It's been about a decade since Greenside purchased his second home in the Brittany area of France. This book, rather that being strictly chronological, hits a lot of the high points over the years as he navigates social niceties, finance, medical care, accidents and the like in his second home. I liked hearing about the people who have become his good friends and how now, after all this time, Madame P can be Yvonne.

France is full of surprises. It’s a country where a fresh chicken costs about the same amount of money as a visit to your home by an actual doctor at around midnight for a cough that keeps you up at night (and is reimbursed by the national healthcare system after you submit the bill) . They eat horse meat there, which really made me wonder if they raise horses solely for that purpose, and spend hours eating meals. In fact, it seems as if all jobs have 2 hour lunch breaks.

I love memoirs like this that are filled with so many fascinating facts about the differences between our way of life in the United States and the way other people live around the world. This book is well written and funny. The only thing that bothered me is that the author added a lot of French words and conversations, some he translated, others not, so I did feel as if I might be missing something or could have had a deeper appreciation for this if I could understand the meaning without looking up words.

#NotQuiteMasteringTheArtOfFrenchLiving #NetGalley #Summer #Summer2018

A voyage to France, it is clearly this book. The feeling to immerse to French culture through the eyes of an American. A good book to read this summer.

A thoroughly enjoyable book, I enjoyed Mark Greenside’s description of his yearly summer sojourn at his house in small town France very, very much. The author has a good sense of humour and an engaging writing style. His love for his life there comes through on every page. He as an appealing and self-deprecating sense of humour. Most enjoyable.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was not a very enjoyable book for me and I'm quite surprised that the author wrote this because it shows him in a most unfavorable light. Mark Greenside bought a house in Brittany twenty years ago and seems to have no regard for French customs and language. Most of the book is him complaining about how differently things are done in France than the U.S. Thankfully I know better, or else this book would make me never want to visit.

Are you, like me, a Francophile? Did you, like me, love Peter Mayle’s homage to Provence? Then you do not want to miss Mark Greenside’s books. (Not Quite) Master the Art of French Living is his latest and they just keep getting better.

A hilarious look at trying to navigate life in France, literally and figuratively. Worth buying the book just for the story of the roundabout, the car accident, and the strangely accommodating car rental agency.

I continue to be in awe of anyone moving to another country – or at least spending months out of each year there – as an adult. Not speaking the language kicks up the wonderment another notch. Buying and maintaining a second house in the US sounds like too much aggravation to me so doing this in France is way beyond my comfort zone. Perhaps the first book details more about that process but I enjoyed learning more about living in France – getting around, shopping, banking, filling out accident reports for insurance purposes, how to correctly slice cheese, more banking, how not to say “I love my life in France,” what not to serve native French people for a seven course dinner, and how to navigate the French health system. The six hour pig-fest among the senior citizens of two tiny Breton villages had me in stitches.

It was fun trying to remember my schoolgirl French lessons but I'm glad translations were included. I did wonder at the fact that after twenty years, he opted to “village idiot” his way through so many conversations but the last chapter answers a lot of my questions.

I would never master the art of French living either but it definitely is fun to read about someone else trying to.

An American buys a house in Brittany (it really doesn't matter, it could have been Provence,Dordogne,Auvergne...)and is confronted with the inhabitants and their very local habits. Fair enough,but what I don't get is that the aùthor has spent 2 months every year in Brittany for 25 years and his vocabulary still doesn't reach beyond bonjour and bonsoir. A copy of French for Dummies would be very appropriate. The result is that both the author and the French sound like complete idiots. Not very respectful towards your adoptive country,is it? And there are some some grammatical errors (not the author's)for instance : probléme instead of problème. Apparently the editor also needed a copy of French for Dummies ). Still,there are some passages in this book that definitely made me smile,always a good thing...but it has been done before and so much better...

Laughed out loud many time! Also really made me want to go to France regardless of the terrible roundabouts!

(Not quite) Mastering the Art of French Living is a book written by an American who spends his summers in Brittany, France and how he gets on there and the nuances between the cultures he has found.

It covers a number of topics from Money, Shopping, Driving, Food and needing Medical Assistance.

Each chapter gives an account of things that have happened to the author during his summer visits, and learning about the culture. There are also "10 things I've learnt" at the end of each chapter that are even more things he has picked up rather than a round up of the chapter.

This is a book that had me laughing from time to time as his use of French meant once he asked for a chocolate ice cream on female genitalia instead of a cone or that one of his french friends looked at his attempts of serving a salad, or balsamic vingear with disgust and like poo!

I've certainly learnt a lot about our French neighbours across the English channel that I was not aware of, such as seven courses are expected when inviting friends for dinner (how many!?) or after a car accident the vehicle will be repaired in three days (blimey thats quick) and after a hospital stay, rather than being sent home to recuperate, you are sent to a seaside hospital to recover (something we certainly would never do in the UK).

If you are looking for a book about what it means to live in or even visit France, then this is a great book to give you the flavour of what its like and how to make you look less of a fool during your stay.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

I smiled at all the moments in this book which have a quality of "Oh, dear, I'm really clueless and probably making things worse, but what else can I possibly do but try?" While I have not yet had the pleasure of visiting France, I have had those sorts of moments in other countries. Whether trying to drive, buy food, or communicate, those funny/awful moments are a part of travel to countries with a language barrier. Even where I knew some of the language, it was never enough....

If you were expecting a picturesque, elegant narrative about life in France, (Not Quite) Mastering the Art of French Living is not it. Well, that’s a bit obvious in the title.

What the book is about is the author’s misadventures in French living. Or how he tries to master the art of French living by spending his summers in a house he bought in the countryside, in the small Breton town of Plobien.

It’s a humorous take on ordinary, everyday life in France as a foreigner who can’t quite master the French language. The author covers a lot --- driving, shopping, money and banking, food, cooking, health, medicine, hospitals, and of course, the language. While bravely conversing with the locals in French, he often ends up in lost in translation situations. And, his neighbors, who have become his trusted friends, come to his rescue.

(Not Quite) Mastering the Art of French Living is a fun, enjoyable read.

Interesting book about living in France. Decent, but not my fave book about France.

An enjoyable look at the difficulties encountered by the author when living in France. It will have you laughing at his mistakes.

I loved it. While I was reading this book I was swept away to France. Every word was a joy to read.

A very entertaining and humorous read! Mark Greenside is determined to try and fit into the small Breton community where he spends his summers. The clash of cultures results in some very funny adventures and situations, but through it all you can sense the fondness Mark has for his new friends and his second home.

Very funny, entertaining and interesting.
An unusual look to France and French people.
Many thaks to Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing

A refreshing funny look at life in a small Breton town, from an outsider, the self proclaimed illiterate American. Well worth the read

From the very first chapter, this book had me in stitches. My favourite chapter about the road accident, I had to put the book down several times just to catch my breath from laughing. As a Francophile, every chapter was a delight. Greenside details his encounters with French systems and with the French themselves in a humorous way. His insights are not necessarily new but the personal way he describes his experiences makes this a fun and informative read for other Francophiles or those curious about the everyday life of an American in France. Or for those who just like to laugh.