A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi
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Product Description
Product Description
Vocabulary alone isn't enough. To survive in the most sophisticated - and the most scathing - nation on Earth you will need to understand the many peculiarities of the (very peculiar) French culture. And for that you need A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi.
If you want to fit in with the French you'll have to know how to deal with sardonic waiters; why French children hate Charlemagne; the etiquette of kissing, joke-telling and drinking songs, what to do with a bidet, the correct recipe for a salade nicoise and, of course, how to convey absolute, shattering indifference with a single syllable (Bof!).
Charles Timoney, the author of Pardon My French, provides a practical, pleasurable guide to the charms of the Gallic people - from their daily routines to their peerless gesticulations, from their come-ons to their put-downs. Read on and put the oh la la back into your French vacances. Your inner gaul will thank you for it.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I recommend this book to anyone who loves to visit France - or indeed who lives there - and wants to get to grips with French day-to-day living. It covers just about every aspect of things French - from whom to kiss and how (and the right word to use!) via how to decipher a menu and various uses for a bidet! The author is English but has lived in France for more than twenty years and has a French wife, so he has learnt all this from experience and is a very, very funny writer. I bought his first book called PARDON MY FRENCH - about the French words you don't learn at school - and this is a companion volume - but even funnier and more useful. There have been a lot of books around on France and the French but for my money this is the best. It's a really appealing shape as well; definitely five stars.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've just finished reading this as well as The Secret Life of France and Talk to the Snail. I would say these are all good books as they all amusing, insightful and thankfully free of dumbing down or stereotyping of the French. If you're trying to choose between them then here is a comparison:
1) A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: The Ideal Guide to Sounding, Acting and Shrugging Like the French: Arch and hilarious overview that covers a wide variety of subjects. Covers a bit more ground than 'Talk to the snail' and with a bit more experience.
2) The Secret Life of France: This delves a lot deeper than the other two and is also hilarious in parts. Combines biography with revealing insights into the French character. The only book which also covers the serious / negative side of life in France - racial tension etc. Also good if you plan to educate your children in France as it has some information about the education system, how kids behave etc.
3) Talk to the Snail: Very funny book written by a younger author than the other two, slightly less incisive and definitely written from a male perspective - so not many insights on the dating game for women in here. Still great fun - probably the best book for you if you are a young single guy going to France. Subject matter quite similar to 'A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi' so maybe not worth buying both.
In a nutshell I would say buy either 'A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi' or 'Talk to the Snail' as these cover quite similar subject matter and 'tricks' for getting by in France. If you are looking for deeper insights, then also get 'The Secret Life of France'.
1) A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: The Ideal Guide to Sounding, Acting and Shrugging Like the French: Arch and hilarious overview that covers a wide variety of subjects. Covers a bit more ground than 'Talk to the snail' and with a bit more experience.
2) The Secret Life of France: This delves a lot deeper than the other two and is also hilarious in parts. Combines biography with revealing insights into the French character. The only book which also covers the serious / negative side of life in France - racial tension etc. Also good if you plan to educate your children in France as it has some information about the education system, how kids behave etc.
3) Talk to the Snail: Very funny book written by a younger author than the other two, slightly less incisive and definitely written from a male perspective - so not many insights on the dating game for women in here. Still great fun - probably the best book for you if you are a young single guy going to France. Subject matter quite similar to 'A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi' so maybe not worth buying both.
In a nutshell I would say buy either 'A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi' or 'Talk to the Snail' as these cover quite similar subject matter and 'tricks' for getting by in France. If you are looking for deeper insights, then also get 'The Secret Life of France'.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have just read the Lucy Wadham book which is quite a serious introduction by an Englishwoman to French life, but somehow I felt I learned much more from this little, funny, light-hearted book which for me just gets right to the heart of the weird differences about living in France. That they hang their duvets out the window in the morning. That they only recycle the tops of plastic water bottles. And finally, why they say "Chapeau!" if you've done something good.
I've been to French classes for many years but lots of little phrases in this book I've learned for the very first time. It's just great, short, sweet, to the point, and totally full of the authentic stuff. He is so entertaining, I will now definitely order the other book by him.
I've been to French classes for many years but lots of little phrases in this book I've learned for the very first time. It's just great, short, sweet, to the point, and totally full of the authentic stuff. He is so entertaining, I will now definitely order the other book by him.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
C'est Magnifique... Seriously! a very enjoyable book
This is a lovely book, it's a real Gem, and I genuinely had difficulty putting it down... even when I did manage to, I would return within minutes so that I could read 'just one... Read more
Published 3 months ago by FLF
not bad, but more of the same
a bit disappointed as it was rather the same as 'pardon my french' didnt realise it was the same author. Read more
Published 13 months ago by lizzy
A Hugely entertaining read
During another typical Normandy winter huddling by the wood burner this book made me laugh out loud. Very well written, very observant and very true!!!
Published on 10 Feb 2010 by Nac Karoly
fast delivery, good quality , thank you!!
fast delivery, good quality ,and i love the book, it's very useful and hillarious. thank you!!
Published on 7 Feb 2010 by Shuntao Li
Very enlightening
Having lived in France for over 8 years, there are still things about the French I don't really know about. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2009 by Mme Spencer Sara
Je n'appris rien
Reading this book, I wonder if Charles Timoney has fallen out of love with France and the French. Too much of the text describes the English form of some aspect of life or speech... Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2009 by R. Middleton
Astuces utiles
A very useful collection of tips and wrinkles about getting by in French and in France, written in a lighthearted style. Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2009 by Mr. J. E. North
Charles Timoney does it again!
An ideal companion to Mr Timoney's first opus. Whereas before in his first book he took us on a guided tour around the French language, in this one it's more about French... Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2009 by Andrew Kay
Hilarious!
I'm sure you have enjoyed "Pardon my French" by the same author, which is great, but this is even better! Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Mr. Henry C. H. Lestrange
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