1000 Years of Annoying the French

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Though maybe this book would be even better served with a companion novel, depicting the same events but from a French point of view, while poking fun at the British. Also, they've always been hospitable too when I've socialised with them except maybe in Marseille so I can't berate them for much. A whole country being invaded by their ‘archenemy’ or a few islands that were given up with some shoulder shrugging, well sentiment could be a bit different, don’t you think? This is how history should be passed on - the book is full of fascinating historical facts all built round the "special" relationship we have with our neighbours across the channel.

History is often looked upon as "boring" or "too-serious" and this is true in many cases, but as deep as humor has roots inside the humanity, a funny author can makes wonders. As well all know, the English have always taken a tongue-in-cheek pride at infuriating our near neighbours across the water and this book does true justice to this now, thankfully, peaceful continental rivalry. Not surprisingly, these aspects are key in establishing the book's unique charm - un très bon read, overall! It's to be hoped he's written a similar book from a French perspective, given that he now lives and works in Paris!As well as plenty of passage highlighting reasons to love the French, it reminds us of the many things the world has to thank France for.

Ze French, our natural enemy on the battlefield for hundreds of years, they then become an ally and still manage to have a go and complain about us. As tongue in cheek as the title sounds, this is an informative history book that charts 1000 years of Anglo-French mutual adoration loathing.

But it is not thoughtless bashing, Clarke's book actually hits upon an interesting topic: the way national identities are constructed and how historical events are greatly distorted in that process. The first big laugh I had was when Clarke described William II (informally known as Rufus) of England as "a medieval Paris Hilton" for his indulgences and a love of "make up, dresses and yappy little dogs". Because this book shines a big bright spotlight on all the notable mistakes the French made and even some of the successes the British achieved, but tries to be as brief as possible about everything the British did wrong.

This book should be required reading for anyone who wants a better understanding of the history that exists between England and France - and essential for anyone who collects fascinating trivia. Many things traditionally thought of as French, such as the guillotine, champagne and William of Normandy, were not French. The fact that we are now European partners does not, however, take away from the humour, accuracy and brilliance of this book. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.

Despite it being a whimsical ride for the most part, it did drag from time to time, and I was glad to get it over with. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.