a group. And what do you know about Charles Dickens? What happens at the top of page 65? Can you guess what the text said? Chapters Why did Pete come to Paris? How do we know this? Why does Pete tell Nell he came to Paris? Why does Nell leave the hotel? Where is she going? Do you think she was right to leave the hotel? Why or why not? What do you think the receptionist thinks of Pete? What makes you think so? Highlight or copy the words or phrases that tell you this. Why is Fabien happy at the end of Chapter 11? Why had he forgotten to be happy? A lot happens in these two chapters. In your own words, and in your own way, write down what happened. Compare your writing with someone else s. Talk about the similarities and differences. Chapters On page 78, Fabien calls Nell a cruel woman twice. Why does he call her a cruel woman the first time? Do you think she has been cruel? Why does he call her a cruel woman the second time? If you were Fabien, how would you feel as you read Nell s REASONS I AM RIGHT TO STAY IN TONIGHT? Go 6

7 back in the novel to find and read the whole list. The novel ends with Nell writing a text. Who is she writing to? Why do you think so? What will happen next with Nell and Fabien? You are the hotel receptionist. Write a letter to your grandmother in Marseille to tell her all about the recent events in your hotel and what you think of them. 7

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