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French Ways and Their Meaning
Edith Wharton was devoted to the French people and their culture. During the First World War, while living in France and devoting herself to numerous war and relief efforts, she wrote several essays about the French and the unique attributes of their civilization, having in mind particularly the need for both Americans and the English to understand the ways of a people whose nation they were defending in the Great War. These pieces were first published in book form in 1919, under the title French Ways and Their Meaning.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1919
About the author
Edith Wharton
983 books4,767 followersEdith Wharton was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, for her novel, The Age of Innocence. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, in 1996. Her other well-known works are The House of Mirth, the novella Ethan Frome, and several notable ghost stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 8, 2014
Il y a dans ce petit livre un ensemble d'articles écrits par une journaliste américaine ayant vécu en France au début du vingtième siècle, en particulièrement pendant la première guerre mondiale. Très francophiles, ces articles sont là pour faire l'éloge du pays qu'elle occupe, et qu'elle cherche à rendre attrayant à ses compatriotes. Pour cela, elle se concentre sur les préjugés négatifs dont les français sont affublés, et tournent systématiquement tout à leur avantage, sans oublier de glisser quelques petites bizarreries pour donner plus de vraisemblance à sa jolie peinture, comme la superstition dans les campagnes.
C'est un peu un livre miroir par rapport au récit de Marie Grandin, Une Parisienne à Chicago, 1892-1893, dans lequel l'auteur était très admirative de l'Amérique. Mais l'opposition n'est qu'apparente sur certains points. Par exemple, les deux louent en même temps la mixité dans les écoles américaines, et déplorent la situation des femmes mariées américaines par rapport aux françaises, parait-il moins libre. La qualité phare qu'elle admire chez ses hôtes, c'est l'honnêteté intellectuelle: c'est effectivement une jolie qualité, et on aimerait bien être à la hauteur de cette gentille flatterie.
Un point sur lequel elle insiste beaucoup, et qu'elle emprunte aux préjugés des français sur les américains, c'est une soi-disant 'maturité' dont se flatte l'européen. C'est un point un peu ambiguë, car si la prudence est certainement une bonne chose, elle peut à l'excès verser dans la malice, et je me demande si une bonne foi naïve et sincère et des rapports plus simples et directs ne rendent pas la vie finalement plus agréable que cette inquiétude de toujours vouloir être plus malin que les autres. On ne peut hélas y échapper.
Également, une chose qui m'a fait sourire, c'est son idée selon laquelle les français, et surtout les françaises, seraient naturellement artistes. Enfin, s'il y a une qualité dont elle pense que ses compatriotes devraient prendre de la graine, c'est le rapport à l'argent et au temps. Il lui semble que les français savent mettre une borne à leurs désirs d'amasser de l'argent pour profiter le plus possible de leurs loisirs, sans pour autant se laisser aller à une honteuse indolence.
Enfin, elle insiste beaucoup sur la communauté de valeurs entre les deux pays qui dépasse de beaucoup les petites différences de mœurs, chante sur tous les tons les louanges d'une vieille civilisation, bref, fait tout son possible pour inspirer aux jeunes qui viennent combattre des sentiments positifs. Il faut faire la part des choses dans ce mélange de flatteries grossières, de généralisations outrancières, de propagande flagrante et d'admiration sincère, et cela fait, ça donne un document historique qui nous plonge dans le passé, et offre un de ces petits chocs de culture que j'aime bien.
February 21, 2018
I found the title extremely fascinating. In few day, I am going to France for three weeks and thought this might be a good book to read, even though it was written in 1919.
It is a small book. The writing is always powerful but somehow I did not enjoy reading what she has to say about the French. Her take on the French is full of admiration and appreciation. Consequently, I found the text, at least in parts, hilarious. In the preface, she writes, ''one can imagine the first Frenchman born into the world looking about him confidently, and saying: Here I am; and now, how am I to make the most of it.'' Later in the book, she compares the French woman to the American woman and claims that the French woman is fully evolved and grown-up, while the American woman is still in Kindergarten. She gives, not so satisfying reasons, for such a blunt distinction.
As she goes on to describe the French history and its traditions, she just sees greatness everywhere. She is superbly selective, and only through this careful selection she supports what she has to say. One is aware of the greatness of French art, culture and so forth. Paris, for instance, has always attracted artists, writers, young people from every corner of the world. However, page after page Wharton chants paeans of what is good about the French. The book has some wonderful descriptions of the French landscapes. One cannot help thinking how is this different (or superior) from some other European landscapes. I can see in her words European cities and landscapes.
Only in the last chapter, she says a few negative things about the French, and then gently dismiss them. For instance, She writes, ''The French it must be repeated, are a race indifferent to the rights of others.'' She further adds some popular stereotypes about the French such as they are ''mean and cannot be trusted.'' But according to Wharton, these cliches about the French, if there is any truth to them, only reflect the lower classes ( as if the lower classes are not French). The aristocratic (or the right sorts) French are always democratic, laborious and even ascetic. Elsewhere she says they are pleasure seekers and knows how to be joyful.
Wharton right in the Preface warns the reader that her views on The French are not definitive in any way, and refers to her book as desultory that contains a series of disjointed notes on the French.
The book in terms of language is far from disjointed. And not desultory by any standards.
It is a small book. The writing is always powerful but somehow I did not enjoy reading what she has to say about the French. Her take on the French is full of admiration and appreciation. Consequently, I found the text, at least in parts, hilarious. In the preface, she writes, ''one can imagine the first Frenchman born into the world looking about him confidently, and saying: Here I am; and now, how am I to make the most of it.'' Later in the book, she compares the French woman to the American woman and claims that the French woman is fully evolved and grown-up, while the American woman is still in Kindergarten. She gives, not so satisfying reasons, for such a blunt distinction.
As she goes on to describe the French history and its traditions, she just sees greatness everywhere. She is superbly selective, and only through this careful selection she supports what she has to say. One is aware of the greatness of French art, culture and so forth. Paris, for instance, has always attracted artists, writers, young people from every corner of the world. However, page after page Wharton chants paeans of what is good about the French. The book has some wonderful descriptions of the French landscapes. One cannot help thinking how is this different (or superior) from some other European landscapes. I can see in her words European cities and landscapes.
Only in the last chapter, she says a few negative things about the French, and then gently dismiss them. For instance, She writes, ''The French it must be repeated, are a race indifferent to the rights of others.'' She further adds some popular stereotypes about the French such as they are ''mean and cannot be trusted.'' But according to Wharton, these cliches about the French, if there is any truth to them, only reflect the lower classes ( as if the lower classes are not French). The aristocratic (or the right sorts) French are always democratic, laborious and even ascetic. Elsewhere she says they are pleasure seekers and knows how to be joyful.
Wharton right in the Preface warns the reader that her views on The French are not definitive in any way, and refers to her book as desultory that contains a series of disjointed notes on the French.
The book in terms of language is far from disjointed. And not desultory by any standards.
January 6, 2016
This delightful little volume is a compilation of articles written for American troops bound for France in World War One. While their effect on the average doughboy may be questionable, they give a powerful and invaluable insight into one of the most perceptive minds of the age.
Wharton, in her most engaging and always readable style, discusses First Impressions, and examines issues of Reverence, Taste, Intellectual Honesty, and Continuity, and, in her essay on the New Frenchwoman, reveals perhaps more about herself than her subjects.
Highly recommended as a fine introduction to the author.
Wharton, in her most engaging and always readable style, discusses First Impressions, and examines issues of Reverence, Taste, Intellectual Honesty, and Continuity, and, in her essay on the New Frenchwoman, reveals perhaps more about herself than her subjects.
Highly recommended as a fine introduction to the author.
Read
June 25, 2023I got this book at a random library book sale a while ago and ofc I picked it up because A. Edith Wharton and B. France
It’s insane about how many of Wharton’s observations about France and their work culture (and culture in general) hold true over 100 years later
Also to that effect, the differences between Americans and the French
I particularly enjoyed the chapter about French women and comments on marriage— I love love love studying marriage culture and didn’t know a lot about this time period (my knowledge of it is a bit earlier with Napoleonic codes); also love studying family culture— Wharton postulates that marriage in France is for the purpose of producing the family which maybe isn’t true today but also maybe it is? I don’t know contemporary marriage culture
Oh! And blackberries! I love the whole thing about superstition about blackberries and how the French like wouldn’t eat them— this certainly mostly no longer exists but I want to do a deep Google dive and find someone else who writes about this
It’s insane about how many of Wharton’s observations about France and their work culture (and culture in general) hold true over 100 years later
Also to that effect, the differences between Americans and the French
I particularly enjoyed the chapter about French women and comments on marriage— I love love love studying marriage culture and didn’t know a lot about this time period (my knowledge of it is a bit earlier with Napoleonic codes); also love studying family culture— Wharton postulates that marriage in France is for the purpose of producing the family which maybe isn’t true today but also maybe it is? I don’t know contemporary marriage culture
Oh! And blackberries! I love the whole thing about superstition about blackberries and how the French like wouldn’t eat them— this certainly mostly no longer exists but I want to do a deep Google dive and find someone else who writes about this
January 3, 2024
First book of the year! An interesting examination of French life during the First World War. Edith Wharton takes care to observe the important characteristics of the French, how they came to be, and why they are important.
June 26, 2008
This book was a little surprise. I found it when I was searching the library for geographical and language information about France. I really like Wharton's writing style. It is definitely early 20th century, but so elegant and measured. Her wit is subtle but carries through each little essay in this book. I agree with the introduction that this book isn't so much about who the French really are, but how Edith Wharton saw them. And she loved the French people very much. Her insights into the French culture are eye-opening. Her description of how, compared to French women, American women are infants attending a Montessori school was intriguing. I had to keep reading to find out why she thought that. She also does not flinch from describing what Americans have called French flaws, such as carrying on traditions that have lost their meanings. Wharton empashsis the overall French traditoin is a rich one, which is more than one can say about Americans who do not seem to remember yesterday let alone their roots. OK. She didn't actually say that. I am paraphrasing heavily, but I think she might agree.
I don't know how accurate Wharton was in her description of the French during and after WW1, but I sense that there are nuggets of truth there that carry on to today. I hope to travel to France some day and find out.
I don't know how accurate Wharton was in her description of the French during and after WW1, but I sense that there are nuggets of truth there that carry on to today. I hope to travel to France some day and find out.
November 2, 2020
It is a good reminder to read a book so contemporary and so dated. How Americans viewed France, Great Britain and even America 150 years ago made me remember, in Mark Twain's words "“You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I'll tell you what his 'pinions is.” We are completely the products of the little pond we swim in.
More specifically, though just a little because I don't want to ruin it, are Wharton's opinions on American women, French women, art and education..."They [The French] are puzzled by our queer fear of our own bodies, and accustomed to relate openly and unapologetically the anecdotes that Angle-Saxons snicker over privately and with apologies."
And it goes on from there, about money and country and everything else. Great observations, many I found to still be true, presented in clear, easy prose.
Wharton lived in France during the last 25 years or so of her life, and it seems this book was written early in the stay. It is very short, not more than a few hours reading, but worth the investment as a mirror between Americans and the French, Americans now and those a century ago, etc.
More specifically, though just a little because I don't want to ruin it, are Wharton's opinions on American women, French women, art and education..."They [The French] are puzzled by our queer fear of our own bodies, and accustomed to relate openly and unapologetically the anecdotes that Angle-Saxons snicker over privately and with apologies."
And it goes on from there, about money and country and everything else. Great observations, many I found to still be true, presented in clear, easy prose.
Wharton lived in France during the last 25 years or so of her life, and it seems this book was written early in the stay. It is very short, not more than a few hours reading, but worth the investment as a mirror between Americans and the French, Americans now and those a century ago, etc.
August 15, 2022
Edith Wharton wrote three of my all-time favorite novels and I will happily read anything she writes. I enjoyed this short volume immensely, especially the latter half. Her observations on the French people in the early 20th century is fascinating on so many levels. Having recently read 'Custom of the Country', I saw several of her points from that novel reflected in this book. For Wharton enthusiasts it is worthwhile to read 'French Ways' for a glimpse into her thinking and her values. Also many of her observations on the differences between France and America continue to resonate, and it's intriguing to think about the hardiness of national characteristics throughout a country's history. I was particularly struck by her thoughts on the maturity of the French versus the immaturity of Americans, the differences between married women of each country, and the reasons for France's reverence for institutions and tradition. Would recommend for those who love France, Edith Wharton, or students of the historical period in which she was writing. It's a pity she never met Proust, I feel they would have been kindred spirits.
January 18, 2020
Wharton's prose is beautiful as always but what is most interesting about this meandering account is her comparisons of England, France and America - discussing the French and Angl0 Saxons as two races. This was indeed a reminder that race is a social construct that continues to evolve and is always defined by those who consider themselves the superior race. I also found her take on French women amusing but not so sure I would if I were a French woman (I doubt French Canadian counts!).
This little volume is worth the read if you are interested in a very specific point-of-view of a slice of the world in 1919. Of course, reading from a first-edition with its striking cover adds to the experience.
This little volume is worth the read if you are interested in a very specific point-of-view of a slice of the world in 1919. Of course, reading from a first-edition with its striking cover adds to the experience.
May 22, 2018
Some interesting thoughts. Like this one about French ant their respect of La Patrie: “Far different is the lot of the dishonest man of business and of the traitor to the state. For these two offenders against the political and social order the ultimate horrors of the pit are reserved”
After all the French are daring bring to court their ex-President who got money from a foreign country Libya hopefully Americans will do the same with our present buffoon and its Russia monies
There were quite a few remarks which had still apply but the analysis is generally outdated compared with the modern French society.
After all the French are daring bring to court their ex-President who got money from a foreign country Libya hopefully Americans will do the same with our present buffoon and its Russia monies
There were quite a few remarks which had still apply but the analysis is generally outdated compared with the modern French society.
June 14, 2018
I like Edith Wharton and love all things French so of course I checked it out of the library. Lots of observations that are still true today. Interesting opinions on women during WWI. Kinda wordy and not the best for bedtime when sleepy. But oh, how she loved the French! Side note: her novel(la) Ethan Frome is one of my favorites and I named my first son Ethan. But not after Ethan Frome because he had a sad, miserable life. It just brought the name to my attention.
September 22, 2019
Obviously some of it is dated but much of the collection stands strong.
There is a healthy amount of early 20th century racism, heads up
There is a healthy amount of early 20th century racism, heads up
April 5, 2022
I have always loved how Wharton writes. She captivates me. This book was a little different because it is non-fiction. Still, just to hear her well-expressed insights was relaxing.
The most interesting and surprising part of this book to me was how she described the differences between French and American women. I would have thought she would have explained the French women were more sophisticated because ... I don't know.... because of some sort of liberal exposure or how they wore their hair. Rather, she lays it out clearly: she claims that it is due to the fact that French women have on-going interactions with men that keep them intellectually alive and interesting.
That was a surprise to me. She said that in America right when women are reaching the emotionally and intellectual peak, they become housewives who are surrounded mostly by other women, and are thereby hindered. She says the French "salon" where male visitors are received (and female, alike), and where conversation is an art, keeps the intellect of the woman alive, with ideas and discussions of politics, culture and cleverness. Wharton emphasizes that the French are the masters of the art of it.
As well, she explains that with the history of France and it's invasions, that the concept of tradition is one that is probably rather foreign to us on US soil, as we have not had our lands invaded and taken away from us. And so, the traditions that we may sometimes find slow or tedious there, they treasure.
And as for the French being rude, she tied that back to those very traditions. She says that since foreigners may not know to say "Bonjour" to the shopkeeper when they enter the shop as is "tradition," when they are treated coldly they think the French are rude, when really they perhaps feel like things weren't being done as they "should be."
---lots more to it. A short read. If you enjoy France or want some insight on the culture, Wharton always has some insights.
The most interesting and surprising part of this book to me was how she described the differences between French and American women. I would have thought she would have explained the French women were more sophisticated because ... I don't know.... because of some sort of liberal exposure or how they wore their hair. Rather, she lays it out clearly: she claims that it is due to the fact that French women have on-going interactions with men that keep them intellectually alive and interesting.
That was a surprise to me. She said that in America right when women are reaching the emotionally and intellectual peak, they become housewives who are surrounded mostly by other women, and are thereby hindered. She says the French "salon" where male visitors are received (and female, alike), and where conversation is an art, keeps the intellect of the woman alive, with ideas and discussions of politics, culture and cleverness. Wharton emphasizes that the French are the masters of the art of it.
As well, she explains that with the history of France and it's invasions, that the concept of tradition is one that is probably rather foreign to us on US soil, as we have not had our lands invaded and taken away from us. And so, the traditions that we may sometimes find slow or tedious there, they treasure.
And as for the French being rude, she tied that back to those very traditions. She says that since foreigners may not know to say "Bonjour" to the shopkeeper when they enter the shop as is "tradition," when they are treated coldly they think the French are rude, when really they perhaps feel like things weren't being done as they "should be."
---lots more to it. A short read. If you enjoy France or want some insight on the culture, Wharton always has some insights.
January 1, 2011
I finished my MA thesis on Wharton last night. Can't...read...more...Wharton.....
In spite of my shortcomings, I did enjoy reading this. French Ways and Their Meanings is a collection of essays and articles Wharton wrote during World War I. This collection is brilliant and reveals Wharton's thoughts on women, culture, and equality. Her comparison of French and American societies still rings true today, especially her discussion of marriage, Wharton's signature topic. She claims that when an American woman is married, she ceases to be part of society and have any influence on the men in her community. The whole time I read this, I kept thinking about how true this still is: women are still expected to become "the good little woman" really from the point they become engaged. The wedding day is the ceremony that symbolizes this transition. Especially interesting is the fact that Wharton is making the same argument as Gayle Rubin in "The Traffic in Women," but a good 60 years before her! I am a die hard Wharton fan, and this collection is part of the reason. A must read for anyone interested in Wharton, feminism, or the early twentieth century.
In spite of my shortcomings, I did enjoy reading this. French Ways and Their Meanings is a collection of essays and articles Wharton wrote during World War I. This collection is brilliant and reveals Wharton's thoughts on women, culture, and equality. Her comparison of French and American societies still rings true today, especially her discussion of marriage, Wharton's signature topic. She claims that when an American woman is married, she ceases to be part of society and have any influence on the men in her community. The whole time I read this, I kept thinking about how true this still is: women are still expected to become "the good little woman" really from the point they become engaged. The wedding day is the ceremony that symbolizes this transition. Especially interesting is the fact that Wharton is making the same argument as Gayle Rubin in "The Traffic in Women," but a good 60 years before her! I am a die hard Wharton fan, and this collection is part of the reason. A must read for anyone interested in Wharton, feminism, or the early twentieth century.
Want to read
August 25, 2024Farrow’s pedigree and his own talent encourage curiosity to read this incredible cover-up, payoff laden account of sexual predators, headlined by
Harvey Weinstein.
Sex, power, money... a recipe that usually silences, and frightens women, here tells how the boys club also suppresses and supports behavior that makes these events so despicable.
Ronan Farrow’s sister, whether we believe her or not, had to have sensitized him to the unthinkable within his own family, and beyond. He interviewed,cross checked, investigated, double backed, was spied on, followed, and was shut out.
Don’t all men have Mothers? Many have Sisters, and daughters- and yet so many enable and encourage. And isn’t the bad boy myth a bit boring by now?
Thank you Mr. Farrow. Stunning, thorough- Journalistic reporting and writing ESSENTIAL to democracy and ethics.
I’m stunned at the lengths, time, and energy that these “boys” have gone to to be bad. Maybe HW’s sentence in jail of 23 years, Matt Lauer’s $20 million dollar a year job loss and Charlie Rose’s banishment will influence better ethics and more energetic Me too enforcement, not entitlement.
Harvey Weinstein.
Sex, power, money... a recipe that usually silences, and frightens women, here tells how the boys club also suppresses and supports behavior that makes these events so despicable.
Ronan Farrow’s sister, whether we believe her or not, had to have sensitized him to the unthinkable within his own family, and beyond. He interviewed,cross checked, investigated, double backed, was spied on, followed, and was shut out.
Don’t all men have Mothers? Many have Sisters, and daughters- and yet so many enable and encourage. And isn’t the bad boy myth a bit boring by now?
Thank you Mr. Farrow. Stunning, thorough- Journalistic reporting and writing ESSENTIAL to democracy and ethics.
I’m stunned at the lengths, time, and energy that these “boys” have gone to to be bad. Maybe HW’s sentence in jail of 23 years, Matt Lauer’s $20 million dollar a year job loss and Charlie Rose’s banishment will influence better ethics and more energetic Me too enforcement, not entitlement.
June 23, 2016
A quick little read in which Edith Wharton compares/contrasts the French to Americans through short little essays covering topics such as: taste, reverence, and intellectual honesty to name a few. The French frequently came out on top in her comparisons. There were a few memorable quotes. Much of the French enigma still remains nearly 100 years after this book was published. The last line in the book really sums it all up:
"But when you have summed up the whole you will be forced to conclude that as long as enrighing life is more than preserving it, as long as culture is superior to business efficiency, as long as poetry and imagination and reverence are higher and more precious elements of civilization than telephones or plumbing, as long as truth is more bracing than hypocrisy, and wit more wholesome than dullness, so long will France remain greater than any nation that has not her ideals."
"But when you have summed up the whole you will be forced to conclude that as long as enrighing life is more than preserving it, as long as culture is superior to business efficiency, as long as poetry and imagination and reverence are higher and more precious elements of civilization than telephones or plumbing, as long as truth is more bracing than hypocrisy, and wit more wholesome than dullness, so long will France remain greater than any nation that has not her ideals."
January 10, 2017
I always enjoy Wharton's writings. Her novels bely her study of human nature. So, not surprisingly, a non-fiction book about the French people and culture would be all about human nature.
This book was written nearly 100 years ago, so certainly some aspects have changed for both cultures. Women in the US routinely work alongside men. My social circle is not limited to other women as would seem to have been the case in America a hundred years ago for married women. I cannot "partner" with my husband in his work as Wharton describes for the French women -- I am not a rocket scientist -- but I can and have influenced decisions he has made within his career. So, either the US has "grown up" a bit as a nation and within its culture, or I have been deeply affected by my French maternal grandmother.
This book was written nearly 100 years ago, so certainly some aspects have changed for both cultures. Women in the US routinely work alongside men. My social circle is not limited to other women as would seem to have been the case in America a hundred years ago for married women. I cannot "partner" with my husband in his work as Wharton describes for the French women -- I am not a rocket scientist -- but I can and have influenced decisions he has made within his career. So, either the US has "grown up" a bit as a nation and within its culture, or I have been deeply affected by my French maternal grandmother.
May 27, 2012
Wharton wrote _French Ways and Their Meaning_ during WWI as a way to encourage cultural understanding for the British-- and then American-- troops that were involved in the war effort on French soil. In it is a tender accounting for of what might seem like French idiosyncrasies. Wharton's tenderness toward her subject is clear. But this books shows a LOT more about Wharton than it does about France itself, and any student of Wharton would do well to read it. "The New French Woman" essay is widely-read as Wharton's treatise on ideal womanhood, but the other chapters of the book, less widely-read, give you a sense of what Wharton understood as the role of art, taste, history, etc. in a culture. Super fascinating.
June 19, 2013
Written at the time of World War I, this was a effort to explain a culture that might look, on the surface, close to American, but is really quite different. The book reveals perhaps as much about Wharton, as it does about the French. Surprising to the reader, this book is not so out-of-date. Nowadays it seems anyone who has spent any time at all in France writes a tome...witty, serious, analytical, take your pick..about the culture. This book, in spite of its age, holds up as well as some of those books which also romanticize the French culture. Enjoyable and some interesting insights along the way.
May 8, 2009
If you like more scientific non-fiction this will probably irritate you, but if you like to dream about romantic notions like a culture having an innate ability to appreciate art, you might enjoy it. I am in the latter group...I think that even if this book might be speculative and perhaps a bit outdated, it is a fun daydream, and there are many quotable bits.
October 3, 2007
My paternal grandmother was French, and I think the way I live and think and love the things I do, I have to be French right to the marrow of my bones. Reading this book is like reading a biography written about me. Fascinating.
March 6, 2013
It is obvious when reading that the book was written a century ago but I liked how Edith Wharton romanticised the French. There is undoubtedly some truth in her observations. It is good to read about her insight as she makes interesting points.
March 24, 2008
This book gives me the chills. I'm so jealous of her life. I was born in the wrong land.
August 15, 2008
I read this a few years ago and need to reread it. I liked her view of the French and there are parts that I found quite cryptic at times (written in the early 1900's)
January 20, 2009
The only nonfiction I've read by Wharton. I read it right before the first time I visited France and I found it quite insightful. Wharton really loved France and it shows here.
Read
January 17, 2018I usually love Wharton's writing, but being this was non-fiction, it didn't grab me as much. I am fascinated with WWI, but her American views on life in France was a bit off-putting for me.
September 11, 2010
Seriously, Edith Wharton? Seriously?
January 15, 2011
Although this book is ostensibly about French ways, at its heart it is about American ways and where Americans might be rather more tolerant of the French or even emulate them.
August 29, 2012
in need of editing. i prefer wharton's fiction.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews