Xenophobe's Guide to the French [Paperback]

Nick Yapp (Author), Michael Syrett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Xenophobe's Guide | Publication Date: September 1, 2009

"France is a country that eats, drinks and breathes philosophy. There is not a farmer, fisherman, waiter, car-worker, shop assistant or housewife who isn't a closet Diderot or Descartes, a Saint-Simon or a Sartre."

"French politicians look smart because power itself is chic, attractive, seductive, and one should dress to look the part. The French electorate would never allow any government to intervene in their lives if it were shabbily dressed."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Short, aphoristic, seriously funny, not that xenophobic and almost entirely apt guide, perfect homework for the fortunate on ferry or plane."
--The Observer

"La France comes to life in this tongue-in-cheek pocket guide, a textual romp that disguises a lot of information about France with an irreverent brush."
--Southern Cross

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

The French care about what really matters in life - being French. They care more about doing everything with enormous style than what they do. They are convinced of their corporate and individual superiority over all others in the world. Their charm is that they don't despise the rest of us: they pity us for not being French.
Xenophobia is an irrational fear of foreigners, probably justified, always understandable.
Xenophobe's Guides - an irreverent look at the beliefs and foibles of nations, almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Oval Books; 2nd Revised edition edition (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1906042322
• ISBN-13: 978-1906042325
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Travel > Europe > France > General
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Customs & Traditions
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing, thin, mostly right, but fails with many stereotypes, December 11, 2008

By 

Bachelier ""1004"" (Ile de France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Xenophobe's Guide to the French (Xenophobe's Guides - Oval Books) (Paperback)

Amusing, if thin, book on France and the French. It is about 60% accurate, but is limited by its editorial raison d'etre of placing everyone in a Frog box. Many French are very much like those described in this book, but let's face it, all French aren't. France is a complex society with a complex history on an amazing piece of soil and with a multi-tribal origins. Basques like me are not like the long-boned Normans or the Celtic Bretagnes, and we all have funny accents to each other. Told from a British perspective, so unless you are tuned into Briticisms some of this will be lost on an American audience. But again, much of the content doesn't get past the intellectual level of "The Simpsons" in depth, but still every other page has something that makes you chuckle.

Note: this is not a guide book...it is a long editorial about points of French behaviour and culture.

16 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Very TRUE, May 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Xenophobe's Guide to the French (Paperback)

The French are an unpleasant lot, eaters of slugs and gooey bits of horse, tormentors of small animals, chewers of garlic, and the bane of personal hygene salesmen.

This book shows them at their worst, and although intended as humour, demonstrates that many a true word is said in jest.