Stephen Clarke’s hilarious and enlightening history of the love-hate relationship between Britain and France
Things have been just a little awkward between Britain and France ever since the Norman invasion in 1066. Over the subsequent thousand years of wars, treaties, and cultural rivalries, the strange relationship between these nations ranged from contentious to comic. From the Hundred … contentious to comic. From the Hundred Years’ War and Joan of Arc, to the American Revolution and the Louisiana Purchase, to the ascendance of Napoleon Bonaparte and dawning of the Victorian era, Clarke examines with insight and humor the misfortunes and missteps that marked British and French–and sometimes American–relations through the centuries.
Fast-paced and endlessly entertaining, 1,000 Years of Annoying the French is a riveting history of western Europe’s oddest couple.
An amazing book that I would recommend to everyone. Stephen Clarke made history funny, entertaining and fascinating. It should become a must read for all school children — they would end up loving history instead of being disinterested in it.
Great review of history of relations between French & English from time of William the Conqueror
A lighter view of history.. it skips over many years and skips from country to country.
What a fun book! I’ll admit I didn’t know a lot of French history, and, of course, there’s a lot of tongue in cheek humor in the way it’s presented, but a lot of things about the English/French rivalry suddenly fell into place. Characters, timelines, and places began to make sense. I laughed out loud at the chapter on Louisiane and was amazed at …
A whole new twist on history at the expense of the French!
Stephen Clarke has written several books about An Englishman living in Paris.The first one “A Year in the Merde”,”Merde Happens” and others told about him living in Paris other are very funny tales of English and French relations since 1066 all in a humourus vein. All great books
Relevant history with a whimsical twist. An enjoyable read!
A very one-sided and humorous examination of the love-hate relationship of England and France. And a significant contribution to annoying the French itself with claims like the English really invented champagne. Light hearted fun.
French history from an Englishman’s viewpoint. Specifically someone from Monty Python. Though the history is very factual, it points out the places where the French embellish perhaps even lie. Ex: Normans owe much of their ancestry to the Viking invaders who settled Normandy rather than the Franks centered around Paris. Thus the Norman …
Funny and yet true. View the reality of dry and boring historical facts under new light. I plan to read more of Clarke’s books.
Reminiscent of Will Cuppy’s DECLINE AND FALL OF PRACTICALLY EVERYBODY, this highly entertaining and witty history of the mutual distrust and enmity between England and France will keep you entertained, and even occasionally laughing out loud. It’s especially satisfying if you bring a degree of sardonic skepticism about the “Glory That Was France” …
Great way to learn history, while laughing.
Great fun. If you thought you knew what happened, you didn’t!
Really a history of France and its interactions with Anglos. It gets into what really happened as opposed to the nationalistic take on various battles, marriages, negotiations, revolutions, etc. The author describes things with humor. It is interesting but not a page turner at all. I am reading a chapter or two at a time and that is enough.
Put a different light on Franco-English history. Very thought provoking and interesting