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panger97's review against another edition
4.0
Finished another one of these French readers, and definitely noticing the improvements! I like the variety of the stories overall. While not all are as engaging, definitely help in introducing terms in various contexts.
gaybf's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
slow-paced
5.0
really good for improving some basic vocab and reading comprehension :)
quotes favori:
quotes favori:
- Je ne sais pas qui. Personne ne le sait. Mais j’ai la montre!
Il a levé la montre.
Charles regardait Éric. Le pirate essayait d’utiliser la montre. Mais ça ne marchait pas.
iztrkfliers's review against another edition
4.0
One of the first books I started reading while learning French. It was fairly effective in its goals of being a beginner-level graded reader, and the stories were actually more engaging than one would expect. However, do not expect quality writing, good descriptions, deeper meanings, or anything of that sort--these stories are utilitarian, designed purely to get you started reading French with stories that are just interesting enough to push you through.
I wasn't really sure how to rate this book, given its use as a didactic tool. Ultimately, I decided to give it a 4. It was effective in its aims of getting a beginner started in reading a language. However, I docked it from 5 because the stories were not originally written in French. All of the stories in the Short Stories in X For Beginners series are identical, regardless of language, which leads me to suspect that they were originally written in English and then translated. This leaves this book open to the possibility that some words or phrases are not 'authentic' to how an actual French writer would write or say things. Furthermore, this may dull the effective of reading more Short Stories in X for Beginners books, as one would already be familiar with the stories and so the sense of discovery would be lost.
I wasn't really sure how to rate this book, given its use as a didactic tool. Ultimately, I decided to give it a 4. It was effective in its aims of getting a beginner started in reading a language. However, I docked it from 5 because the stories were not originally written in French. All of the stories in the Short Stories in X For Beginners series are identical, regardless of language, which leads me to suspect that they were originally written in English and then translated. This leaves this book open to the possibility that some words or phrases are not 'authentic' to how an actual French writer would write or say things. Furthermore, this may dull the effective of reading more Short Stories in X for Beginners books, as one would already be familiar with the stories and so the sense of discovery would be lost.
racheln23's review
5.0
Excellent investment for the language learner. Olly's short stories are in perfect, bite-sized chapters and are highly interesting. Although this book says it is for beginners, this is not a book that you can grab and learn a language from scratch. You must have at least a good, working base of a language to be able to make it through the stories. If you have a high A1, give it a try. If it is too hard, shelve it until you get to A2.
All stories are 3-4 chapters. Each chapter comes with a glossary of terms, which, I frequently found to be obvious words highlighted. I recommend reading the stories on a kindle and therefore having control to highlight any word that intrigues your curiosity. Although looking up every word defeats the purpose of the effortless learning that comes from reading content at your level, I loved having the control to look up a few words nagging me here and there.
The chapter ends also included a summary of the chapter, which I always found extremely satisfying to read.
Lastly, the chapters all have 5 comprehension questions. The questions were fun to complete as a reading exercise, but I did not really worry much about the occasional question I couldn't remember a concrete detail about. Most questions were incredibly simple and I enjoyed the pleasure of reading them and understanding them easily.
My complaint with the stories is that the stories mostly feel like they are just getting started when they end. These are not novels, so you will not get a bunch of content - they are short stories. It is nothing I should really complain about and I think it is more a compliment to the author that I enjoyed the stores so much I wanted more from them.
For reference, I did also buy the Intermediate book and have read one story from there. I did not find it to be any more challenging than this book, just maybe the story seemed a little longer.
I 100% recommend this book in whatever language you are learning!
All stories are 3-4 chapters. Each chapter comes with a glossary of terms, which, I frequently found to be obvious words highlighted. I recommend reading the stories on a kindle and therefore having control to highlight any word that intrigues your curiosity. Although looking up every word defeats the purpose of the effortless learning that comes from reading content at your level, I loved having the control to look up a few words nagging me here and there.
The chapter ends also included a summary of the chapter, which I always found extremely satisfying to read.
Lastly, the chapters all have 5 comprehension questions. The questions were fun to complete as a reading exercise, but I did not really worry much about the occasional question I couldn't remember a concrete detail about. Most questions were incredibly simple and I enjoyed the pleasure of reading them and understanding them easily.
My complaint with the stories is that the stories mostly feel like they are just getting started when they end. These are not novels, so you will not get a bunch of content - they are short stories. It is nothing I should really complain about and I think it is more a compliment to the author that I enjoyed the stores so much I wanted more from them.
For reference, I did also buy the Intermediate book and have read one story from there. I did not find it to be any more challenging than this book, just maybe the story seemed a little longer.
I 100% recommend this book in whatever language you are learning!
polythenesam's review
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.75
marblemenow's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
tanveerk's review against another edition
4.0
if you're looking for the ultimate guide to french, look no further! this book is the crème de la crème, the pièce de résistance, the absolute best resource out there!!
issyx's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
a bit simple - aimed more at lower intermediates - and boring at times but some were fun!! i liked the wild west and dracula stories
sowall's review against another edition
This book is really good!! But I just don’t have the motivation to read this right now. But maybe someday. Maybe.