Buy this book with An Englishman a La Campagne: Life in Deepest France by Michael Sadler today!

Buy Together Today: £8.58

An Englishman a La Campagne: Life in Deepest France by Michael Sadler  (3)  £3.59

An Englishman Amoureux: Love in Deepest France (Englishman) by Michael Sadler  (2)  £4.19

Almost French: A New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull  (16)  £5.99

Talk to the Snail by Stephen Clarke  (9)  £5.49

Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: What Makes the French So French?: What Makes the French So French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau  (16)  £6.99

› Explore similar items : Books (39) DVD (5)

Amazon.co.uk Review
Michael Sadler's An Englishman in Paris is the perfect guide for the man or woman from these shores who wants to be au fait with day-to-day life in Paris. Whatever the historical enmity between our two countries (from the Battle of Waterloo onwards), there's really a marked rapprochement between the French and the English (note that the best word for our accord is a French one!); many French citizens are devoted Anglophiles (whatever they think of our food), and it's a dull Englishman whose heart doesn't beat faster pacing the boulevards of the City of Light. Of course, it's not just the language that trips up the unwary Brit in France--the customs, the everyday transactions and so on are potential minefields.

Knowing that however keen you might be to excel in such matters it's easy to get it wrong abroad. South coast-born, (but temperamentally Parisian manqué), Sadler decided to spend a year in the city of Renoir and Debussy to steep himself in continental manners. Braving the terrifying French traffic, finding out what wine to buy at the Bon Marché, tackling a diner bourgeois, negotiating affairs of the heart, coming to terms with tripe, and a million other challenges peculiar to the French capital--all these became grist to Sadler's mill, and if he didn't crack all of them, we are the beneficiaries of his wise and witty advice on how not to make too much of an ass of yourself. Sadler points out that the best approach is a commixing of British cool and French gusto. As he risked his cholesterol levels with mouth-watering French cuisine and learnt how not to give offence (or how to give it, if necessary) and as he discovers how to belong in a city that is distrustful of incomers, the process is fascinating. And as An Englishman in Paris proves, Sadler certainly did his damndest to be a boulevadier. His book is a canny, knowing and enthusiastic look at our neighbours at the other end of the Chunnel, and even makes some cogent observations about the nature of foreignness--theirs and ours. If you're packing your bag for that Eurostar trip, you'd be well advised to put this in. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis
A wonderfully warm and witty love letter to one of the world's great cities. Peter Mayle, author of A YEAR IN PROVENCE, writes in his Preface to this charming travel memoir: 'Michael Sadler was born in Lewes, a small town in the south of England. This was a geographical accident. He should have emerged from the womb in Paris, looking anxiously about him for a suitable place to have lunch.' He may not have been born there, but Michael Sadler eventually found his spiritual home. AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS is his delightful account of his first year in the French capital, describing with alternate affection and bemusement such continental confusions as the etiquette of flower-buying, the role of cricket in French foreplay, and the dangers 'black butter' presents not just to one's cholesterol levels but also to dry-cleaning bills. Beautifully observed and very funny, AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS will delight armchair travellers and Francophiles alike.

First Sentence
The Englishman looked at the cheese and the cheese looked at the Englishman. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

Search inside this book:

Almost French: A New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnbull  (16)  £5.99

An Englishman Amoureux: Love in Deepest France (Englishman) by Michael Sadler  (2)  £4.19

Petite Anglaise by Catherine Sanderson  (31)  £7.49

Talk to the Snail by Stephen Clarke  (9)  £5.49

An Englishman a La Campagne: Life in Deepest France by Michael Sadler  (3)  £3.59

› Explore similar items : Books (42) DVD (2)

8 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review (8 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   6 of 7 people found the following review helpful: Bachelor living in the City of Light, 5 Jan 2006 By  Joseph Haschka (Glendale, CA USA) - See all my reviews       Expat Brit Peter Mayle has written several delightfully witty books (A YEAR IN PROVENCE, TOUJOURS PROVENCE, ENCORE PROVENCE) describing his long residence in Provence in an old farm house that he and his wife fixed up. Peter contributes the preface to AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS written by lunch-buddy and fellow countryman Michael Sadler. According to the book's back flap, Sadler now lives in Paris and Touraine with his French wife and their daughter. There's no time frame to AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS, but I gather that it recalls Michael's experience as a younger and still-single man during his first extended trip to Paris from his home in England. Sadler's narrative contains some decidedly humorous moments, as when he transports a large wheel of odiferous cheese from point A to B. Or when he makes his first tremulous journey through that chaotic maelstrom of traffic known as the Place de l'Etoile. And when he must transfer his belongings from temporary hotel lodgings to a new apartment, and there's nowhere to park in front of the latter. Or his culinary introduction to such delicacies as beef testicles and pigs ears. Then there's his giddy affair with a married French woman. Compared to Peter's volumes, however, Sadler isn't quite so relaxed. Perhaps it's the abundant energy and hormones of a younger man. At times, Michael's activities seem positively frenetic. Moreover, he introduces into the text many French phrases and sentences, the translations of which aren't always readily apparent as you read them, if at all. To be fair, there is a 5-page glossary of terms and colloquial expressions at the end. Language aside, chapter 28 is entirely incoherent (by design, I assume) - as if he was writing under the influence of some cooking sauce made with hallucinogenic mushrooms. AN ENGLISHMAN IN PARIS is short - only 193 pages in a small hardcover format. Reading the book doesn't require a large investment of time. But, if you want something more satisfying about life as a foreigner in France, go first with Mayle.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   17 of 24 people found the following review helpful: Un Vrai Classique !, 28 Mar 2004 By  J. D. L. Bailey (Paris) - See all my reviews    Think of a water biscuit - a table water biscuit. It's dry, delicious and well-rounded. It has a little crunch and a little bite that's just enough for one mouthful, alongside a sip of fruity red wine, of course! Imagine reading somebody's diary, and finding it zestier than a basket of freshly-grated lemons, and with as much sharpness to boot! This is very much how I found this book. It is truly excellent! A veteran academic from some little village in England finds himself catapulted into a Parisian cutltural crossover, a whirling, swirling vortex of elegant women, culinary discovery and comedic capers - kind of like a French "Dynasty" meets "Crossroads" meets Alan Bennett meets William Shakespeare! I read through the whole book in one go, finding it one of those rare gems that just compels you to do that. To say it is light reading would be fair, but it has an insight that gives it guts - and depth. Sadler's perception of Paris life - with its funny little pretensions and piquancies is observed with a wry eye. This book is a tapestry of little mini-sagas all interwoven. Each story a poignant little vignette, a bit like a whole tray of water biscuits, darling! Each one with a different and unique topping.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?