Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
SAY CHIC...C'est magnifique
Ever wonder why some French words have become so common in English as to be cliches? Or why your witty repartee wouldn't be quite so witty without them?
In Say Chic, Francoise Blanchard and Jeremy Leven collect more than seventy familiar French words and phrases that have become a permanent part of the American vocabulary. In their clever, often amusing style, the authors explain the origin of each word, its meaning, and how it came to be adopted into English. Uniting the sensibilities of an American author and a French author, these surprisingly entertaining stories combine world history, pop culture, etymology, and pithy observations about Americans and the French, with no small amount of panache.
Featuring delightful illustrations, Say Chic will find its raison d'etre on the bookshelf of anyone who has ever longed to be an American in Paris and hankers for a bit more of that irresistible je ne sais quoi in America.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Fraand#231;oise Blanchardandlt;/bandgt; is a well-traveled French woman who spent several years in the United States, where she met coauthor Jeremy Leven. After three years of collaboration, primarily on film projects, she returned home to Paris to write. She now lives in Seoul, Korea, with husband, Jung-Soon Choi.andlt;bandgt;Jeremy Levinandlt;/bandgt; veered from a career in the field of neuro-psychiatry to become a novelist, a screenwriter (andlt;Iandgt;Creator, Playing forKeeps, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Crazy as Hell, Alex and Emma, The Notebookandlt;/iandgt;), and a director (andlt;Iandgt;Don Juan DeMarcoandlt;/iandgt;, which he also wrote). He divides his time between Paris, Connecticut, and New York City.