5 Things About France

Having published 600 posts, now, once in a while I start wondering if perhaps the readers of today’s blog post may have missed something from the past that I think they might like. So I’m going to do a little reviewing from time to time. Starting with 5 things I learned about 5 different parts of France.

Occupied France: Suite Francaise

“Némirovsky is able to stand apart and describe not just the people who rise to the situation, but those who petulantly insist on retaining their privileges, or find ways to cheat and steal from others for their own benefit.”

Provence: The Grocer’s Son

“The director, interviewed in the film’s press kit, claims that he removed the most beautiful scenes because they would have distracted from the story. Imagine that. Provençe is even more beautiful than portrayed.”

Paris: The Piano Shop on the Left Bank

An American writer finds he has to rein in his American tendency to blurt out questions and rush acquaintanceship.

Normandy: Madame Bovary

At the time he published it, critics were shocked at his(Flaubert’s) portrayal of s-e-x. They missed the descriptions of the land and people–an aphrodisiac to the traveler.”

Cévennes: Travels With a Donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson

“..this area was wracked by wars between the dominant Catholics and the Protestants in the late 18th century.”

Bonus read:

I must admit that my favorite of my jottings about France did not appear here, instead I talked about a dinner conversation in Normandy over a Your Life Is a Trip. This article stirred up quite a bit of comment and controversy in the comment section, so if you go, read that, too.

When I travel, I prefer to observe and learn, not proclaim political beliefs. Above all, I don’t want to be the know-it-all American, assuming the right to lecture.”

Do any of these articles appeal to you? Which one would you choose to pass on to friends?

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About Vera Marie Badertscher

A freelance writer who loves to travel. When she is not traveling she is reading about travel. When she is not reading or traveling, she is sharing with the readers of A Traveler's Library, or recreating her family's past at Ancestors In Aprons . She has written for Reel Life With Jane, Life is a Trip and other websites. Also co-author of a biography, Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. Contact Vera Marie by e-mail.

8 thoughts on “5 Things About France

  1. I love the quote you end with. If more Americans would live by this, then we wouldn’t be thought of as ‘quite so ugly’. 🙂

  2. Nice list. Your sentence about “Suite Francaise” is enough in itself to make me want to read it.

  3. Here’s one more for your future list, Vera:

    David McCullough’s new book, The Greater Journey, is the story of famous (and not so famous) Americans who went to Paris to study and work in the 19th century. Mr. McCullough, one of the very best writers of non-fiction, has created a fascinating book for those who like history and love Paris. (Got mine for half-price in Target last week — that was a surprise!)

    1. Libbie: I have requested McCullough’s book from the publisher. It does sound great, and I really enjoy his biographies and histories, so I’m sure I’ll love this.

  4. Thank you for the review- I will share Paris: The piano shop on the Left Bank

    …oh and I do always click notify me of followup comments via emails- so I always get the follow up comments

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