Customer Reviews:
 Accurate but poor presentation May 25, 2008
I think this is the most accurate book on English culture that I have read for a while. The main draw-back is the small dense font and academic style of the book. For non-natives I think this book would be too daunting to tackle.
Fox gets 'Margaret Mead' award from goths April 14, 2008
This can be a helpful book for foreigners living in the UK who struggle with simple things like getting served in pubs because the etiquette here is often subtly different. Kate Fox does a good job at explaining the how and why of all that.
In places Watching the English is brilliantly insightful, but most of the points are laboured. I feel the book ought to have been about 1/3 as long.
It is very funny in places, but by far the funniest is that the author was 'Margaret Mead'-ed by the goths she spoke to. They cleverly told her hilarious rubbish ("You have to grow your hair long when you're a goth - people know you haven't been a goth very long if you have short hair"!), she believed it was an accurate portrayal of the subculture, no editor questioned it and you can read it all in the book. Brilliant.
 Understanding ourselves April 9, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I recommend this book to anyone coming to England who wants to understand the locals and their strange behaviour. This book is a treasure. before I went to live in Africa I studied some social anthropology and how to prepare for culture shock. Here is the social anthropology of the English. It is acutely observed, fascinating and funny. I shall not forget the ironic gnome, the social differences in front and back gardens, how we apologise when others are in the wrong or the place we never queue. Most of us are seen as social climbers but the real upper and lower classes know their places and are secure in them.
 Unbearable March 31, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have never been compelled to review anything before, but this really is utter dross and people need to be warned to steer clear of it, unless perhaps you enjoy a spot of casual bigotry, Daily Mail reading or similar activities.
A hideous mish-mash of 'pop anthropology' and aspiration to genuine academia is best summarised by a footnote which refers to a paper that the author herself wrote, which in the context of a supposed light read seems rather pretentious, except don't worry: 'the paper is 'alot less pompous than the title makes it sound'. Well thanks for that little disclaimer, I would now rush out and find it, were I not already totally convinced of your pomposity thanks to reading the rest of Watching the English.
The book is a supposed overview of English etiquette, habits and behaviour: it doesn't fail totally in this respect, except that most English people would realise it all already, and most foreigners would be put off by the length and needless detail.
But it is the tone of the book that is, as the review title says, unbearable. I would hate to meet this woman. I cannot believe that she would ever want to mix with the 'lower classes', as she repeatedly calls them. An undeniable tone of snootiness permeates every page, and if you scan through the pages to see how many times the word 'I' appears, as I did when I first realised what was putting me off, you shouldn't be surprised to learn that she really does think alot of herself, and her husband who graduated with a First from Oxford, as she wastes no time in telling us.
Please leave it on the shelf.
Fantastic - incredibly observant view of the english February 20, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
In Watching the English, Kate Fox (an anthropologist) describes her detailed research into the behaviour of the english, using clear rules as a basis for living and seemingly making everything fit. Her research includes walking into people in the train station (and finding that they apologise to her), jumping queues to get a reaction, making conversation in pubs, and a lot of analysis on class distinction.
I found the book fantastic to read, easy to follow, and at times very accurate. I found myself coming across certain "observations" which were either true or myself or of people I know. I didn't necessarily agree with all the observations (notably about class separation) but regardless of that I found it to be an excellent read.
As an academic study of the english I couldn't tell you whether it's good or not, but as a book for the non-expert in this field to gain some insight... I think it's hard to beat!
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