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Every Frenchman Has One
Olivia de Havilland planted her standard on the Left Bank of the River Seine in late October of 1953, and it has been fluttering on both Left and Right Banks with considerable joy and gaiety from that moment on. She married a Frenchman, took on all his compatriots, and has been the heroine of a love affair ever since.
Her skirmishes with French traffic, French maids, French salesladies, French holidays, French law, French doctors, above all, the French language, are here set forth in a delightful and amusing record.
Paraphrasing Caesar, Miss de Havilland says, "I came, I saw, I was conquered."
Her skirmishes with French traffic, French maids, French salesladies, French holidays, French law, French doctors, above all, the French language, are here set forth in a delightful and amusing record.
Paraphrasing Caesar, Miss de Havilland says, "I came, I saw, I was conquered."
202 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
About the author
Olivia de Havilland
4 books28 followersDame Olivia de Havilland, DBE received two Academy Awards (1946 and 1949), two Golden Globe Awards (1949 and 1986), and multiple other awards and nominations during her career in the dramatic arts. Her honors include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1960), she received the National Medal of Arts (2008, United States), she was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur (2010, France), and was invested a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2017). Among her best known roles is that of Melanie Wilkes in ‘Gone With the Wind’ (1939).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews
July 27, 2020
Update: Miss Olivia has passed in this strange time of late July 2020. I had made it a point a couple of years back to read this book prior to her inevitably impending passage, and did so, and penned the review below at that time. Do not view the two-star rating as disrespectful. The book was a well-written trifle, and probably worth your time. That said, RIP, good lady. -e
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As of this writing (Jan. 21, 2019) Olivia De Havilland is 102 years old and still lives. She occupies a bit of a unique place: She has had the greatest longevity among her peers and is the last of the major film stars to have lived this long who achieved stardom before World War II. She is it; the only one. Not even the similarly vintaged Kirk Douglas, who became a star AFTER the war can lay claim to this particular distinction.
I've been wanting to read and review this for two years, but put it off, if for no other reason than an irrational and morbid one, perhaps, of wanting to do so before she left us.
De Havilland was a great actress, truly great, and in some ways paved the way for modern film performance style, particularly in the film The Heiress, an understated turn based on a Henry James story that earned her, deservedly, an Academy Award for 1949. Most people know her from Gone with the Wind but her credits go well beyond that.
The actress penned this breezy, wispy bon bon in the early 1960s chronicling tidbits from her first decade living in Paris in the 1950s, at which time she had started a family, had just attained a divorce, and pursued a whirlwind romance with a Frenchman whom she just as quickly wed. Methinks Olivia might be fudging the timeline a little on this to conceal amorous shenanigans, but maybe I'm basing this on my own behavior and not hers.
The book begins in the early 1950s and finds De Havilland truly at the prime of her life, living the dream, traveling at will, making movies, raising a family, musing on the triumphs as someone who has reached the top and reaped all the honors of her profession. Her newfound Paris adventure opens a new chapter on her life and the book plays like a series of little witty observational essays, screwball farces of misunderstandings and cultural clashes between a game but sometimes perplexed American and the equally baffled Gallic natives she encounters in her new homeland.
It becomes quickly apparent that De Havilland has a knack for the clever turn of phrase, a deft talent for juggling running motifs and bringing them back into the mix for the sly punchline. You've got to admire the obvious influence of her cultured upbringing; it begets a style of expression and poise that's a universe removed from the crudity and borderline illiteracy of today's celebrities.
That said, your mileage may vary, and it will depend greatly on how much value you'll find in what, substantively, amounts to not really much more than a Seinfeld stand-up routine. We learn that French drivers suck and that the French like to piss in public and bathe in the kitchen, that the French maid is largely a myth and not all she's cracked up to be, that Americans expect "foreigners" to speak English no matter the locale, that Americans like big boobs, that American and French ideas of fashion differ, that modern French males are more into monogamy because they've become too poor to do otherwise, that French home-repair contractors are terrible, and that an American (herself) trying to learn French for the first time can stumble into some confusion with the natives over inept locution. The book never comes anywhere close to introspection, nothing like the embarrassing self confessions of contemporary celeb bios. But that's not what this is anyway.
If you can hang with someone whose amusingly slight problems come between servings of espresso, Swiss rolls, croissants and strawberry tarts, mineral hot spring baths, world-class massage sessions, custom fittings by Christian Dior himself, awkward faux pas in French table manners in the presence of countesses, and makeup and hair sessions with dudes named Alexandre, then this might be for you.
Glib and white privilegy though it sounds it has a certain elan and is well scribed, and you can read the thing in less than 2 hours. You will forget all of it, though, almost as soon as you've read it.
-kr/eg '19
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As of this writing (Jan. 21, 2019) Olivia De Havilland is 102 years old and still lives. She occupies a bit of a unique place: She has had the greatest longevity among her peers and is the last of the major film stars to have lived this long who achieved stardom before World War II. She is it; the only one. Not even the similarly vintaged Kirk Douglas, who became a star AFTER the war can lay claim to this particular distinction.
I've been wanting to read and review this for two years, but put it off, if for no other reason than an irrational and morbid one, perhaps, of wanting to do so before she left us.
De Havilland was a great actress, truly great, and in some ways paved the way for modern film performance style, particularly in the film The Heiress, an understated turn based on a Henry James story that earned her, deservedly, an Academy Award for 1949. Most people know her from Gone with the Wind but her credits go well beyond that.
The actress penned this breezy, wispy bon bon in the early 1960s chronicling tidbits from her first decade living in Paris in the 1950s, at which time she had started a family, had just attained a divorce, and pursued a whirlwind romance with a Frenchman whom she just as quickly wed. Methinks Olivia might be fudging the timeline a little on this to conceal amorous shenanigans, but maybe I'm basing this on my own behavior and not hers.
The book begins in the early 1950s and finds De Havilland truly at the prime of her life, living the dream, traveling at will, making movies, raising a family, musing on the triumphs as someone who has reached the top and reaped all the honors of her profession. Her newfound Paris adventure opens a new chapter on her life and the book plays like a series of little witty observational essays, screwball farces of misunderstandings and cultural clashes between a game but sometimes perplexed American and the equally baffled Gallic natives she encounters in her new homeland.
It becomes quickly apparent that De Havilland has a knack for the clever turn of phrase, a deft talent for juggling running motifs and bringing them back into the mix for the sly punchline. You've got to admire the obvious influence of her cultured upbringing; it begets a style of expression and poise that's a universe removed from the crudity and borderline illiteracy of today's celebrities.
That said, your mileage may vary, and it will depend greatly on how much value you'll find in what, substantively, amounts to not really much more than a Seinfeld stand-up routine. We learn that French drivers suck and that the French like to piss in public and bathe in the kitchen, that the French maid is largely a myth and not all she's cracked up to be, that Americans expect "foreigners" to speak English no matter the locale, that Americans like big boobs, that American and French ideas of fashion differ, that modern French males are more into monogamy because they've become too poor to do otherwise, that French home-repair contractors are terrible, and that an American (herself) trying to learn French for the first time can stumble into some confusion with the natives over inept locution. The book never comes anywhere close to introspection, nothing like the embarrassing self confessions of contemporary celeb bios. But that's not what this is anyway.
If you can hang with someone whose amusingly slight problems come between servings of espresso, Swiss rolls, croissants and strawberry tarts, mineral hot spring baths, world-class massage sessions, custom fittings by Christian Dior himself, awkward faux pas in French table manners in the presence of countesses, and makeup and hair sessions with dudes named Alexandre, then this might be for you.
Glib and white privilegy though it sounds it has a certain elan and is well scribed, and you can read the thing in less than 2 hours. You will forget all of it, though, almost as soon as you've read it.
-kr/eg '19
May 17, 2019
This book was written by Olivia De Havilland in 1962. At the beginning she talks about people thinking she is already dead but assures she is very much above ground. I checked and she is still alive today at 102! You go girl!
The story revolves around her life after she married a Frenchman years before, moved to France, yet continued to make movies in the States. The differences she must adjust to after living in the States are amusing at times (from the viewpoint of someone who has lived in the States all of her life).
By the way - you are probably wondering what every Frenchman has? I promise you it isn't a mistress or an alcohol addiction, a poodle or a beret. It's something totally unexpected, and nothing you would ever think of as an answer to that question!
The story revolves around her life after she married a Frenchman years before, moved to France, yet continued to make movies in the States. The differences she must adjust to after living in the States are amusing at times (from the viewpoint of someone who has lived in the States all of her life).
By the way - you are probably wondering what every Frenchman has? I promise you it isn't a mistress or an alcohol addiction, a poodle or a beret. It's something totally unexpected, and nothing you would ever think of as an answer to that question!
August 1, 2016
3.5 stars
Funny
Short
Depicts the life of Olivia who just turned 100 today on July 1st, when she moved to France in the 1950s.
Funny
Short
Depicts the life of Olivia who just turned 100 today on July 1st, when she moved to France in the 1950s.
August 11, 2017
I laughed aloud soooooooooo many times while I read this book! I wish it was four times as long, because I was absolutely not ready for it to be finished.
Ms. de Havilland wrote this in 1962. She had married a Frenchman and moved to France a few years earlier, though she still came back to the US to make movies now and then. The book is all about what it's like to adjust to living in France after living in the USA all your life. And when I say she can make the story of repainting their new home into a laugh-inducing tale of woe, you know this must be good, right?
Oh, another thing that made me laugh was the title of the very first chapter: "I'm not at all sure if you know that I'm alive..." That cracked me up because fifty-five years after this book was written, she's still alive. Ms. de Havilland turned 101 in July, and she still lives in Paris. Astonishing woman.
Ms. de Havilland wrote this in 1962. She had married a Frenchman and moved to France a few years earlier, though she still came back to the US to make movies now and then. The book is all about what it's like to adjust to living in France after living in the USA all your life. And when I say she can make the story of repainting their new home into a laugh-inducing tale of woe, you know this must be good, right?
Oh, another thing that made me laugh was the title of the very first chapter: "I'm not at all sure if you know that I'm alive..." That cracked me up because fifty-five years after this book was written, she's still alive. Ms. de Havilland turned 101 in July, and she still lives in Paris. Astonishing woman.
June 26, 2016
A quick, fun and light collection of anecdotes with lots of vintage charm by the actress I knew best as Melanie from Gone with the Wind, but of course she's legendary for way more than that. I had no idea she was a Parisian expat, was almost 100 years old, and had written a memoir. So basically I don't know much besides that I've always loved her for being in GWTW and that's why I was so excited to read it. I couldn't help but picture her as Melanie at the beginning, but her much saucier personality changed that pretty quickly.
She tells stories in a conversational tone with a retro sense of humor (my grandmother uses many of the same expressions and kinds of jokes that she does, and I mean that in a good way!) and paints herself as a naive foreigner moving to France for her French husband. But her intelligence shows through despite the somewhat fluffy subject matter. Even writing about more difficult topics she has an upbeat, positive tone that makes everything seem lighter and happier.
My criticism was that some of the topics were dealt with a little flippantly, and in a seemingly unaware of her privilege and rich Hollywood movie star status kind of way. Not all of us deal with the problem of our French maid not wanting to correctly wear the uniforms we buy her and conform to a movie stereotype of what a French maid should be. A few things like that.
The light, observational topics work better for her; I loved her take on the difference between how American and French women think they should wear a dress, and if American women don't have sufficient bust it's implied they should buy it. She's frank and hilarious on topics like that. And bonus: a brief, special guest appearance by her little sister Joan Fontaine!
This was originally written a few short years after her move to Paris. I wish she would've written more about her experiences after living there for 50+ more years!
I received a copy of the new ePub edition courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
She tells stories in a conversational tone with a retro sense of humor (my grandmother uses many of the same expressions and kinds of jokes that she does, and I mean that in a good way!) and paints herself as a naive foreigner moving to France for her French husband. But her intelligence shows through despite the somewhat fluffy subject matter. Even writing about more difficult topics she has an upbeat, positive tone that makes everything seem lighter and happier.
My criticism was that some of the topics were dealt with a little flippantly, and in a seemingly unaware of her privilege and rich Hollywood movie star status kind of way. Not all of us deal with the problem of our French maid not wanting to correctly wear the uniforms we buy her and conform to a movie stereotype of what a French maid should be. A few things like that.
The light, observational topics work better for her; I loved her take on the difference between how American and French women think they should wear a dress, and if American women don't have sufficient bust it's implied they should buy it. She's frank and hilarious on topics like that. And bonus: a brief, special guest appearance by her little sister Joan Fontaine!
This was originally written a few short years after her move to Paris. I wish she would've written more about her experiences after living there for 50+ more years!
I received a copy of the new ePub edition courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2016
Delightful and witty! I never knew much about Olivia de Havilland, but now I adore her, especially for her marvelous sense of humor. I imagine I'll be reading this fun little book again and again.
March 20, 2018
This book was very witty! I loved the wit that was found throughout the entire book. At some points, I had to go back and reread a paragraph because I didn't understand something she said. I would go back to read a section and then find myself laughing at the humor! This was a very enjoyable read!
April 12, 2017
“I’m not at all sure if you know that I’m alive.” So she was/is. One hundred years old, and still living in Paris, which was the point when she wrote this book sixty years ago. She was a big Hollywood deal before most of us were born.
This short book is a chatty, personal memoir of her moving to Paris and marrying a Frenchman in the 1950s. Paris then--France then--clutched the tatters of its legacy as the center of the world, politically and in fashion. Though she still lives there; she probably doesn’t recognize today’s Paris.
“If you are loved by the French as a whole, you really feel loved.
Her adjustment to France and the French made for many humorous episodes which she relates in a conversational style. She suffered many of the misconceptions of fellow Americans and committed many gaffes, but no faux pas. (The significant difference lies therein.)
What does every Frenchman have? A liver. And how he cares for it makes for a humorous tale in itself.
She learned, “The importance of tact, restraint, subtlety, and the avoidance of banality.”
This short book is a chatty, personal memoir of her moving to Paris and marrying a Frenchman in the 1950s. Paris then--France then--clutched the tatters of its legacy as the center of the world, politically and in fashion. Though she still lives there; she probably doesn’t recognize today’s Paris.
“If you are loved by the French as a whole, you really feel loved.
Her adjustment to France and the French made for many humorous episodes which she relates in a conversational style. She suffered many of the misconceptions of fellow Americans and committed many gaffes, but no faux pas. (The significant difference lies therein.)
What does every Frenchman have? A liver. And how he cares for it makes for a humorous tale in itself.
She learned, “The importance of tact, restraint, subtlety, and the avoidance of banality.”
July 24, 2016
A very fast read, extremely interesting, and quite amusing. She's very debonair and yet self-deprecating. It was such an enjoyable read that I didn't even notice the parts in second person until after the fact, when it usually annoys me.
Much recommended.
Much recommended.
July 21, 2016
I don't want to spoil anything so let's just say cute, fast read that I thoroughly enjoyed and even laughed out loud a couple of times. oops! ; )
April 17, 2018
A quick and delightful read. Miss de Havilland is charming in this book, and my 2016 edition includes a short interview with her as well.
December 8, 2023
Every woman should read this. Madame Olivia feels like a friend now. Another one for the favorites shelf!
June 25, 2016
Charming is the really the best word I can find to describe this little book. It was really a delightful read. I'm sure I must have chuckled myself through every paragraph. Even if you've never been in France, the stories that Olivia De Havilland tells are hilarious and relatable. If you have found yourself "an American in Paris," well than, you'll have all the more fun and comprehension of some of the challenges that she describes.
August 12, 2016
A little memoir that was written a long time ago with an updated page because she recently turned 100 years old. Olivia needs to write a " tell all" but maybe she has that planned to have it released after she dies- we need to read about her old feud with her sister!!
September 12, 2016
Every Frenchman Has One explores all the stages of culture shock de Havilland experienced as she settled into her new life across the pond. Her writing is sharp and witty and very entertaining. Read my full review here: http://www.outofthepastblog.com/2016/...
February 10, 2022
An amusing little book in which Olivia de Haviland, who had married a Frenchman and moved to Paris, gives her impressions of living in France, and the differences between the French and Americans. She deals with subjects such as the French obsession with the liver (in case you were wondering, that is the ‘one’ that every Frenchman has got), French driving, difficulties in learning French etc. . I particularly enjoyed The Great Centigrade-Fahrenheit Debate, and the chapter on raising one of her children as a Protestant and the other as a Catholic.
April 8, 2020
Every Frenchman Has One by Olivia de Havilland is the autobiography of the living Old Hollywood legend. Originally published in 1962, this edition was released in 2016 with a new interview chapter to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Olivia humorously recounts her first few years living in France. She uses her autobiography as a sort of guide for others who may need it. This was a very fast and fun read. Miss de Havilland is very charming!
Olivia humorously recounts her first few years living in France. She uses her autobiography as a sort of guide for others who may need it. This was a very fast and fun read. Miss de Havilland is very charming!
July 3, 2017
Just a delight!
August 2, 2020
A charming, funny, and whimsical memoir by Olivia de Havilland. Her personality shines through her writing, in which she pokes fun at herself while describing her gaffes (which, according to her, are not to be confused with faux pas) as she acclimates to living in Paris. Though published in 1961, it does not feel dated.
July 23, 2016
I’m not very familiar with the actress/holly starlet myself except for the fact that she was in Gone With The Wind (which my mother absolutely loved) but the fact that she became a Parisian intrigued me. I love her little misadventures in Paris! Not to mention the witty chapter titles this woman come up with. Genius!
The author was brutally honest through it all which made it fun and hilarious! I love a good book that has a narrator that’s writes with no filter. Honesty is the best policy, people! Sadly it was way too short, and I felt like there was more to say than just the crazy mayhem the actress had to undergo during her time as a Parisian. Still, this book was an absolute delight! I wish to get to know more about Olivia, she seems like such an enchanting person (yes her writing gave me that much of an effect) and I hope to read more of her works in the future!
A huge thank you to Crown Archetype for sending this my way!
The author was brutally honest through it all which made it fun and hilarious! I love a good book that has a narrator that’s writes with no filter. Honesty is the best policy, people! Sadly it was way too short, and I felt like there was more to say than just the crazy mayhem the actress had to undergo during her time as a Parisian. Still, this book was an absolute delight! I wish to get to know more about Olivia, she seems like such an enchanting person (yes her writing gave me that much of an effect) and I hope to read more of her works in the future!
A huge thank you to Crown Archetype for sending this my way!
July 25, 2016
Ehh, a little too breezy. Some people have real problems! Enjoyed the dig at hollywood's "exploitation schedule".
Contemporary author sighting: "I remember that during my first weeks as a newly engaged, new resident of Paris, I received from a malevolent Irishman a copy of Nancy Mitford's The Blessing, which concerns an Englishwoman who marries a Frenchman and discovers that, although he obliges her beautifully in the evenings, he spends his afternoons with his mistress. The book shook me....With Pierre that evening I did a little careful checking. The family fortune had been thoroughly wiped out in 1946. He must have been bewildered by my expression of pure delight. He was puzzled but pleased when I myself took The Blessing and threw it out of the window."
Contemporary author sighting: "I remember that during my first weeks as a newly engaged, new resident of Paris, I received from a malevolent Irishman a copy of Nancy Mitford's The Blessing, which concerns an Englishwoman who marries a Frenchman and discovers that, although he obliges her beautifully in the evenings, he spends his afternoons with his mistress. The book shook me....With Pierre that evening I did a little careful checking. The family fortune had been thoroughly wiped out in 1946. He must have been bewildered by my expression of pure delight. He was puzzled but pleased when I myself took The Blessing and threw it out of the window."
December 11, 2016
I adored the book and was greatly amused by Olivia de Havilland narration of her early years in France. Yet I have to admit I am not American - but Swiss and the French are my neighbours and I have some very good friends in Paris.
With this I like to say that with the last few chapters I felt it was a bit overdoing it. I actually felt I should defend the French during reading. But I give the booklet all the same four out of five stars. I have always admired Olivia de Havilland and still do... great actress...
With this I like to say that with the last few chapters I felt it was a bit overdoing it. I actually felt I should defend the French during reading. But I give the booklet all the same four out of five stars. I have always admired Olivia de Havilland and still do... great actress...
May 5, 2016
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book.
This was a cute and fun read about the differences between French and American culture written by the actress Olivia De Havilland. I think that it might be a bit dated, but since I'm not a rich famous movie star living in Paris I'll never know for sure. Ms. De Havilland writes directly from her own personal experiences which are decidedly more grand than the average expatriate. She is a good sport and has a great sense of humor.
This was a cute and fun read about the differences between French and American culture written by the actress Olivia De Havilland. I think that it might be a bit dated, but since I'm not a rich famous movie star living in Paris I'll never know for sure. Ms. De Havilland writes directly from her own personal experiences which are decidedly more grand than the average expatriate. She is a good sport and has a great sense of humor.
May 27, 2022
Written in 1952 after de Havilland moved to Paris and became Mrs. Pierre Galant, "Every Frenchman Has One describes the experiences of a stranger in a strange land; the movie-star author provides a breezy tour through her early adventures in France. There's French fashion, cuisine, customs, and of course the language. de Havilland's descriptions of her language challenges are charming as is this book being re-released on her 100th birthday in 2016. For fans of France and/or Olivia de Havilland, a must-read. Thanks to Crown Publishing for the reissue and NetGalley for the read.
January 6, 2017
This book was given to me as a gift from a friend who knows I have been a long time fan of Olivia de Havilland. I was fortunate enough to correspond with the academy award winning actress for twenty five years. I gave her delightful book EVERY FRENCHMAN HAS ONE five stars because Ms. de Havilland's humorous, insightful and lighthearted stories bring to life the glamor and style of the late 50s. At times I felt like I was having lunch with her at a posh restaurant in Paris, laughing about some of the peculiarities of both the French and an American mother/wife.
January 3, 2020
I read this book because it was listed for further reading in an Errol Flynn book. I have no idea why. This is just the rantings of a glib, out of touch, privileged American living in France. Ms de Havilland does NOT come off well in this book. She sounds like a pretentious snob, complaining about how hard it is to find good help, how hard it is to go shopping, how inconvenient it is to visit her son in boarding school, and how tough it is to get fitted for a Dior. Ugh. I'm really sorry I read this book.
October 22, 2015
The title is misleading—“one” refers to a liver (!), not a mistress. This is an amusing little jaunt through the life of an upper-class glamorous American movie star in Paris. Gives great and hilarious insight into mid-century Parisian life. Also, you learn a lot—like the fact that the French use(d?) sleeping drugs administered by suppository so they bypass the upper organs. Almost as funny as my favorite Max Shulman at times, and with the same silly, outrageous kind of humor too.
December 14, 2016
Olivia de Havilland's account of coming to live in Paris is a fun little glimpse of French life in the mid-20th century. As a writer she's not bad -- sometimes it's way overwritten, but at other times she exhibits some truly delightful turns of phrase and a good sense of humor. On the whole I enjoyed it.
August 25, 2016
Honestly, I can't even explain why I downloaded this. Or why I kept reading it. I thought it was going to be more of a memoir, but it's just a collection of glib observations about being an American expat in France. I am sure it was cute when originally released, but in my opinion it hasn't aged well.
October 22, 2019
Picked this book up solely because I recognized the author as Melanie Wilkes I’m Gone with the Wind. Parts were rather witty and clever. Other essays were definitely more dated - understandably so. And more knowledge of French would have been helpful. Still a quick, fun read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 193 reviews