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The Secret Life Of France (2009)

by Lucy Wadham(Favorite Author)

3.43 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0571236111 (ISBN13: 9780571236114)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Faber and Faber

review 1: Having struggled with doing business in France and had occasionally bonkers experiences with the French, I spotted this in an airport bookshop and picked it up with relish. I had been confused about the French, who I adore, for some time. Of course I love the language, which I speak well enough and you have to adore the country itself - but if like me you have ever worked with them, been infuriated by some arcane rule that was stopping you doing something in France, or wondered how an entire World Cup football team can have a hissy fit, go on strike and collapse - then this is a must-read.This is not pretending to be great literature, but if you're a tortured Francophile, it is an hilarious and riveting read. If you want to work with, employ, or have a relationship with ... moreanyone French, it is an essential core textbook.I thought I was the only one who was driven to distraction by our Gallic neighbors and wondered how on earth their country's society actually works and survives, then I read this book and felt overjoyed that I am not alone.
review 2: I very much enjoyed this book. Lucy is a wonderful writer and I found myself laughing at loud at a number of points. I thought her contrast of urban and rural French life was excellent but I wish there was more of it. It can be said that a lot of the book is quite generalised but I thought she described her own experience quite well. Parts were also quite moving and I feel I learned a lot about France, especially it's wartime history.Well worth a read for anyone who likes France and enjoys French culture. less

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