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Books Related to More More France Please Helena Frith-Powell - ISBN: 1903933773
Rude Awakening! - Rated
This book could have been a whole lot better or bigger but with that said it does a very valuable job. If you, like many in Britain dream about living a more rewarding day to day existence and think that a move south will achieve that, then you should definitely read it first.
The unpalatable truth is that if you don't have a reason to go then don't and that point is made very clear in text of this book. Helena Frith-Powell makes a lot of the fact that work is as important after the move, probably more so and that it is a lot less easy to make work work in France. She also makes it clear that any problems that may arise apart from work are magnified ten-fold by the cultural divide. The sun shines no more kindly on our everyday struggles in France than in the UK and being unhappy in beautiful surroundings where you are used to relaxing on holiday can be even worse.
Ultimately what the book does hammer home is the necessity to prepare. Choose the right moment to go and be aware of what you are really getting into. There is clearly no urgency to jump on a property bandwagon as house prices in France are fairly static. I was fascinated by the comments about the hierarchical ex-pat community that already exists. Yes - the English are hard at work recreating the class system which many people are running away from! A large part of the ex-pat population seem to be escapees from screw ups and re-inventers and these are the people that you are going to rub up against along the way. The section about integration is good reading for those who are hoping to become proper citizens of their new country though this is with the caveat that you will always be the English however hard you try. Taking children to France is a positive but only if they are the right age and be prepared to relinquish their identity to Napoleon.
If you read this alongside Peter Mayles first book, which must have launched so many relocations, then you get a rounded view of the possibilities and the pitfalls. One is naive and inspirational, the other practical down to earth. Most of those who dream about relocating are really wishing they had a second home to escape the less exiting aspects of the UK climate but not being able to afford the luxury, move instead. This book will convince more people that ultimately a holiday home is a more appropriate solution and if it can't be achieved for financial reasons then it is far better to take the cheaper option of frequent holidays and yes, HPF sets us straight about the pipe dream of paying for your new French house with rental income.
It would be cynical to say but I think in the back of her mind HPF was trying to stop would be `migrators' and in that she has done a good job. Why would the French want us unless we do something that enhances their lives? Why should they want hordes of gainfully unemployed semi-retired families wandering round their villages gawping at the market stalls and easing up the price of their property.
Forewarned is forearmed and More French should definitely be part of your armoury.
new edition of previous title - Rated
You should be aware that this book is a revised edition of the 2005 title "More France Please, We're British". I received a copy of the new title not realising this so if you have a copy of "More France...." you won't want this as well.
An insider's survival guide to relocating to France - Rated
This book hides its true colours beneath the chic and cheeky cover and title. It is in fact a very astute and amusing guide to the realities of 'living the dream' in France as a non-English speaker. Well worth buying if you are tempted by an alternative life across 'La Manche' and are wondering what life is really like. Written with great affection, candour and humour. Covers everything - from language, etiquette, schools, hospitals, dog licenses, taxation, how to win over the mayor - and your neighbours, as well as the weather in different regions! Easy reading, up-to-date and very informative.
