In which you ought to add this to your book list

So I mentioned that galpal Sali was here for a visit this week and brought some lovely prezzies--including William and Kate masks to wear for the royal wedding. She also gave me a copy of Le Dossier: How to Survive the English, "translated by Sarah Long". That last bit is in quotation marks because Sarah Long claims to have merely translated the book and to have met the "real" author, Hortense de Monplaisir at a cocktail party. (This is complete rubbish, of course. Long wrote the book herself, which is apparent the moment you realise the cover has Hortense's name nowhere on it and novelist Long's is the only one listed in the copyright.) Hortense is a very chic Parisienne transplanted to London who has allegedly written a guide for fellow Frenchwomen in similiar circumstances. It is biting and caustic and would have been highly entertaining if it had been written by a Frenchwoman. The fact that it was actually written by an Englishwoman masquerading as a Parisienne makes the book infinitely more wicked. It is difficult enough to skewer another culture, but to do it twice is utter genius. Long's mimicry is pitch-perfect, and not only does she have her own countrymen sussed, she is completely dialed in to what the French think of them. It's worth reading for Hortense's sly skewering of her husband, Pierre-Marie, alone. Enjoy, mes amis!