Items related to Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding...

Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French - Hardcover

  • 3.77 out of 5 stars
    2,493 ratings by Goodreads
 
9781596913097: Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French

Synopsis

Have you ever walked into a half-empty Parisian restaurant, only to be told that it's "complet"? Attempted to say "merci beaucoup" and accidentally complimented someone's physique? Been overlooked at the boulangerie due to your adherence to the bizarre foreign custom of waiting in line? Well, you're not alone. The internationally bestselling author of A Year in the Merde and In the Merde for Love has been there too, and he is here to help. In Talk to the Snail, Stephen Clarke distills the fruits of years spent in the French trenches into a truly handy (and hilarious) book of advice. Read this book, and find out how to get good service from the grumpiest waiter; be exquisitely polite and brutally rude at the same time; and employ the language of l'amour and le sexe. Everything you need is here in this funny, informative, and seriously useful guide to getting what you really want from the French.
Stephen Clarke is a British journalist and the internationally bestselling author of A Year in the Merde and In the Merde for Love, which describe the misadventures of Paul West in France. He himself has lived in France for twelve years.
Praise for A Year on the Merde: "Clarke renders the flavor of life in Paris impeccably: the endless strikes, the sadistic receptionists, the crooked schemes by which the wealthy and well-connected land low-rent apartments...Clarke's eye for detail is terrific."-Washington Post "Call him the anti-Mayle. Stephen Clarke is acerbic, insulting, un-PC and mostly hilarious."-San Francisco Chronicle "Combines the gaffes of Bridget Jones with the boldness of James Bond...Clarke's sharp eye for detail and relentless wit make even the most quotidian task seem surreal."-Publishers Weekly

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Stephen Clarke is a British journalist and the internationally bestselling author of A Year in the Merde and In the Merde for Love, which describe the misadventures of Paul West in France. He himself has lived in France for twelve years.

From Publishers Weekly

In Clarke's newest nonfiction on the French and francophiles (after A Year in the Merde), he offers actually 11 witty commandments for understanding the French. He tackles the stereotypical experiences tourists encounter, explaining why French waiters always ignore you, why everyone's always on strike or why Frenchmen are never wrong about anything. He explains the customs: how to decide when to kiss versus when to handshake, how to romance a French woman or how to be cuttingly rude while seeming polite, and how mispronouncing certain words (the noun "un baiser" means "to kiss"; the verb, "to screw") can get you in trouble (other expressions, like "je t'aime," can't be said often enough). Within Clarke's humorous anecdotes lie grains of seriousness. Why, for example, do the French constantly correct everyone's attempts to speak their language if they also want it to be accepted as a global language? And is it not significant that the French term for bedding someone, "conclure," translates as "to conclude"? In the end, this is an entertaining bon voyage present for anyone heading to France. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherBloomsbury USA
  • Publication date2007
  • ISBN 10 1596913096
  • ISBN 13 9781596913097
  • BindingHardcover
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Edition number1
  • Number of pages272
  • Rating
    • 3.77 out of 5 stars
      2,493 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781741665376: Talk to the Snail: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  174166537X ISBN 13:  9781741665376
Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: Your Online Bookstore, Houston, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

hardcover. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # 1596913096-3-32791866

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 3.97
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00062633705

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 3.97
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 4 available

Add to basket

Seller Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: Dream Books Co., Denver, CO, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: good. Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. Could have library markings. Ships promptly!. Seller Inventory # DBV.1596913096.G

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 3.99
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Seller Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: ZBK Books, Carlstadt, NJ, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: good. Used book in good and clean conditions. Pages and cover are intact. Limited notes marks and highlighting may be present. May show signs of normal shelf wear and bends on edges. Item may be missing CDs or access codes. May include library marks. Fast Shipping. Seller Inventory # ZWM.6VIL

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.41
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Stephen Clarke
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: More Than Words, Waltham, MA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Very Good. . . All orders guaranteed and ship within 24 hours. Before placing your order for please contact us for confirmation on the book's binding. Check out our other listings to add to your order for discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # BOS-A-12d-0001382

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 1.15
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 3.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Very Good. Very Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain light spine creasing or a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp. Seller Inventory # H15B-01093

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 5.79
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Seller Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover First Edition

Seller: Preferred Books, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. Light wear. Seller Inventory # 015372

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 2.00
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: As New. No Jacket. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.86. Seller Inventory # G1596913096I2N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.14
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.86. Seller Inventory # G1596913096I4N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.14
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Clarke, Stephen
Published by Bloomsbury USA, 2007
ISBN 10: 1596913096 ISBN 13: 9781596913097
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: As New. No Jacket. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.86. Seller Inventory # G1596913096I2N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.14
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

There are 26 more copies of this book

View all search results for this book