French Stories/Contes Francais: A Dual-Language Book (Dover Dual Language French)

The stories in this collection are some of the all-time greatest written by the titans of French literature, but the format of the print version is English on the left side and French on the left side, which doesn't work in the e-book version. To make use of this format, you must buy the print version.

These are challenging stories from the past. The vocabulary is advanced. I have taken several years of French and found the stories not easy to read. If you want stories that are modern and accessible, look elsewhere. If you want true French literature from the past, this might be your cup of tea. I write my translations directly in the book using a French dictionary and then read the English translation the book provides. Your French would improve if you worked diligently in this book.

An excellent way to learn French, from some of the best writers in the language.The English translation is close, but not exactly word-for-word. This makes the English clunky but in places it also makes it hard to tell exactly what is going on in the French. Nonetheless, a very helpful adjunct for anyone trying to learn the French language.

Appreciated the chance to access shorter pieces written by classic French authors. The side-by-side feature means I can share the book with both anglophones and francophones.

Very nice, the French text on the left side of the book is translated into English on the right side. Additionally, there are chapter notes and a vocabulary list at the back of the book. The literary selections range from Voltaire to Camus, and are arranged in chronological order, which is nice because you "travel" through literary time and literary styles. I use Google translate to help me with the pronunciation, and a couple of apps, but I'm still looking for a great app. Thanks.

The English translations are not much to brag about, but they are there to serve a specific purpose: enabling us to read the original French. When we are engaged on such a project, we actually do not care about the beauty of the English translations: we need a trot, pretty much.What matters more, I think, is whether the short stories are worth reading, and here Wallace Fowlie has scored a major triumph. Maupassant's "Menuet" and Balzac's "La Messe de l'Athee" are simply superb, and I look forward to reading the rest!

I took a few years of French and was impressed with this "novel" approach to learning the language. I wish I had known of such a book when I was in school. This book was purchased as a gift for my 15 year old son. He's a French 1 student in high school.My son's confidence in his French language skills has improved since he began reading this book (just a few nights ago). We both agree the vocabulary is intermediate level, but can be interpreted by a beginning level French speaker.The low price and unique approach make this little book a must have for all high school French students. Order it!

First the good. These stories are worth reading anyway, even if not trying to improve your French. Can't believe I never read Micromegas before! Can't believe it was written mid 1700s! So the selection of stories is an excellent one and the practice and vocabulary building comes quickly. For that reason, I'd unquestionably buy this again.The bad. I know enough French to know that the translations are atrocious. Though I am not fluent in French, I believe I could have done a better, truer translation (with help of a French dictionary). Beautiful phrases are translated into mundane English cliches and some unknown French words are, on some occasions, "translated" into the identical (and equally unknown) word on the English side. Did the translater not have access to an English dictionary or did he not know what the French word really meant?So -- definitely a useful buy for learning and practicing French and (particularly if you can read most of it in French) interesting stories as well. Just try not to refer to the English counterpart more than you must, such as for the periodic word translation.

All the writers and most of the characters are male. I found myself wondering who are the French women writers and ended up buying Bonjour Tristesse .?! The eBook format isn't ideal for parallel text ( the clue's in 'parallel') but it is surprisingly manageable and encourages you to have a go at deciphering the French before surrendering to the expert fluency of the translation. In spite of the gender bias the stories are most enjoyable varying from moral tale to prose poem. The level of difficulty is respectful but not extreme.

The stories are rather old-fashioned, obviously, by design. And the translations are therefore also rather dated, by necessity. This is a charming and educational collection for a reader already pretty well acquainted with French, but might make it less than the perfect choice for a beginner, who would absorb a rather old-fashioned style of French that would sound pretty passé if used in conversation today. So, a really good book—for the intended audience.

An interesting collection of short pieces from a varied selection of accomplished and renowned authors. To my albeit inexperienced eye, the parallel translation seems to have accuracy without being too literal.There is a useful vocabulary at the back. I would say the standard of French it is most suited for is "intermediate level" ie somewhat more advanced than UK A-level. It will most interest those people who would like read the authors in English anyway.

It's a great little book this. If you're studying French or if you studied French in the past and are looking to knock off some rust, this is a great book to buy. It also gives you a small biography of each authour and contextualises each story. You won't have any regrets buying this.

Some charming stories in this collection - facing page (French one side, English translation opposite), thus easy to read for novice students or even those who don't speak French. "The Atheist's Mass" was my favourite, but I won't spoil it by telling you why.. you'll have to read it yourself ;)