Customer Reviews

Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Dead-on introduction to French culture with wry humor. American readers may be uncomfortable with some of the correct reporting of how French intellectuals see us. But the author is right. On the other hand, the phrase book sections are comic relief of the finest sort. And he saves the real truth, and the best, for the last. Highly recommended before any adventure in France as a way to stave off stress.

I have loved Stephen Clarke's novels but this humorous take on the French, all things French, and especially all things NOT British is a classic.

I spend a lot of time in Paris, and his observations are absolutely spot on. While he primarily writes about how the French see English speakers (i.e. the British, not necessarily Americans) his observations apply to both.

If you have never visited France, some of what he writes might seem rude. It is about as accurate in observation as I have read anywhere, however. Hurrah to Stephen Clarke! More! More!

This book is very funny. I laughed out loud. I think one interesting thing about it is, we can learn as much about other cultures (Anglo) as about the French. By highlighting what we find "odd" about the French, the author highlights what we value in Anglo culture. This book is very funny, and you can learn a lot about the French (they smoke a lot and tolerate passive smoking, they are individualists, they don't follow traffic lights or laws, they drink too much wine, but it is good wine, they brag about sex, they love their language, they love centralization (despite the fact that, individually, they reject the idea that the laws apply to them). They consider Anglo culture a "threat", even if that is a bit preposterous. They eat well. They take Friday afternoons off. I learned a lot in a very short time. This book is very, very funny.

This book is reasonably well-written, but I don't know where he comes up with much of this stuff. For the record, I live in France and have French in-laws and I have been here on and off for ten years, so I think I'm in a position to make some constructive criticisms. Here are just a few:

1. "Don't cut your salad on your plate" - My French wife tells me this is an OLD rule based on the fact that the REAL silverware would have a bad reaction. The rule doesn't exist anymore and hasn't for a very long time. However, what he says about a salad not being a salad without dressing, is true. The salad dressing, or"sauce", is considered an art in itself.

2. "Eating only with a fork is a new fashion in Paris" - Ludicrous. My brother in-law edits a hip, gourmet magazine in Paris and he's never heard of it.

3. "Lycee is laissez-faire and unstructured" - Hardly! I teach high school here and the students work their butts off: as much or more so even than most university students in the States. Believe me, high school here is ANYTHING BUT unstructured.

That said, it is true they are treated more like adults and are able to smoke and drink wine and beer occasionally. But the drinking I witnessed as a high schooler in the US makes them look like "the good kids". This chapter seems more like an opportunity for the author to use the laissez-faire cliché, than anything else. The list goes on, but I'll stop there.

So, If you want a laugh and a few good insights, then I recommend it. But if you are looking for factuality, then take a pass.


A much better book on the subject: 'The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography', by Graham Robb.

This is an excellent and funny guide to France and the French. Clarke has constructed his book around a series of commandments that the French supposedly obey: thou shalt eat, thou shalt be right, and thou shalt be ill, among others. "Thou shalt eat" obviously discusses French attitudes to food and drink, and the behavior around those attitudes. "Thou shalt be right" discusses French haughtiness, among other topics. "Thou shalt be ill" looks at how the French enjoy being sick, and enjoy getting suppositories when they are.

The book is fun to read, and I'd recommend it for its humor alone. However, it would also serve the more serious purposes of improving your cultural literacy if you are going to travel, work, or live in France. Clarke would give you a good understanding of why things work they way they do, and he often offers advice on how to get by in the face of frustrations. Many things that frustrate outsiders make sense if you wrap your head around them and understand them in their full cultural context.

Clarke even provides a "useful sentences" guide in each chapter. Some provide generally-useful vocabulary (how to ask a doctor, "Will it be refunded?") while others are just jokes ("What do I do with this suppository?"). These guides, along with the text in the accompanying chapter, would help you in the very serious business of asking pointed questions of a potential landlord or real estate agent, for example.

The book posts relentless fun at the country and its people. It would be tiresome if Clarke hated the French, but it's clear that he loves the country and this fondness makes the whole package work. Though Clarke is British, he has decided to make his home in France. Fortunately, he although enjoys poking fun at the foibles of his adopted country.

TALK TO THE SNAIL: TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR UNDERSTANDING THE FRENCH provides an entertaining, even funny examination of the French psyche to help Americans understand French culture, and comes from one who has lived in France for 12 years. His exploration reveals ten 'commandments' for understanding, drawing from both his own experiences and from history and proving particularly pointed when contrasting British and French systems. Any collection where readers hold an affection for the French must have this set of pointed cultural insights.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I love every one of Stephen Clarke's books. I have never laughed so hard reading. Looking forward to getting his newest. I wish these books would also go to the big screen. Hugh Grant?

In Talk to the Snail, Clarke basically took his ideas from A Year in the Merde and put them in expository form. Parts of the book are clever, and one chapter was truly hilarious (Thou Shalt Not Sing), but the rest just dawdled along, not really saying anything Clarke hadn't already amply demonstrated via Paul West's experiences. I found the explanation of the French national health system enlightening, but essentially the information was either too superficial to be edifying or too straightforward to be entertaining. Some of his claims were a little off the mark. In the epilogue, the examples he gave exposing France's "unavowed adoration of the Anglo Saxon," (the French love of burgers, Star Wars, Nike etc.), were all American products. I hate to disillusion Clarke, but the USA is no longer part of the British empire. I would not recommend this book to those who have read and enjoyed Clarke's first (and best) book, but if you do decide to go ahead and Talk to the Snail, make sure you read the appendix, which is perhaps the funniest part of this book. ("Alcohol, see Driving" Hah!)

My husband and I lived in France for over three years, but didn't discover this book until we moved back to the States. Everything in the book is right on the mark - the French are SOOO different from anyone else. This isn't to say they're bad - they really are quite charming. But the main lesson I learned in France is this - If it isn't the French way, ce n'est pas normal!!! This fantastic book should be read by anyone going to France, has gone to France, or who has curiosity about the French culture.

I've read a few chapters and so far the book is amusing and engaging. I'm giving the book 4 stars just to avoid dragging down its average rating. I can't imagine how anyone could regard this as a serious put-down of the French; it is basically a loving tongue-in-cheek evaluation of French foibles in a self-deprecating style that's at least as critical, by implication, of the author's British compatriots and their ways. The main impetus for my review, however, is to alert potential kindle users that the kindle edition is very poorly done. Portions are missing and/or out of sequence, and the transliteration is dreadful. Doesn't anybody proofread these things? (Note: amazon.com was very helpful in issuing a refund even though more than 7 days had elapsed. But do yourself a favor and do what I'm about to do - order hard copy and skip the kindle version.)