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Book ReviewsLe Petit Nicolas |
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Book: Le Petit Nicolas
Written by: Goscinny Sempe |
Publisher: Distribooks
Average Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5
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sweet, warm humor that transcends culture
Rating:
5 / 5
The author who cowrote the Asterix series once again transcends cultural barriers with his innocent, warm, boyish humor.
This book is an absolute delight. While it seems to be marketed to mature kids, I think that the older the reader, the more it will be liked, particlarly for those nostalgic for a bygone era. Anyone who speaks French at an intermediate level can get through it. However, you'll appreciate it more if you've achieved some fluency and if you've spent some time in France.
I challenge anyone reading it to refrain from smiling, or even laughing out loud. I can't wait to read the other books in the series.
The joy of being a petit gar�on in the early 60s
Rating:
5 / 5
Like most non-Fench people I was introduced to "Le Petit Nicolas" in my French class. It sounded strange for a bunch of adults to read a book that is for 9-12 year-old kids. But, alas, it is not strange. On the contrary! That is a great idea, for many reasons. To begin with, the text has an easy vocabulary and uses words that are used in the everyday language -- different to the highbrow literature that would be impossible to a debutant read.
"Nicolas" is also great because it is funny. Even for those who aren't French, who don't understand French Culture, they can laugh with this boy and his peers. These characters somehow make we believe that being a child is the same everywhere.
On a deeper level, "Le Petit Nicolas" can be an effective sociological portray of being a child in the early 60s in France. The gar�on's life shows a middle-class family dealing with `problems' --ok, not very serious one, this a book for children, after all-- like not having a TV, or when the kid has low marks. But, everything is dealt with a funny approach.
With his peculiar vision of the world --everything is seen through Nicolas' eyes-- and his `problems', this little boy shows to the grown-ups who delightful it can be to be a child. Even if we have forgotten that.
Very funny
Rating:
5 / 5
There is no better way to improve your French than by reading this book (and the entire series). Shortly after meeting my fiancee (a French speaker) I began learning French. We would read this book together...it was a wonderful experience. The story is hillarious and it is not too difficult (I read it without too much trouble after having lived in Geneva for about a month). This series is written in every day language, so you will pick up lots of phrases that you wouldn't learn in a class or in an "adult" book. If you like to laugh, I am sure you will love this book.
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