A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi: The Ideal Guide to Sounding, Acting and Shrugging Like the French by Charles Timoney
A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi by Charles Timoney
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Tuesday, 04, Aug 2009 01:02
Published by Particular Books, out August 6th, paperback, 238 pp, £8.99.
In a nutshell...
Joie de vivre... most of the time
What's it all about?
Part objective observation, part personal experience of the author, the book is a guide to understanding the character and psyche of the French nation - from their quirks, history and mannerisms to their idioms, gestures and their attitudes about British people. Full of interesting information left out of most guidebooks, including how to spot if you're being overcharged by a Parisian taxi and how to avoid buying beer that requires a remortgage on your home.
Who's it by?
Charles Timoney, author of Pardon My French: Unleash Your Inner Gaul, has been a Briton living in France for the last two decades, and feels his books will help others to avoid making the same 'blunders and misunderstandings' that he did.
As an example...
On 'la bise', the kiss as a greeting (page 22):
"Faire la bise refers to the act of kissing someone on both cheeks... The term 'kiss on the cheeks' is deceptive because it is exactly what you don't do: two people can't kiss each other on the cheeks at the same time without dislocating their jaws. You have to put your cheeks side by side in brief contact and make a kissing sound out of the opposite side of your mouth. When changing from one side to the other, you have to keep your distance or you will bump noses. If you can, it is a good idea to practise on a close acquaintance before having a go on a real French person who knows how it should be done."
Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster
The book is amusingly anecdotal and visual, yet not blockbuster material; no unnecessary explosions or gratuitous violence or nudity (and only a few incidents of bad language).
So is it any good?
It's entertaining, yet at times the self-deprecating and conversational tone of the narrator becomes irritating. Additionally some details are glossed over too hurriedly, and some concepts are not fully explained. The opening chapters are dry and hard to get into, but once the author gets into the swing of things the pace quickens and the text is more interesting.
Unfortunately a great deal of Timoney's material has not only been said before but also said much better. However, the book is meant to be a non-taxing, momentary distraction, and as long as the reader is not expecting a great aesthetic work, they will mostly not be disappointed.
Easy to read light entertaining fluff that skillfully falls short of casual racism; A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi... should be read in short bursts and not studied too closely.
5/10
Louise Champion