I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris BY Glynnis MacNicol

In I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself, Glynnis MacNicol offers a radiant and audacious memoir about reclaiming joy and self-worth in the face of societal expectations. Following a grueling sixteen months of isolation in her tiny Manhattan apartment during the pandemic, forty-six-year-old MacNicol, single and childless, feels the sting of loneliness and societal invisibility. When the chance to sublet a friend’s apartment in Paris arises, she seizes it as both an escape and a necessity.

Set against the backdrop of Paris in August 2021—a city still largely free of tourists—MacNicol's memoir chronicles her journey into a realm of radical enjoyment. Her days are filled with indulgent pleasures: dancing on the Seine, savoring gooey cheese, midnight bike rides through deserted streets, and exploring the Louvre without crowds. She experiences romance, adventure, and an exhilarating sense of freedom, including nocturnal swims in the ocean and embracing nudity.

MacNicol’s exploration is not just a personal odyssey but a defiant stand against the conventional narrative of aging women. She revels in the city’s decadence and embraces a life of pleasure without apology. I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself is a celebration of self-determination and hedonism, echoing the spirit of Nora Ephron and Deborah Levy with a modern twist. It asserts that enjoying oneself is both a political act and a profound declaration of self-worth—something the world often suggests is not possible for women of a certain age, but which MacNicol proves is not only possible but deeply fulfilling.