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Janet Hulstrand is a writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher who divides her time between France and the United States. She writes frequently for Bonjour Paris, France Today, France Revisited, and for her blog Writing from the Heart, Reading for the Road. She created and has taught “Paris: A Literary Adventure” in Paris nearly every summer since 1997, and in 2008 she began offering "Writing from the Heart" workshop/retreats in Essoyes, a village in southern Champagne. She wrote "Demystifying the French" to help Americans (and other foreigners) understand a few simple rules of French etiquette that can pave the way to a much more positive experience in France, and to help visitors to France understand why the French are "the way they are." :-)
Her first book, Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home, received widespread praise. In 2013 she and her coauthor published an updated e-book version of the book, and they also coauthor a blog, Downsizing the Home: Lessons Learned. She is currently working on her next book, a literary memoir, A Long Way from Iowa.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
Demystifying the French: How to Love Them, and Make Them Love You by Janet Hulstrand is an engaging book that discusses how to do a better job of dealing with the French. The first part of the book gives five essential tips that are necessary for even the briefest of encounters with the French and the second part is more profound and speaks in detail about what makes the French tick. The third part of the book is a glossary which is extremely useful while traveling to France. Though the book is written keeping in mind Americans traveling to France, it reaches out to all readers from all over the world.
The author's 40 years of living experience is evident in her writing and she shares some interesting experiences and insights into the history and culture of France. The manner in which the author tackles the topic is unique and fresh and that makes it an appealing guide and gives readers a good idea of what to expect when they first travel to France. Readers will find it easy to understand the mentality of the French, the language, and other aspects of the French after reading this book. The bonus tips in the book are quite helpful and first-time travelers to France will find a lot of things mentioned in this book useful. What makes the book appealing is that it is not like the usual travel books one finds. It offers something more than just traveling and experiencing new things, and that is what makes this book distinctly personal.
