Books & Reviews

Ciao Bella
Click here to purchase it at Amazon.co.uk
There was one subject that was never mentioned when Helena Frith Powell was growing up. Her eccentric Italian father. But one day a letter arrived saying that he wanted to meet her. She travelled to Italy with her mother and was mesmerised by him, as well as stunned by his advice on sex and relationships. He introduced her to Rome, Venice and Naples, and they stayed in touch irregularly until she lost contact with him when he stormed out of her wedding, leaving her mother to walk her up the aisle. Several years later, the mother of three children and the author of two successful books, Helena travels to Italy to write about the glamour of Italian women. But walking up the steps of her father’s old Florentine apartment powerful memories come flooding back, and she realises that there’s another story she needs to tell. She desperately wants to understand the peculiarly strong emotional bonds that tie them together despite his unreliable nature. In this moving and entertaining journey to the places she visited with her father, Helena combines descriptions of Italy, its food, fashion, culture and people with a search for the most mysterious man she’s ever met.

Two Lipsticks & A Lover
Click here to purchase it at Amazon.co.uk
Click here to purchase it at Amazon.com – where it’s called ‘How To Be Impossibly French’
French women are innately elegant and sexy. How do they do it? Author Helena Frith Powell goes undercover in her new book TWO LIPSTICKS AND A LOVER to transform herself from a Fulham frump to a sensual French woman in just one year.

This edgy and hilarious guide takes Helena on a journey where she unlocks French secrets and learns:

-> The best way to have an affair
-> Style tips from French female icons
-> How a little Flaubert keeps you sexy
-> Exercise tips without breaking a sweat
-> How seduction must be in the forefront of your mind at all times
-> How French women age with elegance and without botox

In her quest for French elegance, Helena interviews iconic women including Inès de la Fressange, ‘It’ girl Hermine de Cleremont-Tonnerre, fashionistas from underwear designer Chantal Thomass to the head of Tifffany’s in Paris, politicians, and the mysterious politician M. B who adds a twist on the male perspective.

Covering all aspects of French Style from literature, food, fashion, sex and exercise and written with Helena’s signature wit and irreverence, Two Lipsticks and a Lover – A Year in Suspenders delivers excellent advice in a hugely entertaining format.

NEW! – You can now get a copy of the French version of Two Lipsticks and a Lover – simply send an email to Jacques Kuhnle for more information.

More, More France Please
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Forget about avoir and être! In More, More France Please, the French Mistress of the Sunday Times talks the reader through the pitfalls of life in France in the ultimate French lesson!

When asked where they would most like to live, a good percentage of UK citizens will likely name the south of France. The very name calls up images of blue skies, golden sun and plentiful red wine, making most Englishmen and women pause wistfully before shelving the idea of moving as an impossible dream.

The French dream became reality for Helena Frith Powell when she decided to take the plunge and move from London to the Languedoc with her husband. Discovering a dearth of resources to help those contemplating the southern exodus, she decided to collect her experiences in an account of real-life stories and disasters.

Among the topics discussed are the pros and cons of various regions, choosing and buying a house, running a vineyard, owning a chateau, the elements, becoming friends with the locals, learning French, dealing with the ever-present threat of tax investigation, and, of course, the presence of fellow Brits. She relates amusing tales of triumph and failure, the pitfalls and loopholes of relocation revealed – while never losing sight of the many delights of life in southern France.

Based on her own experiences, those of her friends and of the many readers who write in to her Sunday Times column French Mistress, Powell tells the story of life in La Douce France in a fresh, fast and humorous narrative.

An essential read for all of us rosbifs dreaming of sunny skies and French wine that is bound to become an instant classic.
‘Sparkling’ Sunday Times