rkw1989's review
5.0
Very fun, endearing book that made me laugh, agree with his love for the French, and even convinced me to practice my French again. A beautiful read!
lauralh05's review
4.0
I received this book for free as an early reviewer. I was torn between 3-4 stars but ultimately went with 4 because, although it was not fully what I expected and took me longer than anticipated to get through, it was well done. I had hoped for more French travel and culture notes, I did not realize how fully Alexander would focus on learning the language. This made it a bit tedious for me at times, however there actually is a lot of interesting information on the French language and language learning in general. If you have an interest in the language or how language is learned, this book is definitely worth a read.
daniellebeverly's review
4.0
Je l'ai aimé! This memoir was entertaining, informative, funny, and relatable! I too am trying to learn French, and commiserating with William on the page about the challenges that face any second-language learner was so encouraging. And I loved the research he put into language theories and how the brain works -I learned so much more than I was expecting, including some French words along the way! highly recommend!
"French is not a translation of English...French is French. When French people say something in French, it is not that they really mean something in English; no, they mean something in French."
"French is not a translation of English...French is French. When French people say something in French, it is not that they really mean something in English; no, they mean something in French."
eclectictales's review
5.0
I received a copy of this novel through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme in exchange for an honest review. This review in its entirety was originally posted at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2014/08/28/review-flirting-with-french/
Flirting With French is a relatively short but delightful and jam-packed read about the author’s experience with everything French. It can be a bit of a travelogue, with the author recounting his various trips to France, to a memoir of his experience learning the language again for the first time since high school, to an informative non-fiction piece about language learning in general–the biology and psychology behind language learning, the evolution of language and regional dialects, etc. It made for an interesting read and learned a lot of things that I otherwise did not know before (i.e. the reason why we say things like “cease and desist” and “null and void” when they mean the same thing). I also found the book to be really relatable (well, minus being a language learner at age 57) with wanting to learn a language and developing an interest to learn a language outside of school.
Overall, I really enjoyed readng Flirting with French. In a way it reminded me of Ari L. Goldman’s The Late Starters Orchestra (my review) with the message that it’s never too late to learn something new. The road to learning might be long and arduous, but as long as you’re having fun and you love what you’re doing, then it’s all good! :) I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re into everything French and into language learning.
Flirting With French is a relatively short but delightful and jam-packed read about the author’s experience with everything French. It can be a bit of a travelogue, with the author recounting his various trips to France, to a memoir of his experience learning the language again for the first time since high school, to an informative non-fiction piece about language learning in general–the biology and psychology behind language learning, the evolution of language and regional dialects, etc. It made for an interesting read and learned a lot of things that I otherwise did not know before (i.e. the reason why we say things like “cease and desist” and “null and void” when they mean the same thing). I also found the book to be really relatable (well, minus being a language learner at age 57) with wanting to learn a language and developing an interest to learn a language outside of school.
Overall, I really enjoyed readng Flirting with French. In a way it reminded me of Ari L. Goldman’s The Late Starters Orchestra (my review) with the message that it’s never too late to learn something new. The road to learning might be long and arduous, but as long as you’re having fun and you love what you’re doing, then it’s all good! :) I highly recommend this book, especially if you’re into everything French and into language learning.
jlye's review
4.0
I am currently learning French at the age of 39, so I appreciate and share many of the struggles shared by the author. Will I ever reach fluency at this stage in my life? According to this book and most linguistics researchers, the odds are stacked against me! But I agree that the additional benefits of studying a second language as an adult are reason enough to keep trying.
Courage!
Courage!
jennyrpotter's review
3.0
This book was interesting, and unlike any other book I've read. A 58-year-old man who took high school French and has long been obsessed with France decides it's high time he learned French. What ensues is more than I really expected from the book. He spends time bicycling with his wife through the French countryside, takes language immersion classes from a school in rural France, and spends countless hours with online courses, self-studies, and conversational meetups. A rewarding little book about pursuing one's bucket list with determination.
polyhy_14's review
4.0
The author is a self-confessed Francophone; not only is he in love with all things French, he wants to be French. There’s just one small problem; at the ripe old age of 58 he struggles to learn the language. This book is a delightfully witty and informative account of his efforts. Nit only does it detail his own hilarious attempts, it goes into the history of the language, the reasons why adults find it harder to acquire a new language than the very young, why people find it hard to pronounce certain sounds in languages other than their own, and sundry other interesting facts. While he may not end up a linguist, he does acquire a certain proficiency and perhaps most interestingly of all, vastly improves the cognitive function of his brain. This is a huge relief to me; all those hours I’m spending trying to remember vocab, conjugate irregular verbs and brush up on tenses have some purpose after all.