{"product_id":"detour-de-france-an-englishman-in-search-of-a-continental-education-9780091927530","title":"Detour de France An Englishman in Search of a","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThough happy enough with his lot, Michael Simkins has never truly shaken the nagging doubt - helpfully upheld by his partner Julia - that he somehow lacks worldly sophistication. While she spent her teenage years as a nanny on a boat moored at Cannes, his utter lack of travel experience (Weymouth, Cleethorpes and a day trip to Dieppe) still has the power to shock people into leaving dinner parties early.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo as he hits middle-age, Michael takes up the challenge of broadening his horizons. He decides to improve himself in the same way English gentlemen lacking refined edges have for centuries: by learning from our more cultured French neighbours. Michael, an English provincial \u003ci\u003eingénue\u003c\/i\u003e, sets off to discover just what the Gallic nation can teach him and the rest of us Anglo-Saxons about living the good life. Armed only with \u003ci\u003e50 Useful Phrases in French\u003c\/i\u003e, he waits to see if his odyssey from La Manche to the Riviera will finally turn him from the scotch-egg eating spawn\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBrimming with well-told anecdotes with perfectly delivered punchlines...a must-read for anyone stepping on the Eurostar * The Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eVive le Simkins! * Metro *\u003cbr\u003eInsightful, charming and trouser-wipingly funny. * Stephen Fry *\u003cbr\u003eSimkins makes even the worst travel experience pleasurable.  In fact, the worse it is, the better he gets. * Michael Palin *\u003cbr\u003eFunnier than Bryson * Michael Billington *\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ebury Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51017508585815,"sku":"9780091927530","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780091927530.jpg?v=1750773779","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/detour-de-france-an-englishman-in-search-of-a-continental-education-9780091927530","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}