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Product Reviews:
Easy French Reader |
Rating: 2 (out of 5)
Summary: Not Done Right
Comments: I give this 2 stars because the 1st part is great. They will list 30 to 40 words, with their translations, which are used in the short conversation stories that follow and it works well.
Then in Part 2 they got lazy and stupid. Part 2 is made up of much longer stories however suddenly the amount of words they list with translations goes down to as few as 15. Part 2 is about the history of France. By it's nature, it uses many words that you will rarely come across, and almost all aren't listed and translated with the story. There is a small dictionary in the back of the book where you can find some of these words however almost all are missing. Part2is also a dry and boring read because it covers the history of France which doesn't do anybody any great now. Part 3 is even worse than Part 2 with only a handful of words and even longer stories. How about stories asking for directions or where a great restaurant is?
The authors apparently believe in some mystical power that if they teach you a few words, you will magically know all the words in the French language. For beginning French students, they should have used high usage common eday words. Another stupid thing they did was give you exercises with questions and crossword puzzles however they do not supply the answers anywhere in the book. Laziness.
This is just another example of a person or company out to make a buck. It alalmost all appears like someone started the book with great intentions and then quit, so someone else stepped in and just slapped the rest of it together to get it done. You are better off getting a regular book written in French and using a dictionary to translate, because that is exactly what you will be doing with this one.
For those of you thinking it must be me because there are many 5 star reviews, go read those 5 star reviews. almost all of them say "Great Beginner Book", and then go on to say such things as "I just finished College French 101" or "great if you had French 101 or 102". How interesting. The only people saying it is a great beginner book are those people who aren't beginners. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Excellent Value - Accessible
Comments: This is an excellent self-teaching French language guide - and a great value for the price. The book is divided into3sections. The 1st section is a typical boy-girl 'let's learn about our2cultures' storyline. Nothing exciting here. however the second section is more interesting and consists of20-two short biographical and historical sketches (from Vercingetorix, Clovis, and Charlemagne through the2world wars and accounts of more recent figures like Estaing, Mitterand, and Chirac). These little essays are sufficiently interesting and accessible to alalmost all make the reader forget that this is primarily a language learning effort. The third section offers4short stories by Daudet, Theuriet, Zola, and Maupassant. It's an excellent selection. There is real patriotic emotion in Daudet's 'La Derniere Classe' and the familiar, razor sharp irony of Maupassant's 'La Parure'. Throughout the Reader helpful vocabulary translations appear in the margins. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Easy 1st dip into reading French
Comments: I found this book well organized and written as a 1st reader. The concepts were introduced in a carefully thought out fashion with progression from easy to difficult. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Easy French Reader
Comments: I studied French for2years back in High School. It has been over 40 years since I have had any contact with French. This book is excellent for someone with a small amount of knowledge of the French language and is trying to rebuild their reading skills. There is a small dictionary in the back which helps with some of the words.
This book is laid out in such a way that you progress with each chapter. It is divided into3sections. The 1st section is simple french dialogue; the second section covers French figures in history and the third section has4short stories from well known french authors (Alphonse Daudet, Emile Zola, Andre Theuriet and Guy de Maupassant)
If you are looking for pronunciation assistance, this is not the book you want. If you are simply wanting to ease your way back into reading French. I highly endorse it. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: What a great book!!
Comments: With little French (what I got from a phrasebook on holiday for a couple of weeks), I purchased this book and started reading it on the train to work. It was great. It has a great lexicon in the back, and as you progress almost all new words appear in the margin with a translation. It still takes effort, however is a great way to get your vocab and reading up and running. I am now reading it again, as my French improves, and it is still improving my vocab and comprehension.
It has been the best book I have had as a beginner learning French. |
