Product Description How do you respond to a dinner invitation that said -Eight for eight thirty+? What might induce you to get off a London train at a place called Mud Chute? And why do the Brits keep saying -Who+s she, the cat+s mother?+ Rules, Britannia is an invaluable resource for Americans who want to make a smooth transition when visiting or relocating to the UK. It is an entertaining and practical insider+s guide containing scores of established do+s and don+ts from across the pond that only a Brit would know:Showing two fingers doesn+t mean -peace+ in the UKWhen driving, never turn on red and for heaven+s sake, keep left!Don+t stress over the salad plate.Covering such essential topics as vocabulary, house or -flat+-hunting, business culture, child-rearing, and even relationship etiquette, this book will lessen the anxiety that comes with a trans-Atlantic move or extended visit, while giving the reader a leg up on the advanced communication ladder.
Great book! July 13, 2008 This is an excellent "study guide" before going to the UK. I would definitely recommend it from cover to cover. The author is very thorough to the point of giving lists of American words vs. British words with their respective meanings.
Essential Read Before Relocating to the UK April 5, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I read through the entire book the first day I got it, and am sure I will reference it again and again before (and probably after) I relocate to London for six months. It's extremely informative, witty and well-written. Many topics are addressed that I hadn't even thought about. It covers do's and don't's for nearly every situation imagineable. The pronunciations and "glossary" sections the end of each chapter are most helpful.
An Incredibly Helpful Book! June 19, 2006 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've now read this book front to back twice and I have found it to be so incredibly helpful as I prepare for my move to the UK in July. I would highly recommend this book to anyone moving from the US to the UK, or the UK to the US...or just anyone interested in British culture, as it is highly entertaining as well as informative.
this is a HOOT May 9, 2006 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Very funny, easy pick up and put down...and then pick up again. I read parts aloud to my ten year old and she laughed too. Good variety of topics and the website additions helpful. I liked best when she wrote about her American born husband and her children's reactions. The potty talk section really got me laughing.
Toni Hargis for Ambassador! May 5, 2006 10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Whilst scanning my local bookstore's shelves for a quick read I came across "Rules, Britannia" by Toni Summers Hargis. After finishing it (in one sitting) I know not to say "it was 'quite' good", for that would indicate something less than extreme pleasure on my part. "Rules, Britannia" is VERY good, informative and funny and while our language differences deserve credit for the book's inspiration the author has earned all of the rest.
Having grown up on the other side of the pond, Ms. Hargis has spent sixteen years in the States and has a perspective that is most welcome from an American point of view. For those of us who have spent a good amount of time in England, reading "Rules, Britannia" tells one more of the things one doesn't know but probably should. This is not merely a collective glossary of word translations (although at the end of each chapter there is one, relating to that particular chapter) but a look at what every American needs to know upon visiting the mother country. From transportation and food to shopping and partying, the author is a gentle teacher, or perhaps more of a cultural ambassador.
What Toni Hargis does so well is relate things from an English viewpoint. I was surprised to see that the Brits find it very rude if you refer to another person in your midst as "he" or "she", or that if you cannot attend a dinner party it is essential (almost to a comical fault) that you let your host know exactly the reasons WHY you won't be there. I laughed out loud after reading about the fact that Brits never park their car leaving it in gear when the author then goes on to say, "if you borrow someone's car, for heaven's sake don't leave it in gear when you return it, or the owner will kangaroo straight through the garden wall next time the engine's turned on." Who can resist such advice?!
Occasionally, you'll find some repetitions in the book....what you're reading you just read a few pages ago. A couple of additions would be good also... (unless I missed them) when stepping off the pavement make sure to look right before crossing the street (there are reminders on London streets) and if trying to book passage on BritRail on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, forget about it. I suppose this is a way of saying there is probably enough material for another book by author Hargis.....one I would stand hours in a queue to purchase!
I highly recommend "Rules, Brittania". It's practical, down-to-earth and immensely enjoyable.
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