Rating: 
Summary: Iowa Corn would be a better title . . .
Review: Instead of an enlightening and humorous look at the French culture, this book presents an extremely narrow perspective of a middle-aged American woman who looks back on how shocking the real world in France was 20 years ago and still may be in her small corner of Paris. Indeed, you can pretty much replace the word "Paris" with "New York City" and the anecdotes wouldn't be different.Ms. Rochefort admits she grew up in a tiny farm town in the southwest corner of Iowa. From her writing it appears that she still thinks she's there (only she's shocked that there are buildings that look like the Tour Eiffel and the Arc de Triomphe). While some of her anecdoates are the slight bit amusing, most of them meander without a point and tend to be more complaints than observations. Her personal opinions obscure a truly objective view of the French. She claims to balance her perspective by "interviewing" her French husband Phillippe. I can only guess that he is not a typical Frenchman to have married this woman (indeed, it is interesting that she never discusses how they met or what events led up to them deciding to get married). She reveals such shockers that French women like shoes, shopping (but not for groceries), and cook several course meals for their families. WOW! REALLY? That is so different from women in Peoria, Illinois. She also discloses that the French are not as prudish as we Americans, that they have a passion for food and politics, and that there are etiquette rules in society. I'M FLABBERGASTED! She spends an inordinate amount of time ridiculing the French because the women are glared at if they shout or guffaw loudly in public (shame on them!), that French women are paid less than French men (this is news?), and that French women intentionally stay out of political discussions at the dinner table. Has Ms. Rochefort visited any other country in the last 30 years? I'd hate to think what she would write about the cultures in most Eastern European or Asian countries. I am disappointed by this book (and that is putting it mildly) because I expected a more objective, universal view of the French. Not a personal vendetta because the author would rather be sitting in a Starbucks back in Iowa than learning about a country with more than 450 cheeses and wine and history more than 1000 years old. Frankly, I don't care what her mother-in-law does, especially if it is not characteristic of the Provencals, the people of Burgundy, or even of Parisians. Peter Mayle has much more insightful accounts of the French than Ms. Rochefort. For that matter, so does Bill Bryson. This book is better suited to narrow-minded Americans who never plan on visiting France.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Cultural Translation!
Review: Last year I spent a week in wonderful Paris. I truly identify with the writer, also being a midwesterner trying to understand the somewhat aloof French personna. The book is easy to read and I found myself laughing out loud often. Some of the most fun is reading Harriet's brief interviews at the end of each chapter with her very Parisian husband Philippe. Example-Harriet "Have you noticed any difference in your eating habits since you married me?/" Philippe "Yes, I'm cooking alot more" I have a new found appreciation and understanding for the French from this great read. When I return to France this year, I'll remember that the French aren't just aloof to Americans, they're that way with everyone!
Rating: 
Summary: Toasting the French
Review: Mme. Rochefort is lively explaining the Parisian character and habits. I started to wonder if she had a deeper agenda, a subtext of "now you see what I have had to put up with for the last 20 years." To this American, the book was not a beacon to make me want to take up residence in Paris. I guess it is a relief to know that the French are not just rude to us tourists; they act that way with everyone they don't know personally. Cold comfort indeed! The reserve, cattiness, the infinity of detail, cold suspicion, and boredom of only associating with one (and only one) set of people left me certain I would perennially be a total outsider. The author has an interesting section on French education vs. U.S. education methods. There is certainly a lot to be said for the French no-nonsense, draconian approach. I am sure it would be horrifying to many U.S. parents; however, I believe if we could strike a balance between French harshness and U.S. permissiveness in education, we would all benefit. Mme. Rochefort, an educator herself, is well satisfied with the education her two sons have received in France. This says a great deal for their system. Ms. Rochefort is a thoughtful, amazingly tolerant woman. Think the book should be taken a little more seriously than its frivolous cover.
Rating: 
Summary: Pas Mal
Review: Ms Rochefort pens a fun, fast book--therein lie both its joys and its deficits. After so long living amongst Parisians, I would expect Ms Rochefort to present an more in-depth analysis of her experiences. Too, my interactions with the sisterhood of French women are much more pleasant than the author's--I find American women much more a la vache. However, the book is amusing, and the love Ms Rochefort bears for her husband, sons, step-son, and belle-famille is obvious.
Rating:
Summary: La vie de la Francaise ce n'est pas mysterieuse maintenant!
Review: Thanks to Harriet, I realise some of my own faux pas (oopsies) that I committed while visiting a host family in France.I thought many times of how different they were to me and if my conduct was ok. I dearly love my host family even though we spent a week together. This book is a wonderful explanation of how the French are no nonsense and yet loving in their close knit family. I have a better understanding after having read this book and experienced French daily life than I could ever hope to understand. Excellent read!
Rating: 
Summary: Save your money
Review: This book does not contain many new insights into French culture, which is perplexing since the author has been married to a Frenchman and living in France for 20 years. She often seems to wish that the French weren't so French, despite her protestations to the contrary. This is an amusing and fast read, but I would recommend getting it from the library rather than spending money on it.
Rating:
Summary: Surviving culture shock
Review: This book is a practical guide to understanding cultural differences between the French, especially Parisians, and Americans, intended for Americans taking up long-term residence in France. The author herself has lived in France for 20 years, married to a French man, and has found herself a long way from her small town Iowan origins. The book deals with a range of topics, from food, to family, to sex and education. The blurb on the cover states that the book is "wise and devastatingly funny". I would agree with the "wise" assessment, but I'm not sure where "devastatingly funny" comes from. The book certainly doesn't come across as "pompously didactic", and there are indeed moments that are humorous, but the book includes a very substantial amount of informed analysis and practical advice. This is not a humor book where readers are brought in as third-hand observers to relive Rochefort's most embarrassing cultural gaffes. Instead, Rochefort examines her experiences as a foreigner who marries into the culture. She states in the very beginning of the book that she has found cultural differences becoming more and more noticeable the longer she lives in France. It makes sense in a way- -the longer you live in a country, the more you think you should understand it. When a cultural difference that has gone unnoticed for years finally raises its head, it can be even more unnerving that if one had met with it right at the very beginning. Rochefort's description of differing expectations experienced in cross-cultural French-American relationships is particularly strong, and anyone in or contemplating starting such a relationship would be well advised to read it. But even those who are not living in France can learn much about French culture in this book. Her last chapter, for example, covering the French educational system starts with nursery school, and progresses through the university and Grande Ecoles (which I thought were glorified high schools until Rochefort straightened me out).
Rating:
Summary: Surviving culture shock
Review: This book is a practical guide to understanding cultural differences between the French, especially Parisians, and Americans, intended for Americans taking up long-term residence in France. The author herself has lived in France for 20 years, married to a French man, and has found herself a long way from her small town Iowan origins. The book deals with a range of topics, from food, to family, to sex and education. The blurb on the cover states that the book is "wise and devastatingly funny". I would agree with the "wise" assessment, but I'm not sure where "devastatingly funny" comes from. The book certainly doesn't come across as "pompously didactic", and there are indeed moments that are humorous, but the book includes a very substantial amount of informed analysis and practical advice. This is not a humor book where readers are brought in as third-hand observers to relive Rochefort's most embarrassing cultural gaffes. Instead, Rochefort examines her experiences as a foreigner who marries into the culture. She states in the very beginning of the book that she has found cultural differences becoming more and more noticeable the longer she lives in France. It makes sense in a way- -the longer you live in a country, the more you think you should understand it. When a cultural difference that has gone unnoticed for years finally raises its head, it can be even more unnerving that if one had met with it right at the very beginning. Rochefort's description of differing expectations experienced in cross-cultural French-American relationships is particularly strong, and anyone in or contemplating starting such a relationship would be well advised to read it. But even those who are not living in France can learn much about French culture in this book. Her last chapter, for example, covering the French educational system starts with nursery school, and progresses through the university and Grande Ecoles (which I thought were glorified high schools until Rochefort straightened me out).
Rating:
Summary: Amusing But Not Deep
Review: This book is not bad for light reading. The anecdotes are quite amusing but the author doesn't really provide deeper insights into French culture. Some of the author's interpretations of French behaviour are too simplistic - nothing you've never heard before. A better buy would be Polly Plat's French or Foe. It also appears that this book was written in haste - the jokes in dialogue format at the end of each chapter do not seem well integrated with the book. It seems like they were placed there because the author did not put in much thought as to how to insert them well into the chapters.
Rating:
Summary: good book
Review: This book was funny and entertaining to read. I have to say i didn't like French before and this book did nothing to change my mind.
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