French Impressions : The Adventures of an American Family [Mass Market Paperback]

John S. Littell (Author), Mary W. Littell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

One steamy morning in the summer of 1950, Mary and Frank Littell-with their two young sons in tow-left America for a small working-class town in the South of France, where they spent one hilarious, unforgettable year. Filled with fascinating details of expatriate life, French Impressions is a riveting account of their (mis)adventures abroad.

"Charmingly related...amusing." (Publishers Weekly)

"A fun romp though a vanished way of life--both American and French--with a fabulous and witty storyteller. (Amazon.com)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A year in France in 1950 for the Littell family was not exactly A Year in Provence with Peter Mayle. No lovely scenery, no edible delights, not even good wine. But the Littell's French adventures are certainly entertaining. Put an inept American housewife in a country entirely devoted to cuisine, and in the working-class city of Montpellier, "which made Cleveland look like Paris," and you have the makings of a madcap comedy with a heroine who might well have been Lucille Ball with two small children. Based on the writings of journalist Mary W. Littell and written in her voice by her son John, who was 4 years old when the Littell's went to France, the book follows the family of four from one quirky adventure to another. Mary, who is a failure at learning French, survives in her strange new home by speaking like Tonto--using simple words in the present tense, or in English and loudly when all else fails, and by buying up all the canned food in the city. She's a one-woman sideshow when she shops and accidentally starts The Great Mayonnaise War when the league of French housewives tries to teach her the best way to make mayonnaise (half insist on using a fork, the others declare spoon is best). Little John becomes Mary's interpreter (of French and French ways) while 15-month-old Stephen rarely stops crying. Mary's husband Frank reads his small children Great Expectations and is the world's most outrageous teller of historical tales. He also makes a scientific search of 52 bars. Being 1950, there's much cocktail drinking and the parenting is a bit archaic. Mary never does learn to cook, but, fortunately, she does learn that love and affection work better when parenting than yelling. French Impressions is a fun romp through a vanished way of life--both American and French--with a fabulous and witty storyteller. --Lesley Reed --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

"No normal people, unless facing imminent arrest, would even contemplate such madness," Littell says of the year his family spent in France in the early 1950s. Frank Littell, John's father, enrolled at the University of Montpellier on the G.I. Bill, taking his wife, Mary, and his young sons along. The tales of the family's experiences in the south of France are told from the perspective of Mary, whose diaries and other writings form the basis for this memoir. With Frank busy at school, Mary is left to fend for herself and to try to make herself at home in the strange city. A self-described dunce at learning languages, she struggles to communicate with the locals, while her children, four-year-old John and 15-month-old Stephen, effortlessly switch between English and French. Mary recounts with self-deprecating humor the disastrous Thanksgiving dinner when, unable to procure a turkey, she unknowingly cooks a swan; her encounters with the "O-la-la ladies" (so-called for their invariable reaction to Mary's decadent American buying habits) during her daily shopping trips; and her horror when she discovers she has been ordering alcoholic cider for Stephen at their local watering hole. Inevitably, despite such obstacles, intrepid Mary and her family win the hearts of their neighbors and settle into the pace of life in Montpellier. Charmingly related with Mary's dry wit, the anecdotes that make up this memoir are amusing if dated. B&w photos.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451205340
• ISBN-13: 978-0451205346
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Family Adventure in France, February 3, 2001

By 

Tom Williams "Marketing Maven" (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French Impressions: The Adventures of an American Family (Hardcover)

John Littell's wonderful book based on his mother's notes and writing is a delightful exploration of France from the expat's perspective during the 1950's. Every chapter is filled with touching and comical examination of the challenges one faces while living in a foreign land with no mastery of the language or customs.

I lived in The Netherlands as a child in the 60's, so much of the culture shock Littell shared in this book is similar to that I experienced growing up. I guess in a way, although certainly the stories are much different, the richness of the experience is something that I hand in common with the author that made this book wonderfully rich to me. However, his ability to tell the stories with such wit and quality writing will make it a treasure to anyone who picks it up.

One chapter, The Great Mayonnaise War was so funny I had to stop reading it on an airplane so that my laughing did not disturb others. If you are looking for something that will put a smile on your face, and love in your heart for France, click on "order now."

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Glimpses of an unusal experience in postwar France, January 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: French Impressions: The Adventures of an American Family (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book, and laughed out loud several times.

I think that the description in the literary review posted on the main page presentation of the book is very accurate. I have to admit, though, that I'm prejudiced in favor of the book, for two reasons:

1. our family spent a year in postwar Holland in 1953/54, when I was 3-4 years old, so I can really appreciate what the experience was like, especially at that time, so soon after the war; and

2. I knew the Littell family; Frank (the father) was my high school French teacher (very nice, very funny) and Stephen (youngest son) was a classmate. In fact, one of the highest compliments I can say of the book is that it made me wish I had known Mrs. Littell more, rather than just as a classmate's mother.

I don't think the picture that Mrs. Littell paints of herself (her inability to cook, her inability with the language, etc. -- and I do think John is speaking in her voice on this) is as fair to her as it might have been from a friend or observer of the time, but so it goes. And while she presents herself in a comical light, as the clown of the adventure, she never really complains: only in the end, in considering the feelings of another, does one get a glimpse into the fact that it must often have been a somewhat lonely experience for her in the circumstances, even though she makes light of so much. I was struck several times with the insights she made; and she clearly must have been an observant and intelligent person, and a very good writer, to have produced the materials that John used to create the book, 20 odd years after her death.

Some of the episodes are classics: trying to fix a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner for friends, with the swan the butcher delivered; a very funny literary tea party with wealthy, ex patriot Americans; throwing an American style birthday party for John. Some parts are very touching, including a look into the life of the local farm woman (and her family0 who served as housekeeper.

It's not a Year in Provence, and the book may suffer in some readers' eyes by that comparison. But it was a different time and place, and I enjoyed it tremendously.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A College Student's Perspective, October 25, 2001

By 

Betsy (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: French Impressions: The Adventures of an American Family (Hardcover)

This book was given as a present and with most presents you don't find out how good they are until you unwrap them. I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. For two reasons, the first one being, I'm a college student and there is no FUN in reading. The second one being a bit more personal. This book is about my grandparents who I never had the privilege of meeting. But unlike others I was able to learn what they were like through the voice of my grandmother in this book.
A book truly is a present you can open again and again. Not only was I able to learn more about them but I found myself laughing out loud many of times. This really is a wonderfully well written book about a very great family (not that i'm biased) and you will find yourself not being able to put this book down or even controling how loud or hard you laugh. It is a must read for everyone of all ages.