Hilary French

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...French Relations is a very funny book. Fiona Walker is a very clever writer and her characters are brilliant, I bought this book as I’ve always liked Jilly Cooper and I wanted to check out the comparisons being made between Walker and Cooper. French Relations certainly didn’t disappoint me. The lead character, Tash French, has cherished a life-long obsessive love for Hugo, a gorgeous rider who has always been indifferent to her. The book begins with Tash setting off on holiday and it charts her changing feelings as the focus of her obsession shifts from Hugo to Niall, an actor who is kind, dippy and as lost as Tash herself. The characters are fantastic, the story is great and the dialogue is hilarious. I would definitely recommend this book.... Read review

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Advantages: Addictive reading, intelligent observations and new information on Matisse.
Disadvantages: Asolutely none.

...Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse: 1909-1954 v.2 by Hilary Spurling. This biography of the 20th centuary painter and artist Henri Matisse is simply the best I've come across. The writing style is easy to get on with. Art books are often bogged down with art style writting full of incomprehensible language and theory. Not the case here! This book is clear cut and very informative. The author really wants you to understand what Matisse is about as a person and as an artist. Matisse is an artist who was and is surrounded by a negative myth created by critics and ill wishers in his time and this to some extent carried on after his death. This book is a successful attempt to destroy the lies and the myth that Matisse was inferior to Picasso and was somehow just a decorative arist not seriously contributing to Modern art... Read review

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Advantages: Authentic recordings, good vocabulary
Disadvantages: Grammar not detailed enough

...Whether you are embarking on self-study or a private tuition course in French, The French Experience 1 is worth considering. Writing and grammar are not over-emphasised, but if you wish to speak, understand and read texts, there is a wealth of material here. Each unit focuses on a particular topic such as health, travel, food and drink, professions, holidays and so on, providing useful vocabulary for tourists as well as residents. The CDs contain authentic dialogues and interviews recorded in France; within each unit the recordings concentrate initially on listening and recognising vocabulary, and then on the learner producing similar language through role-play. Four 'étapes' or tests are interspersed throughout the book, allowing self-assessment of cultural knowledge as well as language acquisition. There is a four... Read review

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