Character on Spotlight: Étienne St. Clair

My first "spotlight" post should be special, memorable, and close to my heart. That was what I was saying to myself when I planned what to write. And in the past four months since reading Anna and the French Kiss, there's been no character as special as Étienne St. Clair is to me. I've had some great reads and I've known some good fictional men and women, but Stephanie Perkins' golden boy is the most memorable for me. And so it is only right that he is the first one on my spotlight.

If you haven't read Anna and the French Kiss yet, then I urge you to stop reading this right now. I can't help but mention some spoilers. Just go buy and read the book first -- you won't regret doing so. This is one of the few books that I don't mind reading again and again and again. :)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="273"] Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins[/caption]


Étienne St. Clair, or just St. Clair to his friends, is Anna's love interest in the first book of Stephanie Perkins' trilogy. They met in an American high school in Paris. At the time, Étienne had a girlfriend but he fell in love with Anna. And Anna -- that lucky girl -- would have been an idiot if she didn't fall back. She is the only one who calls him Étienne. To make the long story short, they ended up together and made several appearances in the second book, Lola and the Boy Next Door. There, Anna and Étienne were in San Francisco for college. They're still happily together, very much inseparable (beautiful Étienne was eventually hired by Anna's boss because he's at Anna's workplace all the time) and in love, and also giving out love advice to Lola and Cricket (who is another swoon-worthy guy).

A little more about Étienne. He is of American and French descent (Mom's American, Dad's French), was born in America and raised in London, has an English accent and speaks fluent French. That in itself makes him amazing (and confusing at first), but it doesn't stop there. He's handsome -- no, beautiful --, has good, soft brown hair (Anna always says that his hair is like an artist's hair), and is charming and can easily make girls swoon and laugh. And he loves his mother very much.

But Étienne's not all that perfect. For one, he's not tall. Anna is a little bit taller than him. But he doesn't act short -- he's confident in his own skin. And he was afraid of being alone, which was the reason why he couldn't leave his ex-girlfriend even though he knew he was falling for Anna. And then there's his fear of heights... which he conquered when he climbed the steps of Notre Dame just to be with Anna at the top.

What's great about Étienne's relationship with Anna is that it started with friendship. From the first moment they met it was obvious that they like each other, but they didn't jump right in. One, Étienne had a girlfriend. Two, Anna sort of had someone back home. So they became just friends for a while. Of course, they had arguments and confused feelings and torturous near-kiss moments, but over all, Étienne was a good friend to Anna and she to him. And you know what they say about romantic relationships that started with friendship (they're the best!).

Étienne made me fall in love with Paris even though I haven't been there. He made me want to learn French and eat croissants and say oui. I love my boyfriend, I really do, but if it's possible to fall in love with a fictional character, then maybe this is how it feels like.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="420"] True story... [Source: Books Direct][/caption]Lucky for us, Étienne lovers, Isla and the Happily Ever After (the third book; you can read the first 50 pages here) is set to be released in August. And even though Isla and Josh are taking the stage this time, I know that Étienne and Anna will make an appearance in this book.

And now, I leave you with a quote from Étienne St. Clair. Have a happy weekend, guys! And oh, do let me know in the Comments if you're also crazy about Étienne or Anna or both. :)

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="297"] I love you, too, Etienne! [Source: Pinterest][/caption]