French Women Don't Sleep Alone: Pleasurable Secrets to Finding Love

by Jamie Cat Callan

Did you know that French women don't date? American women have been missing out on a few secrets when it comes to the opposite sex. French women believe that the gift for attracting men has nothing to do with beauty, work, or even motivation. There are no Rules. And they don't listen to Dr. Phil's advice. They don't worry about the care and feeding of their boyfriend. And they certainly don't travel to Mars to communicate with men. On the contrary, French women's love lives are romantic, sensual, playful, and intense. They conduct their relationships with the same unique sense of originality and artfulness that they choose their clothes and accessories. For the first time ever, Jamie Cat Callan gives readers a personalized, guided tour through the corridors of French love.

Discover the secrets to:




Why French women always feel sexy


The French art of flirtation


Why French women walk everywhere and love to be seen


Where French women meet men


What French women do when their man misbehaves
Just as we've learned to stop torturing ourselves with fad diets and have relearned the art of eating, this witty, insightful, and candid book strives to show American women how to cultivate and enjoy the pleasures of love, romance, and marriage.

Includes delicious recipes for the perfect, amorous meal!

"Adorable!" --Erica Jong, New York Timesbestselling author ofFear of FlyingandFear of Fifty

"Attention single ladies: here's a new way to meet men and drive them wild! Jamie Cat Callan reveals sexy French secrets for upping your confidence and attracting potential mates. Your inner goddess will rejoice--and so will your new boyfriend! Ooh la la!" --Bonnie Fuller, former CEO of American Media, former editor-in-chief ofStar Magazine, and author ofThe Joys of Much Too Much: Go for the Big Life--The Great Career, The Perfect Guy, andEverything Else You've Ever Wanted

"No matter where you were born, every woman can now be a little bit French, thanks to this delightful book, French Women Don't Sleep Alone. Jamie Cat Callan helps women to look at their love lives and marriages with new eyes;love and marriage are not jobs but arts." --Nahid Rachlin, author ofPersian Girls

"Entertaining and informative!" --Helena Firth Powell, author ofAll You Need To Be Impossibly French

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, France, Relationships, Lifestyle, Psychology, How To

206 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2009

About the author

Jamie Cat Callan latest book, Parisian Charm School will be released from Penguin Random House in January 2018. She is the author of "Bonjour, Happiness!" and the wildly successful "French Women Don't Sleep Alone." Inspired by her beautiful and elegant French grandmother, Jamie has traveled all over France, interviewing hundreds of women to uncover their secrets to simple, authentic pleasures, including how to stay stylish at any age, how to enjoy more with less and how we too can find our joie de vivre, American style. Jamie is also the creator of The Writers Toolbox. Jamie has taught her unique right-brain style of writing at Grub Street, UCLA., NYU, Wesleyan University and Yale University. She has won a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant in fiction and a Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellowship to write in Auvillar, France.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 1 out of 5]

You have a right to be moody. You are ze woman. He is ze man. You are passionate! You have ze problem with that?! Reclaim your right to be a woman, to be moody and capricious and emotional. Life is a whole lot more fun when you're not trying to act sane all the time!

There is so much wrong with this terrible, sexist book. I'm desperately trying to find anything good to say about this, let's start with that. I feel like I should apologize to Mireille Guiliano. Even though I gave her last book one star, she's a much better author than Callan and much smarter as well. I didn't know how bad the the-French-are-awesome books could get, apparently. I have a new appreciation for you, Guiliano!

THE GOOD:
- In fact, we often think of romance, love, and meeting men as some kind of chore or appointment, just as we think of exercise as something we do three days a week at the gym and not something we integrate into our everyday lives.

I agree that looking at romance like this is bad.

But consider this - if you're looking for a mate, what are you doing? Checking online sites? Calling fifty friends to set up blind dates? Going to singles events or speed dating? This takes a lot more effort and truthfully, it's not much fun. And it's not really very natural.

Callan suggests meeting men more organically (my word, not hers) by going to activities, stores, cafés, going to friend-parties, etc. That is a good idea and less stressful than online or speed-dating IMO.

- She suggests if you don't have a date, you should still go out - either alone or with friends. This is fun and I support this. Going out with friends is fun; and as for alone, I go to movies and restaurants alone all the time.

- I agree with her that casual, fun flirting with no end goal is great. Flirting just to give yourself and the other person a boost is so fun. As long as both of you see it for what it is: light, casual flirtation with no result in mind.

- Callan really knows her way around a hyphen, and I admire that.


THE BAD:

- This is the second 'French' non-fiction book I've read that tells me Americans don't eat rabbit. Americans definitely eat rabbit. People shoot rabbits and eat them, others raise rabbits and eat them. It's strange both these authors are convinced Americans shudder away from rabbit. I was at a place TODAY where they were selling rabbit. Rabbit carcasses. This idea Americans can't stomach rabbit is false.

- Think of love as a piece of really good dark chocolate. Don't go for the stuff. Hold out for something fine and good and truly satisfying.

These sentences don't even make sense. Metaphorically or literally. No sense. I don't even know what this means.

- Not only is Callan a fangirl of France, but this book is basically a regurgitation of Guiliano's book French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure. Callan quotes her a lot and a lot of ideas in here are plucked from Guiliano's book. It's obvious Callan likes and admires Guiliano.

- Callan shoves a lot of recipes in here for no real reason. This is supposed to be a dating book, not sure why she felt the need to include a dozen or so recipes in here. It's baffling.


THE UGLY:

- Callan is very sexist. I felt like I was reading All the Rules: Time-Tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right. She has some really bad ideas.

And then there's the inherent pressure to become intimate, because let's be honest - this is what the American date is all about. You are given three, maybe five dates before you have to either go to bed or bail out.

Callan always mentions this. And her 'solution' is to 'trick' men into going on dates where they spend no money, such as going for a walk, bike ride, or a friend-party.

...rather she sees him with a group of friends. And by doing so, a man cannot really expect something from a woman, because he is not paying for an expensive dinner. This way, the pressure is off and a man and woman can simply get to know one another and develop a friendship. A seductive, heated, powerful friendship - until one day they fall into each other's arms and make mad, passionate love!

Sigh. There's so much wrong with this.

One: No amount of money a man spends on me means I owe him sex. None. He could take me out to dinner eighty times, pay every time, I don't give a fuck. I owe him jackshit other than thanking him. Any man who feels women owe him sex because he spent money on them is an asshole. Are you suggesting snagging an asshole who just can't express his true assholishness simply because you are 'fooling him' into going on dates with you that cost no money? Am I supposed to be happy about 'catching' this asshole?!!!?! Fuck that!

Two: friendship between a man and a woman doesn't always carry underlying sexual tension and certainly doesn't mean the two will fall in bed with each other.

Where on earth are you getting these ideas? Rom coms?

- Callan also has this idea, which she talks about a lot, that if a man truly, really knows you as a person... he will leave you. Men are easily bored, according to Callan.

Problem is, the two of you are way past the magical-mystery phase. Remember, he saw you with that nasty cold? He knows about that time you stalked your ex-boyfriend. He's watched you eat a pound of fudge. He knows about the C you got in chemistry. He knows what you look like after a hard night of partying. Honestly, the gig was up long ago.

Any man who spends a lot of time with you and really knows you - which, IMO, are requirements for a true, loving relationship - will be bored and disgusted. Therefore, Callan suggests a lot of little games you can play like mysteriously disappearing for an hour and having hobbies you don't tell him about and flirting with other men so he knows you can get another man. Which brings me to another point.

- Callan seems to have some bizarre ideas about men. These ideas revolve around men being some kind of superior, mysterious creatures who pick up and put down women on a whim. It's important, she stresses, to keep men pleased, entertained, and curious at all times. She believes the minute a man 'figures you out' he will leave you.

Personally, I believe the strongest marriages are between people who are also best friends. Callan strongly disagrees. No man who really knows you will ever love you or stay with you, is her message here.

I also want to point out how insidious this message is. Callan thinks females have no value. She's always going on about how you have to do all these things to 'catch' and 'keep' a man. Women are desperate. They need to do these tricks because they need a man. Nothing is worse than being single. But she doesn't see men the same way. Men just go around selecting women, using them, and then discarding them when they are bored - in Callan's picture. It's highly bizarre.

You will get tired of how many times Callan talks about pleasing and fascinating men in this book. Everything you do should be with this goal in mind.

If you read a book, it's because it will make you seem more interesting to men. Same for going to the cinema. If you go to a café to read and drink coffee - it's not really because you like books or coffee, it's simply to man-hunt. If you do something as simple as go for a walk, you need to dress up. You always need to dress up so men will be interested in you. Going on a walk isn't for your personal pleasure, it's a way to meet men.

I just can't stomach this kind of thinking. It's sick.

- Speaking of going for walks, Callan thinks catcalling is a good thing that is flattering and should be brought back.

French women learn at a young age that these attentions are generally harmless and they join in on the male-female mutual admiration society.

This woman is so... Has she ever been catcalled? How about catcalled every single day walking down the street!?!? It's horrible. It embarrasses and sexualizes women who are simply trying to get from Point A to Point B. And men who catcall say some disgusting things. Also, they have no cares about how old a female is. You could have horrifying things said to your fourteen-year-old daughter. Catcalling is sexual harassment and it can be/get very ugly. It's scary, it's damaging, and it is extremely disrespectful.

Many of us do dress to please men. We smile, we make eye contact, and we use our feminine wiles and still American men politely ignore us.
...
Perhaps this is why American women are in such a state of despair. It seems, in training our men to be less sexist, we've drummed the masculine instinct to pursue right out of them.

Horrifying on many levels.

- Callan also wants to bring back being able to hit on co-workers without fear of sexual harassment charges. While she grudgingly admits there were one or two benefits to the women's movement - like equal pay for equal work (which we are still really struggling with, not solved) - she is sad that men can't hit on women at work anymore.

I have enough problems with members of the public thinking they can hit on women in their workplace without having to deal with also fending off my boss and my male co-workers. I thank the women's movement every day for giving me resources and options to stop someone who is giving me unwanted sexual attention at work. It's bizarre to me that she wants to turn back the clock on this.

This whole book is bizarre, actually.

- Speaking of how bizarre her ideas about catcalling and workplace 'flirting' are, I want to point out that Callan comes off as extremely... naive or perhaps sheltered here. Definitely disconnected from reality. I'm rather surprised, since she was married, got divorced, and re-married. After all that I'd thought she'd be a little more... aware. But she is blissfully ignorant, deeply confused about men and women and what 'being male' or 'being female' means, and seemingly spending her life wishing we lived in the 1940s and 1950s again.

Her ideas about French women are also not based in reality. She seems to think that French women are these perfect creatures who 'control' their men with their innate sexiness talents that have been taught to them from birth.

She has a very low opinion of Americans. This is strange, since she is an American. But she is always talking about how awful and deficient Americans are.

In America, we have this either/or problem. Either we're smart and plain or beautiful and dumb. Either we're sexy, happening, hot-to-trot babes out on the town looking for love - or we're over-the-hill, old-maid librarians who are staying home with a good book and our three Abyssian cats.

I honestly have no idea where she got this from. It doesn't reflect reality at all.

The French believe that being smart IS sexy. They don't hide their brains the way we often do in America. The French just don't fall for the 'dumb blonde' thing. Their blondes - Catherine Deneuve, for instance - are both brainy and beautiful.

So insulting on so many levels.

Clearly, this is a culture that values education and intelligence.

Unlike America, right?!

Perhaps it's because the country and culture is so much more mature than America, and the sensibilities are more refined, or at least more complex.

This book is basically 207 pages of Callan kissing France's butt, to be honest.

As an American woman, it is in your power to be just as seductive, just as charming as a French woman. It's simply a matter of rethinking what is sexy.

Oh, golly gee, do you really think I can be sexy like a French lady and stifle all my horrible American-ness?!?!? We all know there are no sexy American ladies in existence, or in the past! Teach me your ways! Oh, wait. You're not even French. You're just an American woman with a hard-on for France. A fangirl.

Listen to how French women speak. Their voices are low and soft. They don't smile quite as much as we do. Their laughter is a little more contained. They're seldom boisterous or loud. They never get drunk. They don't act as if they know it all.

We get it, American women are horrid abominations, it's no wonder 'they're so miserable' and never do things like fall in love or get married.

French women are elegant, American women are butch. It's no wonder they can't get a man!

To be feminine is a wonderful thing in France. Femininity is not a dirty word there. Women wear lingerie, perfume, creams, and some natural looking makeup. They will choose clothes that emphasize their femaleness - their breasts, their long legs, their slender waists. Or, occasionally, they will engage in a little gender-bending fashion and wear a newspaper boy's cap and a pair of laceup boots, perhaps an oversized tweed jacket. This dressing up like a boy is playful and only serves to emphasize their femaleness.

But American women wearing more masculine attire makes them butch, she tells us earlier in the book. She tells us that French women take dance lessons from a young age, so they are poised and elegant with great posture. But American little girls take soccer. Which makes them unfeminine and unattractive to men.

- She always talks about 'training' men to do stuff as if they are dogs.

- She also repeats herself so much in this book. You think each chapter is a new topic? Think again. She says the same things over and over and over and over again. This book could easily be half or even one-third the length it is currently.

- We've all been there and done that - called up that ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night and when he suggests coming over for a booty call, we've said, "Okay, why not?" because, well, it's just been so long since we've been paid attention to as a woman. We want to feel sexy.

We have not all done that. Excuse me.

Tl;dr - There's probably a lot more I can go into here, but I'm tired. Reading this book took a long time because sometimes I could just not keep going, I had to put the book down and take a break because Callan was making me so angry.

It's hard for me to believe she thought this would be good for an American female audience. Even though she is a self-hating American, she can't expect none of her readers to have any national pride. And unless you think all American women are butch, uncultured, unfeminine slobs who can't keep a man - this is going to rub you the wrong way. Although after Guiliano's books came out, the emulation of French women and the worship of French culture flipped into overdrive.

I also think of France as a progressive, forward-moving nation. I don't really understand how and why she is comparing it to 1940s and 1950s America. I think that's a huge warp of some of the cultural differences she's seeing. Her interpretations of what she sees in France seem a bit suspect to me.

There are cultural differences between any two countries, and it can be fun to explore them and compare and contrast them. But it's less fun when one country is seen as horrible and pathetic and the other is shown as the paragon of sexiness and elegance.

Skip this book.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

French women don't date--they dine with mixed group of friends. They maintain "secret gardens" and wear boots with skirts, and know the correct ratio of bra-to-underwear. People keep reviewing this book like it's supposed to be a manual of orthodoxy whereas I'm pretty sure the author meant it as a light, enjoyable read. So just get down and enjoy it people, I mean really really really enjoy.

Here's a few extra items I learned in my twenties when I lived in Paris:

1) A ring on your fourth finger is like catnip to French men. They all want to have an affair with a married woman;

2) French men are not age-ist. If you are over 40 go to France. You will be made to feel sexy;

3) A French woman never leaves her home without some thing covering her face. She wears cream the way the rest of the world wears clothing--preemptively;

4) Ditto for scent;

5) Speaking French changes the shape of your buccal musculature. It gives you much more carved features. Even if you don't speak French, spend an hour a day making French sounds. Your face will thank you;

6) Eating good food is better than sex. Period;

7) The French, when they come to your house, will never ask to see your bedroom. They will never use your toilet. (American women pee every fifteen minutes.) They will never get drunk chez toi. (At least not after the age of 16.)

8)I once experienced the otherworldly pleasure of being in a group of six French women talking about sex. They weren't gross or detail oriented or romantic or especially knowledgeable. What they did frequently talk about was "l'abandon" -- losing oneself in "l'acte d'amour". Sensualists beyond belief;

...

[Vira Kovalova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute and light book to read! Loved the author's point of view on French women, I have exactly the same and this is why it was so pleasant for me to read it! Moreover, it has so many good ideas in it and I bet, I became more feminine after reading it. In our world of equality women should stay feminine, I am sure ☺️

[Sarah Brown towles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and easy, makes you feel good about yourself

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not in mood for a long and deep review so quick summery:

First I didn't really like it, I only read how perfect, and intelligent, and seductive French women are, with no exceptions…and how all men fall for them. Good so far, but what disturbed me was that the behaviour described in the book was related (only)to French people, and though the advices were good but in a different country some of the advices would be useless. French have a pretty unique mentality so it's difficult to be like a French woman in other countries, where men have different expectations.

But.

I still loved this book, I'm very into the topic of French lifestyle and all, at the moment, and the book gave me what I wanted as I started to read it: a lot of practical advices. It's a quick read and it hits the point without long anecdotes and stories about the author. I really liked how it described the way French women love and take care of themselves….how to love your body and your life, how to enjoy yourself and have fun in an easy and pleasurable way, no matter if you want to flirt or keep your marriage exciting.

I will definitely read this book again simply to remind myself being more sensual and enjoy life, I've never made so many marks in any other book before haha!

Note: English is my 3rd language so don't mind grammar and style, I'm still learning ;)

[Йоана · Rating 3 out of 5]

Написани са много интересни рецепти, повечето от които мисля да опитам. В книжката има доста повторения и по някое време ми стана досадно да чета едно и също. Авторката непрекъснато прави сравнение между французойките и американките и някак ми остана усещането за страничен наблюдател и не можах напълно да усетя пренасянето в книгата.

[Mary Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I liked and learned most from this book is that American women believe on wearing sexy lingerie, good perfume, and etc only on special occasions. Whereas the French women believe every day, every moment is a special occasion. And so why don't we deserve to wear sexy lingerie and good perfume every day? So I've taken the hint and have done so, and now I feel even more beautiful and confident! I suggest in everybody else doing so, and this way we can live life to it's fullest.

[Debbi Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

French Women Don't Sleep Alone ~ I enjoyed this book. I agreed with MOST of what she said. The French women have a more casual way of dating and being prepared for chance meetings is a way of life for them. It's less stressful because you are not put on the spot every time you're interested in someone. The other thing is that their style of courting and dating gives the woman self confidence that many American women don't have. My French friend has many of this book's traits.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very fun and light, and inspires confidence. Simple tips on how to enjoy your life and bask in your own allure, as well as some delicious sounding recipes. It's a great read, especially as a palate-cleanser if you have perhaps been reading back-to-back books about suffering in Africa.

[Jane Potter]

I read this really to just understand French women better. I really enjoyed reading this. It made me feel really good about being a women and just looking good and taking care of yourself for you.

[Lili · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally read this book in February 2009, shortly after it was first released, but I wasn't a Goodreads member at the time. When I started a food blog in mid-July 2016, I thought I should re-read the book because I remembered there being a significant section about the magic of dinner parties. I was right, but there was so much more that I was glad that I invested the time in rediscovering this gem. Not that the book was a significant time investment - I read it from cover to cover with time to spare on the airplanes from Hartford to Houston. The title actually seems like a misnomer, as Jamie is advocating a change in the American woman's general approach to life, regardless of whether she is seeking to catch a man or keep a man. There is so much worth learning and discovering in this book: why the American system of dating is so exhausting, why it is important to end dating relationships on a good note, why it is necessary to cultivate friendships, why it is satisfying to feel good in your own skin, and so on. It is so inspiring that I feel like I should re-read this book every five years or so just as a check up to see how I'm doing with respect to being happy, healthy, and friendly. Of course, now I feel like I need to follow up by reading Jamie's other books - Bonjour, Happiness! and Ooh La La! French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day - to further tune up my life.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a quick read, surprising since the subject matter is one of the most inscrutable in the entire world. What IS it about french women. It seems to be 2 parts this and 3 parts that, and totally unreproducible. The book touches on all sorts of things, and in a kaleidoscopic mirror way may give a reflection of an idea of a french woman may sort of resemble. But that's just it, if you could ultimately define it, the mystery would be gone. What the book does say over and over again (and which i agree with the author & also suspect is the solid gold truth of the matter) is you need to have the self confidence to be you without regrets. Belief in yourself, so simple to say and so hard to do for a girl in a look-ism society. And take decadent care of yourself, such care makes you a happier person, which makes you more beautiful whether you smile or decide to simply look mysterious about it for a while. Oh and read more books. If nothing else this book has name dropped a couple of authors I feel a need to investigate now: Amelie Nothomb & Daniel Pennac. This book may not guarantee more dates, or even more satisfying dates, but it is food for thought about what IS a date and what do you really want from it.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not like this book, at first. The first few chapters were slow and did not hook me at all, but I kept going. I do get annoyed when authors directly mention other books in their genre as this author did. It just bothers me! I'm reading *your* book, not theirs, I'm getting to their *later* so tell me what *you* have to say! The cooking section, with recipes, felt silly to me. There was a point to be made for sure, but I did not enjoy how it was done.
However! This book, in the end, is so wonderfully articulated! It not only makes you want and desire to make your life a little more French, it gives you fantastic starting points on how to change your dress, eating, relationships, and attitude just a little bit, to help you grow and change and help you think," Would a French woman say or do that?" and slowly *poof* your life becomes a little more interesting!

[Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall a disappointment. I thought this book would be more about romance in the general sense, rather than a dating types sort of ideal, but unfortunately not. Some of the observations and comparisons between the relationships men and women have in France vs. the US were interesting, but I wonder how much is stereotype and how much is legitimate. Perhaps it's best to take it all with a grain of salt, but some of the tips really aren't bad.

For instance, she talks about how men and women don't really date, instead they tend to meet in groups such as dinner parties, art galleries, museums, or go on walks or bike rides. This seems like a much safer way to meet a potential partner (in both the general term and to let your friends and family see what he/she is like as well.)

Borrow it from the library or bargain bin if you're really curious.

[Irene · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author's periodic need to say certain words or phrases in French drove me insane. Why is it necessary to say in French, "jardin secret" while using words like lingerie and coterie as if they were English words??!!! It drove me mad!

The only good thing this book did was provide examples things women can do to give themselves some self-love (good hair, a good piece of clothing, soft skin), that bolster self-esteem/confidence. That's about it.

[Beáta · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I'm interested in intercultural communication and different cultures, I found it interesting. My conclusion is that French culture differs from not only American but Hungarian culture, as well. The American author's grandmother was French and she was mysterious for her that's why she wanted to know more about French women. She talked to many French women about their tricks and secrets and finally wrote this book.

[Ginger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the greatest self-help book--my friend has a theory that it was really authored by Juanita Nonuttin, but very charming, entertaining fluff read. Extra star for helping me justify my shopping habit: I'm not frivolous with money; I'm just passionate on spending it on things I love to pamper myself like any good French woman does.

[Lily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Одиничка за згадку про інші книжки і фільми, які, можливо, краще створять французький настрій, ніж ця циклічна збірка думок, які повторюються і крутяться туди-сюди. І за вступ про бабусю-француженку, який мені сподобався.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and easy read, with surprisingly specific information about what French women presumably "do differently" than American women. I found the ideas intriguing.

[Alicia Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great little quick read and funny too.

[Vizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. It's a wonderful pool/ocean-side read because it inserted a healthy dose of self love into me. And what girl doesn't deserve that? Good positive read!

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read on the culture of France from a woman's perspective.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to "French Women Don't Get Fat", this is so much more than it's title. It's a biography of a lifestyle that all Americans should look into. Loved it!

[Jelena Matic · Rating 1 out of 5]

So sad...this book should be about French women, at least it is the headline. But it is more like " Comparison of dating in France and America". I really don't care how is it in America, especially if I bought book about French women' habits. Besides, quite opposite things are written in the book. For example: " French woman are spontaneous" and then advice: " Practice flirting, you can ask a random guy on the street for direction( even if you know it). " That is not spontaneous. Or: " We spend money on cosmetics etc..we shouldn't do that" and then: " French women have always good cream, parfume,(I'm paraphrasing)". 🙄

[Baroness · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is totally cutes! It brings out the fun, flirty, sexy, sensual and seductive...feel good in your skin energy.

[Sophia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is French Women Don't Get Fat for love and romance -- down to recipes for amorous meals. Descended from a French grandmother, Jamie Cat Callan and a friend interview French men and women (as well as some French-American expats) to delineate the feminine wiles des Francaises which she glimsped growing up.

While some of the advice is intuitive -- cultivate self-confidence, maintain your own group of friends and independence -- it does sound better under the wrappings of being French and therefore sexy. However, does wearing matching high-quality undergarments really bolster self-confidence? Callan goes a bit too far in distilling the French Woman into a stereotype that she claims American woman should emulate. She slips between describing some behaviors and attitudes as organic to French women versus their conscious manipulations to attract and keep men interested, leaving the question of whether the strategies work if consciously adopted in a goal-oriented manner to find love (which she claims American women mistakenly do.) Femninists might object to her claim that "being moody and frequently changing our minds is still and always be a female prerogative." The author overreaches when she makes claims without much evidence, for example, that the French are they way they are because of the influence of Descartes. Finally, it's unclear that what works so well in France will meet with success when transplanted into a very different American culture. Putting these concerns aside, I think the core message of being your own confident, grounded, and somewhat mysterious person with an vibrant social life outside of your relationship can't hurt, whether it's more French or not.

[Bloodorange · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very quick (and unsubstantial) read, and it's really hard for me to imagine its target audience. While the author repeats , that in France "women of certain age" are still found attractive, and I can recall no tips or assertions considering young women exlusively, the ideas in the book (apart from two sections, on which later) are really basic, and exactly what I recall from teen mags when I was still young and promising;)

Main premises are as follows:

1. French women have their feminine/understated sexy mode 'on' all the time, instead of being relaxed, then pulling out the Big Bombshell Guns, as American women seem to do.
2. French women celebrate everyday, and splurge on good cosmetics.
3. French women wear matching underwear.
4. French women go to cafes to read, by themselves (I swear, this was the DARING thing to do when I was sixteen)
5. French women are discreet and don't do TMI.

Leave that out, and only two sections - on entertaining and meeting men - are actually worth any attention (albeit I find the former highly irritating).

[Mehmet Kır · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie Cat Callan used very plain language in this book. This situation is a big advantage point of the book. The book starts with one French sentence: "Le mystére de la femme française c'est que son homme sait qu'il peut la perdre à tout moment".
Tips that are given by the author about relationship made it enjoyable.And then, the author make a comprasion between French women and American women. Also, she shows the expertise of French women about relationship than American women in the book. Good Reads..

[Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really just reminds you how wonderful it is to be a woman. How soft, and pretty, and funny, and fun we can be if we let ourselves. Wonderful! The title is misleading because I didn't read it to find love. I am not looking! I read a review of the book and it seemed like it would be fun. And it was! I learned some good lessons. I shall apply quite a few of her suggestions - and was chuffed to realise that I already do do lots of these things :)

[wiroonia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have stopped after the recipes part.
This is the most pointless gift I've ever received.
This is the most pointless book I've ever read. The author's style is poor and clumsy, and her logic is absolutely lame.
As I read it in Ukrainian translation, I feel sorry for a translator that had to scrutinize this book