France (Culture Shock! France) [Paperback]

Sally Adamson Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003 | Series: Culture Shock! France

Culture Shock! adds two new "At Your Door" city lifestyle guides and one new country guide. The release of more Revised and Expanded Culture Shock! country editions continues with thirty-one now available. With over 1.5 million copies sold worldwide, the Culture Shock! brand name is recognized as the leading reference source for international customs and etiquette.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Newly redesigned and updated in 2005! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Taylor is a foreign correspondent with perches in Paris and in Hong Kong. She is Far Eastern Correspondent for Publishers Weekly.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company; Rev&Expand edition (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155868767x
• ISBN-13: 978-1558687677
• ASIN: 155868767X
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,043,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Confusing in places, January 19, 2002

By 

F. G. Hamer "MadManxMan" (Isle of Man) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Culture Shock! France: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Paperback)

Full disclosure: Though British myself, I live on the outskirts of Paris. I speak French. My wife is French and I have close French friends. I think this gives me an almost unique perspective on the French and their way of life. I am close enough to be able to get an insider's look at them, yet different enough to be super-critical when I feel like it!

Now here's the other interesting thing about my situation: I work for an American Company and I have a lot of American friends. Like many Brits, I feel a certain closeness to USA, even if we find you exasperating at times (just like you probably find us)!

Let's be positive first and give you the good news about 'Culture Shock: France'. I agree with my fellow reviewer (Seattle 29 June 2000) that it cuts to the heart of some of the areas where Americans and the French often don't communicate well. Sally Adamson Taylor explains why some people find the French to be rude and why the French often find Americans to be rude (Don't look so shocked! Or maybe you've not tried to communicate with a New York cabbie recently!) - and remember that in any place some people will be rude no matter what you do.

However, as my fellow reviewer observes, this book offers sound behavioural tips to overcome any cultural differences... like if you're invited to a French person's home, "Don't go sticking your nose into your host's refrigerator" ... hey do you guys REALLY do that?
"Don't open the conversation by telling your host how much you earn."... do you REALLY do that too?
"Try using a knife and fork - it's not as difficult as it looks." ... so what do you normally use - chopsticks?
You see what I mean about cultural differences.

But this brings me to the negative side of the book... Sally Adamson Taylor has, quite simply got some things wrong. Whilst she offers a whole host of useful tips and observations, she describes some of them badly. The section, for example, about the handshake as picked up by my fellow reviewer. I can assure you that nearly all the handshakes offered me are firm with plenty of eye contact. Not the limp-wrist specimens that the author suggests. Maybe she mixes with the wrong crowd.

The one observation that the author has correctly picked up (from Luigi Barzini in his book "The Europeans") is that `Foreigners have to remind themselves that they are not dealing with a country that really exists... but with a country that most Frenchmen dream still exists. The gap between the two is a large one, but the French indefatigably try to ignore it or forget it.'

That tells you more about France than anything I or Sally Adamson Taylor can say!

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tips for the first time visit to France...., October 15, 2004

By 

Colleen M. Schneider (San Lorenzo, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: France (Culture Shock! France) (Paperback)

I received this book from my sister, who has visited France several times and who speaks the language fluently. She knows the ins and the outs and knew that though I was very excited about my trip I was also nervous. What if they really DO hate Americans? What if they really are as rude as people say? What if, what, if, what if.....I worried that maybe I was not making a good choice for our first trip to a European country that did not speak English as their primary language. I read the book like a crazy person. A lot of the ideas were simple, but things that eased my transition. Speak softly, say hello ALWAYS, when going into a shop, even if you are just looking around and always say thank you and good bye when leaving. Don't smile and make a lot of eye contact on the street with strangers. Understand that going to dinner is an event-don't rush it, and when you want the check ASK for it, or you will be there forever....they do not just slap the bill on your table as soon as, or (gasp), before you finish your meal. You could literally nurse one glass of wine for 2 hours, they don't care. Know that, and slow your pace and enjoy it. Don't be annoyed and think you are getting poor service. Understand that tips are included in most establishments, but that an extra % up to 5% is appreciated for good service. Know that the job of being a wait person there is different than here, they know food and wine and are happy to make recommendations-that is their job and they are very good at it and pride themselves on a job well done. They are efficient and helpful. They are not, however the staff at TGI Fridays-they don't come up to your table, with "flare" on and say "Hi, my name is Rudy and I'll be your waiter". If that is the kind of interaction you need, you should probably skip Paris altogether. Oh, and PLEASE, don't go into a nice restaurant and ask loudly if you can have ketchup for your steak-this is the kind of American that the French just can't stand.

I learned some French before going, and always tried to make an attempt to speak the language instead of assuming they were all English speakers and I was in some French version of Disneyland.

I found the French people nothing but kind and welcoming to us. If you respect their culture and make attempts to adapt to their way of life they were friendly and helpful. We visited many of the Arrondisements (divisions) and found this to be true whether we were in a tourist section, or farther off the beaten path.

I found this book to be extremely helpful to me. Do I think all of the information applied? No, there were some areas that didn't, but all in all I got many good pieces of information I would not have otherwise known, and it made my trip a more pleasurable experience.

I highly recommend this book, and would seek it out for other countries that I would visit so I could learn more about the culture before going.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars helped me better understand my French friends, July 29, 2000

By 

J. K. Kelley "literary mercenary" (Eastern WA, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Culture Shock! France: A Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Paperback)

Full disclosure: I myself haven't been to France. I speak French and have close French friends, though, and have invested a good deal of reading and discussion in comprehending French ways of thought and action.

This said, what I really liked about this book was that it cut to the heart of some of the areas where my own people (United States) and the French often don't communicate well. Taylor, who has lived a long time in France, explains quite credibly why it is some people find the French to be rude. How shocking to find out that they consider *us* rude. In any event, what makes this book attractive is that it offers sound behavioural tips and suggestions to break these boundaries and have a good time, always bearing in mind that in any place some people will be rude no matter what you do.

A simple example, without spoiling the book for you. In my homeland, the American West, a limp handshake with no eye contact (especially between males) often causes distrust or gives actual offense. In France, we are told (and I have verified), to fail to greet the shopkeeper, waiter or whomever ranks at the same level: a slap in the face. This is what I mean about the book: having read it, you would enter the little knickknack shop and politely say 'bonjour, madame' to the proprietrix, and give her the time of day, avoiding a pitfall you'd otherwise maybe not have known existed.

I think this book should be read with an open mind. Everything in it that I could test on French people tested accurately. I think it would be a significant help for anyone who plans travel to France or who regularly interacts with French people.