Quantity:

More Buying Choices

32 used & new from �1.18

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

See larger image

Share your own customer images

Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Talk to the Snail (Paperback)

by Stephen Clarke (Author)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

RRP:	�7.99
Price:	�4.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save:	�3.00 (38%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, November 17? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

20 new from �2.94 12 used from �1.18

Other Editions:	RRP:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Hardcover			14 used & new from �0.92
Paperback			18 used & new from �3.62

Frequently Bought Together

Price For All Three: �16.03

Show availability and delivery details

This item: Talk to the Snail by Stephen Clarke
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Merde Happens by Stephen Clarke
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
Dial M for Merde by Stephen Clarke
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Merde Happens

by Stephen Clarke

3.8 out of 5 stars (30) �5.47

Dial M for Merde

by Stephen Clarke

3.7 out of 5 stars (7) �5.57

Merde Actually

by Stephen Clarke

3.7 out of 5 stars (39) �4.21

A Year in the Merde

by Stephen Clarke

3.8 out of 5 stars (95) �4.63

Pardon My French: Unleash Your Inner Gaul

by Charles Timoney

4.3 out of 5 stars (23) �5.74

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Black Swan; New edition edition (2 Jul 2007)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0552773689
ISBN-13: 978-0552773683
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 2.2 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 13,362 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Have you been taken to what you've been assured is the perfect house deep in the French countryside, only to find there's no electricity or running water? Gone to the doctor with a nasty cough, and been diagnosed with a rather more personal complaint? Walked into an half-empty restaurant, only to be told that it's complet? If the answer to any of the above is oui, "Talk to the Snail" is the book for you. Find out how to get served in a restaurant; the best way to deal with French hypochondria; learn the language of love, sex and suppositories (not necessarily in that order); it's all here in this funny, informative, seriously useful guide on how to get what you really want from the French. With advice on essential phrases and bons mots to cover all eventualities, and illustrated with witty real-life anecdotes, "Talk to the Snail" is a book that no self-respecting Francophile - or Francophobe - can afford to be without. Don't go to France without reading this book. And don't even think of buying a house there.

From the Back Cover

BY THE BEST SELLING AUTHOR OF A YEAR IN THE MERDE AND MERDE ACTUALLY…

The only book you'll need to understand what the French really think, how to get on with them and, and most importantly, how to get the best out of them.

With useful sections on:
·Making sure you get served in a café
·Harassing French estate agents
·Living with bacteria
·Pronouncing French swear-words
·Surviving the French driving experience
·Falling in amour, Paris-style

And beaucoup beaucoup more!

DON’T GO TO FRANCE WITHOUT READING THIS BOOK!

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

brits abroad(2)

french life(2)

humour(2)

settlement non-fiction(2)

travel writing(2)

france(1)

See all 9 tags...

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	68% buy the item featured on this page: Talk to the Snail 4.6 out of 5 stars (14) �4.99
	10% buy Merde Happens 3.8 out of 5 stars (30) �5.47
	8% buy Merde Actually 3.7 out of 5 stars (39) �4.21
	7% buy A Year in the Merde 3.8 out of 5 stars (95) �4.63

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

14 Reviews

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Right on the nose, 27 Mar 2007

By	Heather Stimmler Hall "Paris Expert" (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Talk to the Snail (Hardcover)

I've been in France since 1995, and have read almost every Anglophone book about the country. About 95% of them are full of clich�s and not even funny. But Stephen's book is not only hilarious (I no longer care if Parisians stare at me when I'm laughing on the metro), it's also the most original critique I've read in a long time. I think it's also a fair book, because he makes as much fun of us English/Americans as he does the French. A great read!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the love/hate relationship, 12 Oct 2006

By	A Common Reader "Committed to reading" (Sussex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Talk to the Snail (Hardcover)

Anyone familiar with A Year in the Merde or the author's follow-up book Merde Actually will have a rough idea of the style and content of Talk to The Snail. This time, rather than following the fortunes of Paul West, Stephen Clarke writes in his own name offering a wide range of advice on understanding the French.

Stephen Clarke takes the reader through eleven "commandments" such as Thou Shalt Not Work (the French addiction to the 4.5 day week and the public holiday) Thou Shalt Not be Served (why French waiters can be so difficult), and Thou Shalt be Ill (where Clarke writes about French hypochondria and gets in the inevitable references to suppositories). These commandments are all dealt with wittily of course, and anyone familiar with the country will recognise the traits and characteristice he describes.

Many people found the fictional Paul West so credible that they believed he really was a latter day Bryson, a real person writing about his real life, but in this volume, Stephen Clarke confirms that the earlier two books were novels rather than biography. However, the "voice" is the same, as is the enjoyment of the writing.

My only quibble is that I wonder if some of the French behaviours are Parisian rather than applying generally to the whole nation? I know from personal experience that the people of many areas of rural France are often polite, neighbourly and eager to help. However, let's not spoil a good diatribe with un-necessary altruism. The book is good natured throughout and I doubt the most patriotic French person would find much to complain about. This is another very humorous book from Clarke it is good to see the author step from behind the curtain of "Paul West". It will draw the reader from page to page as a light, refreshing read, a nicely presented harback book which would make an excellent gift for anyone who enjoys visiting France.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Naughty but affectionate guide to French thinking!, 16 Nov 2007

By	The Librarian "musicismydrugofchoice" (UK) - See all my reviews

This is not another volume in the Paul West series, but a very funny guide to the way the French think, and what it's like to live there amongst it all! Anyone who's spent any time will recognise the descriptions of bureaucracy, restaurant waiters - and of course French drivers!! However, as with all the best of this type of book, there is some practical info along with the mockery.
Great gift for a Francophile, but beware reading in a public place, as people will be staring at you while you snigger!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 14 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Good Merde Guide
The English have always had a love-hate fascination-frustration with France, so near geographically yet so different culturally it often seems deliberate. Read more

Published 7 days ago by C. Young

4.0 out of 5 stars Good fun view of life in France
I've just finished reading this as well as A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: The Ideal Guide to Sounding, Acting and Shrugging Like the French and The Secret Life of France. Read more

Published 1 month ago by A reader

5.0 out of 5 stars France from the inside - a brilliant read
I first came across this book during a holiday in South-West France during June this year. The book formed part of a selection, kindly supplied by the english owners of a... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Mrs. Julia L. Bowen

4.0 out of 5 stars Stephen Clarke - Talk to the Snail
My daughter (aged 16) read a Year in the Merde and thoroughly enjoyed it and finds this book equally entertaining

Published 5 months ago by Mrs. S. G. Hart-jones

5.0 out of 5 stars Theoretical and practical training!
Having bought this book in Paris I constantly found myself reading a chapter and then encountering practical illustrations of the observations Stephen Clarke had made. Read more

Published 5 months ago by K. Burns

5.0 out of 5 stars Special info...
Evreything you always wanted to know about France but were afraid to ask... is in this wonderful book, "Talk to the Snail"!

Published on 17 Aug 2007 by Natacha Henry

5.0 out of 5 stars if you've ever been or are going to France... or even if you haven't
a really funny read and very insightful too. tells you everything the guidebooks leave out about that lovely and infuriating place known as france. can't go wrong with it.

Published on 23 Jul 2007 by Mark Markai

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading
This is essential reading for anyone interested in France and the French.
Fantastic insights into how the French think, and the origins of some of their foibles etc... Read more

Published on 17 Feb 2007 by Book Lover

3.0 out of 5 stars Take your snail with some salt
Stephen Clarke's amusing little book consists of eleven chapters on different aspects of France that he says you need to know about in order to understand the French. Read more

Published on 8 Feb 2007 by L O'connor

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining reading for any time of the day (or night).
This is the perfect travelling companion. Packed with historical as well as cultural information, useful translations and helpful hints on how to keep on the right side of the... Read more

Published on 12 Nov 2006 by Chaucer

› See all 14 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }