Words in a French Life : Lessons in Love and Language From the South of France

**Based on the popular blog ([french-word-a-day.com](http://french-word-a-day.com)) and newsletter with thousands of subscribers -- a heart-winning collection from an American woman raising two very French children with her French husband in Provence, carrying on a lifelong love affair with the language.** Imagine a former French major getting vocabulary tips from her young children! That was the experience of Kristin Espinasse, an American who fell in love with a Frenchman and moved to his country to marry him and start a family. When her children began learning the language, she found herself falling in love with it all over again. To relate the stories of her sometimes bumpy, often comic, and always poignant assimilation, she created a blog in the tradition of books such as __A Year in Provence__ and __Almost French__, drawing more admirers than she ever could have imagined. With an approach that is as charming as it is practical, Espinasse shares her story through the everyday French words and phrases that never seem to make it to American classrooms. "__Comptoir__" ("counter") is a piece about the intricacies of grocery shopping in France, and "__Linge__" ("laundry") swoons over the wonderful scent the laundry has after being hung out in the French countryside, while "__Toquade__" ("crush") tells of Espinasse's young son, who begins piling gel onto his hair before school each morning when he becomes smitten with a girl in class. Steeped in French culture but experienced through American eyes, __Words in a French Life__ will delight armchair travelers, Francophiles, and mothers everywhere.

Based on the popular blog (french-word-a-day.com) and newsletter with thousands of subscribers -- a heart-winning collection from an American woman raising two very French children with her French husband in Provence, carrying on a lifelong love affair with the language.

Imagine a former French major getting vocabulary tips from her young children! That was the experience of Kristin Espinasse, an American who fell in love with a Frenchman and moved to his country to marry him and start a family. When her children began learning the language, she found herself falling in love with it all over again. To relate the stories of her sometimes bumpy, often comic, and always poignant assimilation, she created a blog in the tradition of books such as A Year in Provence and Almost French, drawing more admirers than she ever could have imagined.

With an approach that is as charming as it is practical, Espinasse shares her story through the everyday French words and phrases that never seem to make it to American classrooms. Comptoir (counter) is a piece about the intricacies of grocery shopping in France, and Linge (laundry) swoons over the wonderful scent the laundry has after being hung out in the French countryside, while Toquade (crush) tells of Espinasse's young son, who begins piling gel onto his hair before school each morning when he becomes smitten with a girl in class.

Steeped in French culture but experienced through American eyes, Words in a French Life will delight armchair travelers, Francophiles, and mothers everywhere.

Publishers Weekly

Vignettes and vocabulary create the base for this lighthearted memoir by Espinasse, whose blog French Word-A-Day spawned three self-published books. Born and raised in Phoenix, Ariz., Espinasse followed her heart to France, where she married and started a family. Thirteen years later, she still endures being labeled l'Americaine and experiences the indignities of grammar correction (by her own children, no less). Each short chapter (some are just one page) is inspired by a French word, shares a brief anecdote about French life (incorporating French words into the text), and ends with a list of all of the vocabulary words used in the anecdote, their English translation and a list of expressions using the word. In between explaining words like complicite (closeness, complicity) and egard (consideration), Espinasse recounts her adventures, from fitting in with the French moms to undergoing culture shock on return visits to the States, with honesty and humor, never afraid to have a good laugh at her own expense. With its innovative and entertaining way of teaching the finer points of French, Espinasse's memoir will be popular with travelers and expats alike. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Imagine a former French major getting vocabulary tips from her young children! That was the experience of Kristin Espinasse, an American who fell in love with a Frenchman and moved to his country to marry him and start a family. When her children began learning the language, she found herself falling in love with it all over again. To relate the stories of her sometimes bumpy, often comic, and always poignant assimilation, she created a blog in the tradition of books such as A Year in Provence and Almost French, drawing more admirers than she ever could have imagined.

With an approach that is as charming as it is practical, Espinasse shares her story through the everyday French words and phrases that never seem to make it to American classrooms. Comptoir (counter) is a piece about the intricacies of grocery shopping in France, and Linge (laundry) swoons over the wonderful scent the laundry has after being hung out in the French countryside, while Toquade (crush) tells of Espinasse's young son, who begins piling gel onto his hair before school each morning when he becomes smitten with a girl in class.

Steeped in French culture but experienced through American eyes, Words in a French Life will delight armchair travelers, Francophiles, and mothers everywhere.

Based on the popular blog (French-word-a-day.com) and newsletter comes a heart-winning collection from an American woman raising two "very" French children with her French husband in Provence, and carrying on a lifelong love affair with the language The American author shares stories of her experiences in the south of France, framed within the context of words she has learned from her children, husband, and through the course of everyday life A collection of charming anecdotes about the experience of being an American woman raising her two very French children with her French husband in Provence while trying to master the language. My belle-mere is seated at the kitchen table sorting the baskets of apricots with Jean-Marc.