Customer Reviews

Living and Working in France: A Survival Handbook (Living & Working in France)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read two other books in this catagory, "Living, Studying, and working in France", and "Live and Work in France" and this is the best of the three. The "Live and Work..." book is the worst. It is mainly aimed at UK residents moving to France. The "Living, Studying..." book is pretty good too, but doesn't have the concentration of good info as this book. Lots of contacts info for jobs, paperwork, etc. Very thorough. The one thing I wish it had was more about the internet access and contacts for that.

I am going to live in France in September and I recently read this book. It is invaluable and I can see I am going to be referring to it constantly come September. It's just what I needed! Everything I wanted to know and even things I didn't know I wanted to know but was glad I discovered!

David Hampshire gave much helpful guidance regarding the rules, regulations and bureaucracy in France (although "Frommer's" and "Lonely Planet" books do as well). However, his clear dislike for most things French (especially the people) made the book read more like a prejudiced, bigoted, diatribe. A bit of fun-poking would have certainly been acceptable and lightened a bare facts book, but Mr. Hampshire went on for, literally, pages and at every opportunity to criticize and ridicule. One wonders, if he were corect in his assessments, how a country so filled with stupid, unwashed, crude and lazy people could possibly be responsible for the creation and ongoing care of some of the world's greatest works of artistic expression. Shame on you Mr. Hampshire. Perhaps in your next revision, you'll omit the vitriolic rhetoric. It will be a much better book.

The title makes it sound like a great book, but unfortunately I will never find out. The vendor that I requested this book from never sent it.