Joie de Vivre: Simple French Style for Everyday Living (ISBN 0743223535)

Amazon.com Review:
In Joie de Vivre, Robert Arbor, a Frenchman transplanted to New York City, explains the French philosophy on life and argues for its adoption by stressed Americans. In a funny way, this is sort of a self-help book for people who admire the French lifestyle, and for those who believe that good food is the secret to a happy life. The premise of the book is that you will find "domestic happiness" when you learn to enjoy the most mundane details of your everyday life: "It's about making time for family, growing some vegetables in your garden, chatting with the butcher, and cooking for your family and friends." Quality of life, explains Arbor, is only improved when your pillowcases smell like lavender, and you make your own hot chocolate. Although there are 50 recipes dispersed throughout the book, Joie de Vivre is not a cookbook. Most of the recipes are for dishes like A Really Good Fried Egg, mayonnaise, and café au lait, but there are interesting as well, such as Carrot Râpée, Beet Vinaigrette, and Fish in Papillotte. The recipes are included more as a way to better describe the French experience and to show how easy it is to adopt as a way of life; a method which works particularly well for those of us who know that the best way to understand and appreciate a foreign culture is through its food. --Leora Y. Bloom

It doesn't have to apologize for idealism:
I bought this book, on the recommendation of Diane F. Von Behren and Lee Mellott, two reviewers that I've begun to really trust here on Amazon. I was delighted to find, that typical of the other books I've bought on their say so, this one too is a joy to read and own. It is idealistic. That IS the point. This is a book ABOUT slowing down, thinking thru the day, not rushing from 7 am into eternity with one's head down, speeding thru an ever increasing load of chores till you drop dead wondering what life was all about. I think this whole French/North American contrast genre of books, whether it's French women not getting fat or the Entre Nous book are all about re thinking an approach to life. A little wake up call to examine what is important. There are plenty of things I love about being a Canadian that make me very different from the French in France, or the American in America and that I prefer to hang onto. Some things won't change. They work for me. But not because I hit the default button and just am Canadian because I was born here, and never thought about changing anything about me. I think one of the joys of life is changing those things we don't like to stuff we do like. Taking a broad cultural over view of the French way of life, and comparing it to the American (or British/Canadian/Australian etc) way makes it easy to spot the areas where we can borrow a better way and add it into our lives. Enriching my life with some excellent recipes, and a conscious re thinking of life patterns (thru my day, my year or how I run my life) is the value in this book. It is NOT a critique of America, rather it is an explanation of one mans view of life as he lives it, complete with recipes, side notes, cultural observations and the like. IT is the reader who is allowed to then observe, contrast, and critique their own life and decide whether or not doing things differently would be a worthwhile change, something that could add to one's joie de vivre. In my case it has. I'm stopping and enjoying life more as a result. My life is better, and yes, I have a little more joie de vivre as a result of this book. I think it is a wonderful addition to my library and plan to keep it.

Total waste of time:
I can't believe only one other person gave this a poor rating. Maybe the others didn't even bother. I picked up this book at the library, thankfully, so I can return it. This book provides nothing more than a look at the insipid life of a man with a hyphenated identity, but claims to be only French. Most of the images in this book are of his home, friends and kids. It's like a family newsletter made thick and glossy. I honestly don't care to know so much about him. Sure, it's charming to have a home in the French countryside. If you want to read some escapist travelogue, which can be fun, there are lots of those around. If you're looking for a cookbook, find one of those. And if you're looking to improve your life, then head to self-help. This book is none of these. It's just plain dumb.

Nice book:
I really enjoyed the overall tone and suggestion on how to slow down and savor life a little more. A very touching, sweet book.

FSRS:
I LOVED this book -I have read it twice. I lose myself in it and wish the American way of life had more of this Joie de Vivre.

Exactly what I wanted:
I wanted to read a book which was able to talk about the french lifestyle, while comparing it to American and have an understanding of where Americans are coming from. Mr. Arbor lives in both France and New York, NY so he's able to relate to the American lifestyle easily, while explaining the french lifestyle beautifully. I love this book! Truly.