I fear the slightly gimmicky title might scare some away from this book, and that's too bad! Really it's an exploration of the literary and popular culture expressions of a philosophy that has been adopted by many native and naturalized French folks, a kind of anti-Gladwellian belief that working extremely hard (say, 10,000 hours) isn't necessarily always rewarded and that life may have some other lessons in store for you much sooner than that. It's not just the author's own ramblings--he takes sizable quotes from ancient and modern philosophers, writers, athletes, and a tightrope walker. Any book that takes you from Rene Descartes to Yannick Noah is a wild ride. This book put quite a few authors on my to-read list.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of an unbiased review.

This gave insight into the French way of life. It was a little wordy for my taste in comparison to some similar books.

A study in effortlessness; completely cool, impossibly French. Takes a look at successful French men and women and what made them that way.

A sophisticated glimpse into the art of "je ne sais quoi". Readers will be comforted to know the elegant effortlessness of the French is attainable when hard work is balanced with play.