Interesting but ultimately disappointing - Rated 
The authors of this book, Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, are clearly very intelligent and educated observers who managed to get the inside track on a lot of French life, especially among the elite.
What I personally find very disappointing, however, is the way they are constantly reminding us that they are Canadian, and seem to be seeing things in very Canadian terms - as France develops, for example, it is felt that it is "evolving towards a federal structure as in the USA or Canada". Why evolve towards? Why is this an "evolution"? While American authors usually write from an American perspective they don't usually have to remind me of that fact every two paragraphs.
I also felt that a lot of the observations were rather naive - perhaps if Jean-Benoit and Julie spent a few years living in other countries they might be able to write more about what makes the French different from other nationalities, rather than what makes them different from Canadians...
Worth reading though, especially after "Fifty Reasons to Hate the French"
Surprisingly pleasant - Rated 
I am a Frenchman living in England, and was lent this book by an English friend. I was worried it might be ladden with stereotypes, as is inevitable, but was actually quite happy with the way the authors portrayed my native land. Obviously it isn't possible to have a comprehensive review of any country by spending just three years and 350 pages on it, but they did a fair job of it in my opinion.
I actually learnt a lot about the way anglo-saxons look at us, and gave me an insight in how both foreigners and I react in different ways. Overall very interesting, I can't remember any repetition that annoyed me. There were some shocking mistakes, such as the Norway and british GP errors.
To "Pas pour moi", there is an active volcanoe in France, it is the Piton de la Fournaise on the Reunion island in the Indian Ocean.
The Canadian Exception - Rated 
It must be pretty difficult to write a boring book about the French - these two Canadian authors have just about managed it.
While the book is not necessarily comprehensive, it does cover some aspects of modern France very well; governmental, institutional, structural and, at certain levels, cultural. Other aspects that might be more dynamic - from France's military history to its squabbling political personalities to the racial tensions in its banlieus - are largely ignored
But this is an academic's book - or, more precisely - an academic journalist's book. There are many statistics that seem to have come off this or that institution's photocopier to be reproduced here without analysis and these are fleshed out with personal observations by Nadeau and Barlow's personal but yet rather earnest observations.
If you are a journalist or an academic journalist or a Canadian or even a French-Canadian academic journalist then you might find this book useful.
For those who prefer something just as factual and backed by the same amount of statistics but leavened with real insight, observation and humour, may I recommend the appallingly titled but actually very credible; "50 Reasons To Hate The French" by Jules Eden.
Think twice before writing a review. - Rated
I can agree with some of the comments about this book's occasional repetitiveness, but what seems most valuable to me is its explanations of just why and how certain uniquely French institutions (such as the Ecole National d'Administration) affect the thought processes of the French, and the fairly clearheaded analysis of the legacies of WWII and the Algerian War; legacies which cannot be dismissed lightly. As to the rather sniping reviews about the obviousness of 'The French being French because they live in France' passages - well I rather think that many of my fellow English have no idea why they are English. The French value their history: we appear to be junking it, if indeed we know what it is.
Fantastic Book - Rated 
I am leading the acquisition and integration of a 160+ employee French company. This book has been incredibly helpful in understanding the history of the French and how they "think." I intend to purchase a copy as required reading for every member of our integration team.
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