All You Need to Be Impossibly French: A Witty Investigation into the Lives, Lusts, and Little Secrets of French Women | 
 enlarge | Author: Helena Frith-powell
Publisher: Plume
Category: Book
List Price: $13.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 10257
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.5
ISBN: 0452287782
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.40944
EAN: 9780452287785
ASIN: 0452287782
Publication Date: November 1, 2006
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Product Description
The allure of the Frenchwomansexy, sophisticated, flirtatious, and glamorousis legendary. More than an eye for fashion or a taste for elegance, the French je ne sais quoi embodies the essential ingredients for looking and feeling beautiful. With wit, whimsy, and wonder, British expatriate Helena Frith Powell uncovers the secrets of chic living in All You Need to Be Impossibly French, a cheeky guide to releasing your inner Frenchwoman. Delving deep into a mysterious realm of face creams, silk lingerie, and shopping- as-exercise, Powell reveals how French women stay impossibly thin and irresistibly sexy by achieving the maximum effect from the minimum amount of effort. Forget diet and inspiration books and style guidesthis is all you need to embrace the wisdom of French living, and learn how to turn every day into la petite aventure.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
 You passing by French October 4, 2008
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was astonished when I read the reviews. In most cases I got the same question, why Americans want to emulate French women, don't u are American? don't u want to be an American woman? are u ashamed of being it? (why is that for? ... mmm, let me think: Irak, obesity, McDo, Wal-Mart...) For what I see, yes, and you want to embody the image you have of French women! French women are like any other women in the world. The gym thing is, yes, American, but it exists because here nobody walks and depends on car and malls, eat hamburgers for lunch with coke, feels guilty and run for hours in the gym feeling yet half guilty-half relieved. All pleasure is guilt in US. I don't know if "French women" but French in general have a different scope on pleasure. Yes, one key word is pleasure and that is to smell good, to feel good, to sleep good, to eat good, to treat yourself with nice clothes, to treat yourself with a nice dinner, in sum, with a nice life (and that's not a LV, a Burberry coat, a Hummer, a shopping spree and a Chanel for the mall). It's the lace of your underwear, the silk on your top and the parfum on your wrists that makes you feel beautiful, it's the (guilty-free) sex, the basic yet classic/original style, the orange juice with toasted bread and butter (no guilt) in the morning, the salad and vegetables (no punishment) with duck, foie gras and wine, final cheese, choc and coffee (no guilt) for dinner. It's shopping what you like because it's original and not because everyone wear it. It's about being the best yourself and not about being French. And what about your concern on competition? American women are not ($$$, jewels, LV, moral, religious, social) competitive? Yes, but they hide with a big fake smile and fake blessings. Women are competitive just as men are, humans are competitive, men with chests, women with nails, both with loud voice, unnecessary bling bling, and bad sarcasm. French society is just like any other society: there's tragedy and comedy. But if something changes is that there are more parties and get-togethers, less hypocrisy, more talking, more drinking, less punishing and less "little dirty secrets" as in US. It's funny how the reviewers (and the authors) want to be someone they're not, and how they need a guide to do it.
An Interesting Read on a Complex Culture September 7, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
All You Need to Be Impossibly French is an entertaining and enlightening read. But after finishing the book, I was very glad to have been born elsewhere. French women do not sound like they have much joie de vivre. To the plus side, French women take pride in their appearance and can even make jeans and a t-shirt look smart; they are thinner than American or British women and do not drink to excess; they have a tremendous amount of family and government support so that they can raise their children, and use sex both for pleasure and exercise. To the negative, they are suspicious and spiteful where other women are concerned; do not seem to have much of a work ethic; have few real friendships outside their families; and have no problem going after other womens' husbands. Oh, and they smoke like crazy.
After reading this book, and the even better-written "Almost French," I've concluded that it's best to pluck the admirable things about France and Frenchwomen -- the interest in good food, appearance, decor and the family -- and forget those that would only be damaging to our self-esteem. Some of our puritanical American and buttoned up British traits aren't so bad, by comparison.
 Surprisingly Good June 29, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was afraid it was going to be too frilly, but it is great. Love that she talks about real & famous french women. Funny at times. Very entertaining!
Very cute! June 29, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was such a cute book to read. It's always interesting to see that the author interviewed other ladies and men to get their opinions of France and the chic cultures of the people who live there. It made the book more real for me. I really enjoyed it.
Loved this book! June 19, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I really liked the book, I found it to be an easy read, funny, informative and quite inspirational. Actually, I liked the book more and more as I kept reading it (except the chapter on lingeree - the author went on too long about the importance of wearing matching lingeree, etc - I did not think this topick deserved so much attention, but oh well, perhaps it does - afterwards I did go and buy myself a nice lingeree set! And new creams, and make up. ;)). I read this book on the bus on my way to and from work and looked forward to my bus ride every day - not a normal thing for me. I also purchased the other "more famous" book ("French Women Don't Get Fat"), but I thought it was a bit boring (I still finished it and can't say it was bad, just not as consuming). The latter talks mostly about diet while this book is much more entertaining and covers all aspects of French women lives. I am lending the book to everyone I know now, what a gem!
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