All You Need to Be Impossibly French: A Witty Investigation into the Lives, Lusts, and Little Secrets of French Women (Paperback)

by Helena Frith-Powell (Author) "The first time I visited Paris I stayed with a dancer come stripper who worked at the Lido Nightclub..." (more)
Key Phrases: George Sand, Coco Chanel, Hermine de Clermont-Tonnerre (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A fascinating—and illuminating—read. -- Daily Mail

British expatriate Powell, a regular contributor to the Sunday Times and other newspapers, explores the allure of French women, including their sense of style and their feelings about relationships, diet, exercise, work, and family. In witty prose, she interviews politicians, former models, beauty pageant queens, and others to get the scoop on how French women stay thin, attractive, sexy, and chic no matter their age. Shopping is a form of exercise, but going to a gym is unheard of, just as wearing tennis shoes or exercise clothes when not exercising is unthinkable. This book is similar to Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by American writer Debra Ollivier, except the comparisons are between British and French women. At the conclusion of the work, one is left wondering whether any woman would want to emulate the style of Frenchwomen, as sensible as many of their ideas are, because they come off like chain-smoking perfectionists who obsess over themselves to the detriment of having close female friendships. Recommended for large public libraries. -- Christine Holmes, Library Journal

Witty, and very elegantly written... verbal Viagra. -- Sunday Times

Review
Witty, and very elegantly written... verbal Viagra. (Sunday Times) A fascinating—and illuminating—read. (Daily Mail)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Plume (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452287782
• ISBN-13: 978-0452287785
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,298 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

144 of 150 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars La vie française n'est pas pour moi, December 17, 2006

By	Sparkle Reed "smartmouth" (MILWAUKEE, WI USA) - See all my reviews

As a fan of the language, I like to read anything about 'la vie française' that I can get my hands on. Especially about the women. I have always heard about how chic, well groomed, witty and incredibly slim they are. In "All You Need To Be Impossibly French", Helena Frith Powell gives insight into the "lives, lusts and little secrets" of french women. As an ex-pat from England, Frith Powell approaches the subject from an outsider's perspective, which I enjoyed. She spills the beans in a delightful way on everything to fashion (french women are never seen in sneakers), to diet (eat less but good quality) to exercise (they don't - they may do yoga or walk but that is about it). It all sounds charming for the most part - but Frith Powell also sheds light on the nastier side of french women - according to her, most french women are "out to sleep with your husband/boyfriend", they are extremely competitive with other women, do not enjoy close female friendships nor do they like to work. I am not sure if I can totally believe this blanket statement, but my sister, who has been living in Montreal for over a decade (I know it is not France, but it is very 'french') claims that Frith Powell is correct in her assessment. So, although I love the whole concept of the chic life of french women, if what the author purports to be true is an actuality, then I would rather have my trustworthy girlfriends, my faithful husband, my work and my extra 10 pounds. That being said, this was a great book and a quick read. I got through it in one day flat.

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly charming, fascinating view into another culture's female..., December 9, 2006

By	C. Farley "seafaire" (Bakersfield, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

perspective. Of course there is the typical and expected good advice to maintain daily good grooming habits, that daily attention is MUCH better than a major overhaul as well as incorporating movement into daily life rather than scheduling "exercise" as a separate part of life. What was most interesting was the tremendous social/cultural differences highlighted between British/American and French women. Rather than endless praise for their enviable chic, the author notes it comes at a high price of constant competiveness with all other women over every tiny part of life, never trusting in the faithfulness of a partner and never really relaxing and enjoying the company of a female friend. Also the quotes that start each chapter are perfect little "bon bons" or "bon mots". An excellent read to learn more about modern European life-- to keep you intellectually fascinating as well as making yourself more
visually stunning.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Amusing bit of froth, but that's all, June 12, 2007

By	MS "MSB" (Madison, WI, USA) - See all my reviews

This reads like a typical article in Cosmo (the Doxy's Digest) puffed up into book length. Frith Powell is witty, and occasionally sharp-eyed. She doesn't mince words about the Frenchwoman's self-absorption, competitiveness, and lack of interest in female friendships; these qualities come across as quite cold. But Frith Powell also blathers on obsessively about the Frenchwoman's thinness, disciplined cultivation of her appearance, "waxed legs," perfect haircuts, and all the other surface adornments whose fault is just that: they're surface. Frith Powell adds that Frenchwomen regard their intellects as further tools of seduction. Frith Powell's own intellect seems all over the place, as she adds a number of dubious (or sometimes just plain false)historical details about long-dead Frenchwomen to prove her theories. The writer Colette, for example, did not "dance drunk on tables" in her sixties. By that time she had severe arthritis and would have had quite a problem clambering up there. Nor did Colette "marry her son-in-law." She had an affair with her stepson, which is bad enough, but not quite the same. Frith Powell makes a number of other careless mistakes. If she was going to bring up these examples, she should have bothered to get them right.