France on the Brink

by Jonathan Fenby

Book Overview

The one book that explains what has gone wrong with one of the most admired and influential countries in the world. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559704888
• ISBN13: 9781559704885
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Length: 452 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A Bulls-eye

Fendy says up front that he is not a francophobe...hmmm. Whatever the case, this account is tough to refute. He spends most of his time stressing the dire outlook of France as the country builds another nuclear submarine, while neglecting basic social and economic questions. He also reveals what a crook the average French politician is, the embodiment of which was none other than Mr. Mitterand. Fenby also analyzes the results of the social/economic malaise in France, from the far right's xenophobia, to the widespread America bashing in the Hexagon. He points out that all McDonald's restaurants in France are LOCALLY owned, and that virtally all of the milk, spuds, and beef therein are FRENCH grown. Finally, he stresses that this chain employs 25000 (French) people in France (the French unemployment rate has not gone below 9% in over a decade). Jose Bove should read this before he sacks his next "McDo's".

The best book on contemporary France

Jonathan Fenby's "France on the Brink" is the best overview in English of modern-day France, surpassing even Richard Bernstein's "Fragile Glory" (1990), which also is excellent. As a confirmed Francophile, I found that the book skimps a little on some of the qualities that make the country a great place to visit -- such as its food and wine, its efficient public transportation, its superb museums and historic preservation, the warmth of its people (outside Paris at least!), and the beauty and sheer diversity of its landscapes. On the other hand, the book provides a wealth of detail on some of the country's major ills, above all its increasing xenophobia, uncompetitive industries and corrupt, shoddy politics. It is in the political arena that Fenby is really in his element, and he has hardly a kind word for any of the men and women who have run France since de Gaulle, most of whom he seems to have met face-to-face as a reporter. In Fenby's portrait, payoffs, favoritism, cronyism, sexual intrigue and even violence seem to be business as usual among France's political class, most of whom seem to be interested more in status and luxurious living than in making the country a better place. Fenby's key point is that it is the politicians rather than their usual scapegoats -- immigrants, foreign influences, or the uniting of Europe -- who deserve most of the blame for pushing the country to "the brink"; yet Fenby is hopeful that France will survive and continue to be both a cultural beacon and a significant player in world affairs.

a reader writes

ohndaly@x-stream.co.uk from London, UK , 6 June, 1999 , 5 out of 5 stars Absolutely superb Authoritative, highly readable, well informed and packed with thought provoking facts and statistics. An impressive and dispassionate account as any I have read on France, particularly so for a non native. A must for anyone wishing to settle in France, or have a greater understanding of the country and its recent history.

The best primer on today's France.

Anglo Saxons (as the French like to call both Americans and Britons) have long preferred the France of Peter Mayle to the complex society tackled by Fenby in this book. "A Year in Provence" was more revealing about the psychology of a certain kind of Englishman than about France; "France On the Brink" takes on the difficult task of trying to understand France on its own terms, and therein lies its value. Americans in particular, will find the realistic appraisal of of French merits and demerits refreshingly free of the usual cant to which they are treated by propagandists for the American way.

A perceptive and extraordinary book

As an American who speaks French and who has friends all around that wonderful country, I found this book to be perceptive and important. While it is true that one can easily catalog problems in any country, I think that the importance of France on the world stage demanded that this book be written.Critical to Fenby's thinking is his idea that the leadership in France is more and more inbred and separated from the people. The system allows for immense concentrations of power without effective checks and balances. The resulting lack of "tranparence" in fiscal and political matters should really be quite appalling to the French population.Unlike the previous reviewer, I find a sense of malaise in many of my friends and acquaintances there and a special sense of unhappiness among the unemployed and underemployed, especially among the young.I do see France as being "on the brink" in the sense that it has fundamental decisions to make about how it will govern itself (increasing accountability versus perpetuation of "une classe politique"), how it will manage its economic system (creation of real jobs versus quaint solutions such as the 35 hour work week), and how it will truly integrate the large number of people who are on the outside looking in.I would recommend this book to people who are interested in some of the problems and promises of contemporary France.