Was it easier or more difficult to be a Hollywood celebrity in Paris? How so?
It was marvelous to be a Hollywood celebrity in Paris. Only a small coterie of friends had any idea who I was. Wherever I went nobody else recognized me.
I had regained a precious property: anonymity.
Given the perennial interest in books by Parisian women, it seems that les parisiennes know something about living a good life that American women want to learn. What are the most important lessons—whether about health, love, art, style, food, or anything else—that you’ve learned from Parisian women?
The importance of tact, restraint, subtlety, and the avoidance of banality.
In Chapter 7, you refer to the guiding philosophy behind Parisian style as the “Paris principle.” In your opinion, what are the key tenets of this principle?
1. Discretion
2. Discretion
3. Discretion
Whom do you consider an icon of the Parisian way, and why?
Madame Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing, the wife of the twentieth President of the Republic of France, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, 1974 to 1981.
In 1977 Madame Giscard d’Estaing created a foundation under her name, Fondation Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing, dedicated to helping children in need. This later became La Fondation pour l’Enfance, in support of which she initiated annual gala dinners held in l’Orangerie at Versailles, events which people attended with pleasure and enthusiasm.
In the book, you move to Paris, not just as a wife, but as a mother. In your experience, how do French parents differ from American ones? Did you learn anything useful from these differences?
Generally speaking, it seems to me that the French are even more attentive to their children’s upbringing than we are.
A custom I found very surprising and delightful was the weekly academic day off: it was Thursday. I inquired as to why it was on this day that grammar school students were excused from class. The reply was this: “It is Grandmother’s Day.”
Are there any things that Parisians could learn from Americans?
How to fix things.
What advice would you give to a woman who’s moving to Paris today?
Take a crash course in French well ahead of time.
Buy a French/English–English/French dictionary before you take the plane.
The book’s provocative title comes from one of your witty observations about Frenchmen. What else have you learned about Frenchmen in the past sixty years?
If a Frenchman is tender, his tenderness cannot be equaled.
If a Frenchman is considerate, his consideration cannot be matched.
If you are loved by the French as a whole, you really feel loved.
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Every Frenchman Has One Page 11