Love, passion and seduction – the Parisian way

Love Parisienne – The French Woman’s guide to love & passion is a quirky yet beautifully written and illustrated guide on how to find, establish and then maintain love in the uniquely wonderful city of Paris.

A collaboration by Florence Besson, Eva Amor and Claire Steinlen this feast for both the eyes and the romantic heart is one of those special little books which ticks many boxes. Although written with the Parisienne woman in mind, any woman could learn from some of the seduction techniques included in this saucy little manual.

With a slight tongue in cheek tone, this cheeky little book elaborates the many uniquely French ways a woman can seduce and then keep her man. With practical guides on how to dress (and undress) how to remain aloof and yet interested, what to feed him and where to go out to dine, this book is fascinating even to a jaded old Australian grandma like me. I had to smile at the techniques for gaining his attention and then remaining mysteriously independent. Quite a fascinating mix of skills. And all in the most exquisite lingerie one can buy.

Deeper issues like:

the possibility of cohabiting in a small space,
bathroom smells,
how to deal with him if you think he is losing interest or cheating and even
how to gracefully extricate yourself with your pride intact
were useful even to me who is permanently covered in dust upon the relationship shelf where I chose to stay.

What makes this little book so gorgeous is the rose pink hardback cover; the wonderful illustrations picturing the nude lip and the smokey eye; the need for wearing ballet flats with a mini and even how to rock the boyfriend shirt. Fascinating stuff I thought.

The book progresses into deeper territory when longterm relationships are discussed, from where you will live, to sharing the finances and who takes care of the well-behaved croissant eating Parisian children.

It would be easy to be cynical about a book like this, and initially, I was tempted to be so, but  I soon fell under the spell of the easy to read pages interspersed with such pretty illustrations. Perhaps there is a little Parisian woman lying dormant in many of us. I was feeling like getting my nude lip and my smokey eye ( or my bold lip and nude eye) out with some skinny jeans and a chic white cotton shirt to wear seductively draped off my bare shoulder with my stilettos ( but never a stiletto with a short skirt unless you want to look like you belong on a street corner).

Successfully co-authored by three women, Love Parisienne – The French Woman’s guide to love & passion is written by Florence Besson, a journalist for the famous ‘Elle’ magazine;  Eva Amor who is a successful lawyer, and Claire Steinlen who is a journalist for the magazine ‘C’les’ and also the newspaper ‘Le Telegramme’. Sophie Griotto is the illustrator who brings such a unique Parisian feel to the book.

This is one of those books that leaves you feeling surprised at how much you enjoyed it. I curled up with a glass of red and some Edith Piaf on the stereo to enhance the mood. I pretended that the Eiffel tower was outside the window instead of the hills hoist. It is surprising that even a book which is largely whimsical can in reality tick so many boxes.

I found that I learned a thing or two, and gained a new appreciation for that chic elegance which seems to come so effortlessly to French woman so it even extends to their love life. “Ces’t la vie”.

Love Parisienne – The French Woman’s guide to love & passion, a gorgeous, sumptuous and enjoyable book to read is available in printed and digital editions from the publisher, HQ Fiction, click here or details.