Located on Amazon collection

I bought this book because my wife and I have been to France a couple of times and I thought it would be fun reading the thoughts of this very erudite English author on "France and French culture." The first essay, about a famed Tour de France rider from, I believe, the 1930s, was quite good. But after that one and one or two about French cinema, all the rest were about Gustav Flaubert: about his life, his thoughts, and the insights to be gleaned about him by a careful study of his many surviving letters (sent and received) and other such topics. Well, OK, I guess it's not too surprising that the author of the novel Flaubert's Parrot would be fascinated by Flaubert. And the essays are, in fact, interesting as far as they go, assuming one has an interest in the subject matter. But, really, calling this a collection of essays on France and French culture is misleading. So although the essays are very well written, I can only recommend the collection to readers interested in Flaubert. ( )