Currently a Director of Research at the French National Center for Scientific Research, Chantal Thomas taught literature in New York and in Tucson, AZ, and she returns to the US regularly. Many of her books have been published in English, including The Wicked Queen: Marie Antoinette.

An approachable essay on personal freedom, inspired by the author's own 20 th century life experience as well as 18 th century philosophers, and literary and historical references.

How can we...

An approachable essay on personal freedom, inspired by the author's own 20 th century life experience as well as 18 th century philosophers, and literary and historical references.

How can we catch those ephemeral moments when the bold breeze of independence fills our hearts? This book offers insights and courage to help us revel in the game of life, the urge to laugh, the delight of reading, the art of the journey, and the right to say "no" to chains of obligations and family ties. It's a subtle handbook on how to cherish these sensations, so fragile and yet so essential to our personal liberty.

40 Million American women of marriageable age are single. This book addresses many of their concerns, in a profound and delightful way.

Echoing the anxieties of existentialism as much as the most essential "self-help" theories, this precious volume gives homage to a life of independence.