The French art of living well Finding joie de vivre in the everyday world
Book - 2023
"In the tradition of "Bringing up Bebe" and "French Toast," Cathy Yandell's "The French Art of Living Well" is a delightful look at French culture, from literature to cuisine to humor and more, showing how the French have captured that magic elixir known as joie de vivre. What is joie de vivre, and why is it a fundamentally French concept? In search of those ineffable qualities that make up the joy of living, this lively book takes readers on a voyage to France through forays into literature, history, and culture. How does art contribute to daily life? Why is cuisine such a central part of French existence? Why are the French more physical than many other cultures? How do French attitudes toward time ...speak volumes about their sense of pleasure and celebration? And finally, to what extent is this zest for life exportable? These and other questions give way to a dynamic sketch of French life today. Peppered with anecdotes and humor, this book uncovers some of the secrets of the celebrated French art of living well"--
- Subjects
- Published
-
New York, NY :
St. Martin's Press
[2023]
- Language
- English
- Main Author
- Edition
- First edition
- Item Description
- Includes index.
- Physical Description
- viii, 214 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 22 cm
- ISBN
- 9781250777980
- Un premier mot (A first word)
- 1. Celebrating the Senses
- The Joy of Cooking
- Making Scents
- Touching, Feeling
- Water as Healing Elixir
- 2. Shaking It Up
- In Defense of Handball and Beyond
- Getting Fit
- Dance to the Music
- Sex and the City (and the Country, and in Between)
- The French Get the Last Laugh … and the First
- 3. Sparking the Mind
- Savoring Books
- Lingering in Libraries
- Sleeping with Baudelaire
- Exploring with Montaigne
- Delighting in Duras
- Reading in Nature
- Seeing the Light
- 4. Finding Art Everywhere
- Art Matters
- Sculpture and Sensuality
- Depicting Joy
- Street Spirit
- At the Movies
- Long Live Music
- 5. Defining Frenchness
- The Family
- Village Life
- Urban Neighborhoods
- The Underdog
- The Power of Debate
- Public Schools
- In Defense of the French Language
- 6. Taking Time, Making Time
- Small Pleasures
- French Life, Then and Now
- Strolling with Ghosts
- Taking It Slow
- Un dernier mot (A last word)
- Photo Permissions
- Acknowledgments
- Index
Review by Kirkus Book Review