French-Fried Americans

The four American travelers in Tzvia Goldberg's funny novel, French-Fried Americans hope that an escape to Europe will be the antidote to their current misfortunes. They are all suffering from the timeless syndrome, "What should I do with my life?" The four travelers include: Max, a dropout from Harvard Medical School whose new comedy career has essentially died on the operating table; Kirsten, a former L.A. supermodel whose failed modeling career is yesterday's tabloid news; Duncan, a timid financial controller of a Silicon Valley company whose overbearing wife pinches pennies instead of him; Robin, a lifelong misfit who has never left her small town in Nebraska until she inherits millions and decides to go traveling.It's not accidental how the four American travelers are seated together in a second-class couchette on the 21:15 overnight train from Paris to Nice. During the course of their overnight ride, the four form a strong bond and continue their travels together to the Italian Riviera.