G892 Book Review of a very French christmas; the Greatest French Holiday Stories of all time by various

Title of the book: a very French christmas; the Greatest French Holiday Stories of all time

Authors: Various

Publisher: New Vessel Press

Publishing Date: 2016

ISBN: 978-1-939931-50-4

Summary:

A continuation of the very popular Very Christmas Series from New Vessel Press, this collection brings together the best French Christmas stories of all time in an elegant and vibrant collection featuring classics by Guy de Maupassant and Alphonse Daudet, plus stories by the esteemed twentieth century author Irène Némirovsky and contemporary writers Dominique Fabre and Jean-Philippe Blondel.

With a holiday spirit conveyed through sparkling Paris streets, opulent feasts, wandering orphans, kindly monks, homesick soldiers, oysters, crayfish, ham, bonbons, flickering desire, and more than a little wine, this collection encapsulates the holiday spirit and proves that the French have mastered Christmas. This is Christmas à la française—delicious, intense and unexpected, proving that nobody does Christmas like the French.

Author Info:

Alphonse Daudet, Guy de Maupassant, Anatole France
Irène Némirovsky, Jean-Philippe Blondel, Dominique Fabre,
Paul Arene, Francois Coppee, Antoine Gustave Droz, Anatole La Braz

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Table of contents
THE gift- Jean Phillipe Blondel

St. Anthony and his pig- Paul Arene

THE Louis D'Or- Francois Coppee

Christmas in algiers- Anatolia le braz

THE wooden shoes of little wolff-  Francois Coppee

Christmas eve- guy de maupassant

Christmas at the boarding school- Dominique Fabre

Salvette and bernadou- alphonse daudet

A miracle- guy de maupassant

I take supper with my wife- ANTOINE gustave droz

THE LOST child- Francois Coppee

THE juggler of Notre dame- Anatole France

Noel- Irene Nemirovsky

Personal Opinion:

I think I signed on to read and review the book as more of a curiosity because I wanted to know how French christmas was different than the stereotypical portrayal of American and Dickensian christmas. I also think I was curious how I would feel about the stories considering that I don't celebrate christmas (closest is New Years in Russian style which is similar to christmas style as I learned when I came to America.) What I found out is interesting: modern stories like the first one as well as one by Dominique Fabre and last one by Irene Nemirovsky for me they are far more enjoyable than the old stories by Alphonse Daudet and Francoise Coppee who apparently were hypocrites in their beliefs towards those who are not christians. Most of the 14 stories are dominated by Daudet and Coppee. I liked learning about the way French celebrate christmas and seeing something other than British or American, but I do wish that the stories would have been in more of a modern vein rather than the 1800s vein.

This is for France Book Tours

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Tuesday, August 8
Review + Giveaway at The Fictional 100

Review + Giveaway at Reading for the Stars and Moon

Wednesday, August 9
Review + Giveaway at The French Village Diaries

Thursday, August 10
Review + Giveaway at Readerbuzz

Friday, August 11
Review + Giveaway at Reading To Unwind

Review + Giveaway at Words And Peace

Monday, August 14
Review + Giveaway at Books Are Cool

Review + Giveaway at Locks, Hooks and Books

Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

3 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 14, 2017 at 9:19 AM

    Thanks for your review, sorry it was not really what you expected. There's a lot of characteristic French humor in here, maybe visible only at 2nd reading if you are not familiar with it

    ReplyDelete

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