I loved this book, but then I'm an avid Francophile. Of course, that's the target audience. Written by Piu Marie Eatwell, a Brit whose weekend trip to France ten years ago ended up being a permanent stay, the author's own love of everything French shines in this enjoyable read.
Eatwell examines 45 "myths" about the French in the course of 45 essays, each examining one particular perception about French life and culture. There are sections of essays related to French (1) cuisine, (2) women, (3) sex, marriage, and children, (4) plumbing, (5) manners, (6) history and society, (7) culture, (8) the city of Paris, (9) going on holiday, and (10) relations with England. Chapters are short, readable, and witty (up to eight pages each) and are full of interesting sidebars, photographs, and footnotes. You will definitely learn much about French life, history, and culture that you didn't know before… such as an enlightening historical discussion of the bidet.
Who should buy this book? Confirmed Francophiles. Future visitors to France. Folks who've been to France a dozen times or more. And if you're keeping score… the myths are pretty evenly divided between True and False. The book goes on sale today; here's a link to the Kindle edition on Amazon.
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