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But You Are In France, Madame

Item Code: ButYouAreInFrance
Price:  $28.00
or 4 payments of $7.00 with Info
Afterpay is only available for orders between $0.00 and $1000.00
By: Catherine Berry

But You Are In France, Madame

Item Code: ButYouAreInFrance
Price:  $28.00
or 4 payments of $7.00 with Info
Afterpay is only available for orders between $0.00 and $1000.00
By: Catherine Berry

The story ‘But you are in France, Madame’ was written from the heart. If you love France, reading about France, are curious about the lives of others or are planning your own trip to France, then this might just be the book for you.

*all copies are hand signed by the author herself

At the college for a parent-teacher interview, I met my daughter outside in the courtyard and she showed me up to her classroom. Her teacher was busy chatting, so we waited patiently in the corridor. When he did come out, he indicated that the meeting would take place downstairs and headed off with us in tow. 
Before sitting down, I introduced myself using my first name, and put out my hand to be shaken. He mumbled back his full name as he took my hand, although I suspect he would have been shocked if I had actually dared use it. By this stage, I had already understood that teachers did not expect to be questioned about their practices. Of course, I did question him, that is; politely and almost deferentially. There was a slight pause, as he dipped his head to better digest what he had heard. Then, with the assurance of a perfect, unarguable answer, he replied, “But you are in France, Madame”. 
Some months before, my husband, three children and I had casually unzipped and discarded our comfortable Australian lifestyle and slipped on life in the country of haute couture. On arrival, there was no celebrity designer waiting for us, ready to pin and fit our new life to us; so we threw it on and wore it loosely, tightly, uncomfortably, any old how until we learned for ourselves how to trim, hem and stitch à la française. This book is testament to the joyous, but not always easy, journey that we took along the way.
Her story ‘But you are in France, Madame’ was written from the heart. If you love France, reading about France, are curious about the lives of others or are planning your own trip to France, then this might just be the book for you.

Product Details:

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Catherine P M Berry; 1 edition (November 1, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0646950207
  • ISBN-13: 978-0646950204
  • Product Dimensions: 12.75 x 2.5 x 20 cm / 5 x 0.9 x 8 inches (approx.)

About the Author

It got to me. Living in France was supposed to have a beginning and an end. It nearly did have an end in a way that I could never have imagined, but now it can’t. I belong amidst the bewildering complexities and incongruence’s of French life, and wherever I am, for as long as I am, this will not change. Nothing from my Australian upbringing pre-supposed this French fascination. My first steps in the language were coincidental, and it was probably luck that saw one of the young, groovy teachers allocated to my beginner’s French class at school. I enjoyed writing, but was gently encouraged into maths and science subjects, where non-essential creative writing was relegated. Thereafter, I adopted an academic approach to getting through an undergraduate degree, teaching diplomas and a master’s degree in education. Despite these intervening diversions, my French obsession remained present and it was only natural that when my own children were old enough that we head to France.