In case you weren't convinced ...

... by my glowing endorsement in the previous post, here's the official recommendation of My French Whore that I wrote for the "staff favorites" section of the library website:

My French Whore by Gene Wilder

Yes, that Gene Wilder. This entertaining and very well-written first novel by the original Willy Wonka follows Paul Peachy, a naïve former railway employee and community-theater actor, to the front lines of World War I. Peachy quickly discovers that he’s no soldier, but when he’s captured by the enemy, he makes a bold decision to save himself by claiming to be the famous German spy Harry Stroller. Aided by his fluency in German and some useful information obtained before he was captured, Peachy/Harry is embraced by the German army, treated like royalty, and even given the titular French prostitute, Annie Breton. Tales of his adventures (and misadventures) behind enemy lines are balanced by the story of his and Annie’s unlikely romance. At just 178 pages, this novella is a quick, funny read, but Wilder’s simple prose style and all-too-human characters ensure that it’s not a forgettable one.

(So go read it, okay?)