Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French

A tongue in cheek look at what makes the French so quintessentially French. They're always right. Start there, and you won't go far wrong. Full of chapters describing the French love of food and hatred of serving customers, this was a light confection suitable for reading in small bites. Comes with lists of handy phrases and pronunciation guides for the square-headed.

A funny read about life in France. Starts with the little voice in every Frenchman's head: "I'm French. I'm right". There's not a lot more to say, really. There are other details - how to approach the unhelpful person in a service delivery position (acknowledge that it is your fault - never theirs) and much more.
Read August 2015

I saw this in the train station in Avignon, but I did not buy it, choosing to save my money in case of an emergency on the way home. I regretted my decision and decided to seek this book out when I got home. I happily discovered it in the library. It’s pretty much what I’d anticipated. Lots of French bashing, but all given in a benevolent spirit.

Really enjoyed it !
Not that much of a caricature ;o)

Very entertaining

Read if you are going to travel to France.

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 show more 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. show less