What do you think?
Rate this book
J'aurais adoré être ethnologue #1
J'aurais adoré être ethnologue
Ce livre décrit de façon humoristique les aventures parentales, professionnelles et "modesques" de Margaux Motin : cette trentenaire doit mener de front sa vie de femme mariée à un fan de jeux vidéo qui ne comprend décidément rien à la mode, son rôle de jeune maman d’une petite fille adorable mais envahissante, et sa carrière d’illustratrice freelance décontractée mais désespérément solitaire. La chronique tendre et drôle d’une femme moderne…
Création et lancement d’une collection de bande dessinée chez Marabout.
Création et lancement d’une collection de bande dessinée chez Marabout.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Margaux Motin
60 books96 followersMargaux Motin, née le 25 juillet 1978, est une illustratrice et blogueuse française. Elle est la sœur de la chorégraphe Marion Motin. Sur son blog Margaux Motin, elle expose des anecdotes de sa vie de trentenaire
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
August 7, 2015
Shallow, self-indulgent showing off. Look at my awesome Carrie Bradshaw life, designer shoes, cute daughter and long suffering husband. Envy me, bitches!
Motin really needs to tone it down. Maybe it's because she's French. Nothing of this memoir appears to have been lost in translation, however, the handwriting font is illegible at times but Motin's illustrations are wonderful.
But I Really Wanted to Be an Anthropologist as a title is meaningless. Apparently Motin wanted to be one for five seconds except she's rich and entitled and couldn't possibly handle roughing it.
When Motin isn't showing off (boring) I appreciated her humorous frankness regarding the pressures of hair removal, her relationships with her guy friends and the realities of motherhood and the affect it's had on her body.
In some ways Motin's life is very similar to my sister's though with a little less showing off. It must have something to do with living in their respective country's capital cities - my sister in London and Motin in Paris.
If the font was more legible and the tone not quite so snobby, I probably would've enjoyed this graphic novel memoir more.
Motin really needs to tone it down. Maybe it's because she's French. Nothing of this memoir appears to have been lost in translation, however, the handwriting font is illegible at times but Motin's illustrations are wonderful.
But I Really Wanted to Be an Anthropologist as a title is meaningless. Apparently Motin wanted to be one for five seconds except she's rich and entitled and couldn't possibly handle roughing it.
When Motin isn't showing off (boring) I appreciated her humorous frankness regarding the pressures of hair removal, her relationships with her guy friends and the realities of motherhood and the affect it's had on her body.
In some ways Motin's life is very similar to my sister's though with a little less showing off. It must have something to do with living in their respective country's capital cities - my sister in London and Motin in Paris.
If the font was more legible and the tone not quite so snobby, I probably would've enjoyed this graphic novel memoir more.
July 16, 2012
I wanted to like this - the drawings are beautiful, but the stories were just...boring, or shallow. I only gave it two stars because of the art.
May 20, 2023
bon
en fait, quand on lit ce genre de bd (dessinatrice qui raconte sa vie) faut pas partir du principe que ça va être giga intéressant
faut s'attendre à quelque chose de divertissant, et (de temps en temps) marrant
à partir de là, on apprécie d'avantage sa lecture
et faut pas non plus trop en lire, parce que c'est souvent la même chose
en fait, quand on lit ce genre de bd (dessinatrice qui raconte sa vie) faut pas partir du principe que ça va être giga intéressant
faut s'attendre à quelque chose de divertissant, et (de temps en temps) marrant
à partir de là, on apprécie d'avantage sa lecture
et faut pas non plus trop en lire, parce que c'est souvent la même chose
January 11, 2023
I enjoyed reading BUT I REALLY WANTED TO BE AN ANTHROPOLOGIST by Margaux Motin. This graphic novel is relatable on so many levels. I remember when I had young kids, working full-time and how life was always busy, busy, busy! Although I do not share Margaux’s love for high-heel shoes, I always dreamed of owning a designer handbag one day… I am still waiting for it to happen. I love Margaux’s sassiness and honest look at life. Her choices of words, mostly swear ones, are on point. The illustrations are beautiful and fun. This was a fantastic read.
#bookstadog #poodles #poodlesofinstagram #furbabies #dogsofinstagram #bookstagram #dogsandbooks #bookishlife #bookishlove #bookstagrammer #books #booklover #bookish #bookaholic #reading #readersofinstagram #instaread #ilovebooks #bookishcanadians #canadianbookstagram #bookreviewer #bookcommunity #bibliophile #butiwantedtobeananthropologist #margauxmotin #selfmadehero #graphicnovel #bookreview
September 27, 2020
Uff ja, wollte eigentlich wohlwollend 3 Sterne geben, weil es mich für 2 nicht genug genervt hat. Dann fand ichs aber doch zu beliebig und weiß nicht was der Titel sollte oder was ich erwartet habe. Bin vermutlich einfach die falsche Crowd dafür, aber keine Ahnung, warum das lustig ist, die ganze Zeit rumschimpfend in Paris für ein Vermögen Designer-Schuhe und -Handtaschen zu kaufen, um sich dann zuhause zu betrinken und über die Vorlieben des Mannes (Fußball und Playstation natürlich) aufzuregen. Idk, war jetzt nicht scheiße, aber bin auch froh, dass es durch ist.
December 7, 2012
Frothy, mostly single-panel comics about being beautiful but not knowing it, being a mom but also cool, and being French, but obsessed with shoes.
Oh, right - that actually makes sense.
Seriously, though - as another reviewer commented, this content could easily be run in one of those fashion magazines that I rip pages out of to decorate my journal with. (Ok, she didn't say all of the last part, just the magazine part.)
Motin's illustrations have a languid quality to them - everything is curved and light and there's a tonne of white space (though there's well-placed color in this edition). There's no particular narrative arch - just moments out of (what sounds like a quite privileged) life.
One small comment, though: I really wish the publisher had placed the titles of some of the pieces at the bottom of the pages rather than the top. When I resisted and waited until I'd read the content, the title was a great kicker. But placing that at the top of the page draws the reader to it first. Which doesn't pack as much punch.
Yeah, I'm tempted to kinda hate her, but I believe in everyone getting their opportunity to speak, and I know people like her who I can't help but love, so... yeah.
I'd kinda love to lock her and Lewis Trondheim in a room together, though.
Oh, right - that actually makes sense.
Seriously, though - as another reviewer commented, this content could easily be run in one of those fashion magazines that I rip pages out of to decorate my journal with. (Ok, she didn't say all of the last part, just the magazine part.)
Motin's illustrations have a languid quality to them - everything is curved and light and there's a tonne of white space (though there's well-placed color in this edition). There's no particular narrative arch - just moments out of (what sounds like a quite privileged) life.
One small comment, though: I really wish the publisher had placed the titles of some of the pieces at the bottom of the pages rather than the top. When I resisted and waited until I'd read the content, the title was a great kicker. But placing that at the top of the page draws the reader to it first. Which doesn't pack as much punch.
Yeah, I'm tempted to kinda hate her, but I believe in everyone getting their opportunity to speak, and I know people like her who I can't help but love, so... yeah.
I'd kinda love to lock her and Lewis Trondheim in a room together, though.
May 6, 2012
i picked this up yesterday at the toronto comic arts festival because the cover caught my eye. i immediately fell in love with the beautiful drawings (they remind me a bit of hilary knight) and the hilarity and even the shoes that margaux is wearing in the comics. now i am obsessed. OBSESSED.
but oh the agony! this is the only one of motin's books that has been translated into english. i can get a google translate of her blog, but none of the handwritten words in her illustrations translate (obviously). AGH.
so now i have to learn french.
but oh the agony! this is the only one of motin's books that has been translated into english. i can get a google translate of her blog, but none of the handwritten words in her illustrations translate (obviously). AGH.
so now i have to learn french.
August 20, 2012
Skeptical -- as I always am with stuff that looks like it should be single-panel in Glamour. Which is a fine genre too, I just can't take a whole book of it usually. Motin's excellent grasp of her character's bod, attitude, and a pretty good sense of how truly ridiculous most of her ladyish predicaments are turned out to be nearly laugh out loud funny though. Perhaps it's the frenchiness?
I could have done with sooooo much less about shaving though. Give me a break, lady, it is your choice. Ok. Maybe I gave her a frenchiness pass on this too. :P
I could have done with sooooo much less about shaving though. Give me a break, lady, it is your choice. Ok. Maybe I gave her a frenchiness pass on this too. :P
January 17, 2016
Moi qui ne suis pas du tout BD, à la base, j'ai soudainement eu envie de me lancer avec un genre qui me plaisait déjà beaucoup sur le net. Mon choix s'est porté sur Margaux Motin et ses représentations justes et drôles de la vie courante. Une bonne dose de légèreté qui fait du bien ! Peut-être un poil trop vulgaire à mon goût, parfois,... mais rien de très regrettable car j'ai passé un très bon moment.
Avis complet à venir sur le blog !
Avis complet à venir sur le blog !
January 3, 2014
This was more fun of a read than I expected. I've seen it on the shelves of many bookstores and on many recommended lists, but I was afraid of it being flighty. And, NOT. Sure, it's girly, but in a fun "this is life!" way. Great ready for 30-something women dealing with the adjustment to parenthood, while reminiscing their 20s. Great illustration style.
October 29, 2012
stylish w/ kind of annoying cliched jokes about being a woman. wow, you morph into the hulk when you get your period? you have a SERIOUS shoe addiction? you freak out about not feeling young anymore? being a girl is so crazy!!! bravo!
March 18, 2014
Her epiphanies about marriage and motherhood are sometimes incredibly cliche ("Sex and the City" called, and it wants all of its tropes back), but the illustrations are just so lovely that it doesn't matter.
November 13, 2014
self-indulgent. felt like she just wanted to draw herself in cute outfits and show off her loving husband and adorable daughter--self-deprecation did not go deep enough to produce humor.
June 12, 2014
The artwork is pretty but very fashion-magazine style. Lots of white space, lots of panels of "you know how we girls are about our shoes." Not my thing.
March 15, 2017
En gros, c'est l'histoire d'une fille girly qui se gratte les couilles! Drôle, bien observé et moderne.
April 16, 2017
Un creuament entre Maitena i "Moderna de poble" afrancesat i molt 'chic'.
No és que estigui malament. Simplement no m'ha sorprès gens i no m'ha fet massa gràcia. Això ja m'hi han explicat abans i molts cops.
Jo diria que el tema no dóna per més....
No és que estigui malament. Simplement no m'ha sorprès gens i no m'ha fet massa gràcia. Això ja m'hi han explicat abans i molts cops.
Jo diria que el tema no dóna per més....
August 3, 2018
2.4 ☆☆
March 16, 2021
Jeg samlede den her op hjemme hos en veninde, mens hun holdt online-møde. Den er smukt tegnet, men alt for cliché-fyldt til mig: Jeg forvandler mig til Hulk, når jeg har menstruation, I ved?
August 31, 2020
Re-lecture de ce livre que j'ai sorti des cartons en vu du déménagement...et c'est toujours aussi parfait qu'à la première lecture.
Je suis fan du coup de crayon et je me retrouve à fond dans les anecdotes du quotidien que l'on y trouve.
Je suis fan du coup de crayon et je me retrouve à fond dans les anecdotes du quotidien que l'on y trouve.
November 18, 2014
This is an autobiographical book by a French comics artist and I really wanted to like it, but it was just too shallow. The book contains short comics and one-page cartoons following the life of a woman with husband and a young daughter. Some of the comics about her relationship with the daughter are fine, but most of the ones dealing with her own life or her relationship with her husband feel like they could have been taken from a men’s magazine in the 1950s. It’s all about her obsession with her looks, with expensive clothes and shoes, about how to make her husband stop watching football on the TV and so on.
The edition I read was published in Denmark and I’m assuming the publisher thinks this might work there. I really can’t see this being published in my home country Sweden, though, where it would be seen as rather retrograde and provocative. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud every move that gets us more comics aimed at a female target audience, but this was just too much of a cliché to have me applaud it being translated into a Scandinavian language.
The art is beautiful, though, in its better moments reminding me of the art of the great British comics artist Posy Simmonds.
The edition I read was published in Denmark and I’m assuming the publisher thinks this might work there. I really can’t see this being published in my home country Sweden, though, where it would be seen as rather retrograde and provocative. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud every move that gets us more comics aimed at a female target audience, but this was just too much of a cliché to have me applaud it being translated into a Scandinavian language.
The art is beautiful, though, in its better moments reminding me of the art of the great British comics artist Posy Simmonds.
January 1, 2017
Originally read on: May 3, 2014
While I was in Montreal over the holidays, I stopped in at Renaud-Bray for my yearly fix of Francophone musique et livres. I ended up grabbing a book by Motin which was the sequel to this one, so I decided it was time for a reread!
But I Really Wanted to Be an Anthropologist is a silly, mostly one-off set of comics from a French blogger (from France, not Quebec). The art is absolutely fantastic. Unsurprising as Motin is a professional illustrator for magazines. The topic is general slice-of-life issues from a woman rather obsessed with fashion. Not my usual interest, but Motin has a particularly French view of life that I found amusing to read even if her life is something I would like to avoid. For instance, she's a young mother, but her comics about being a mom are quite irreverent and quite different from what we get from North American authors.
It's silly book that isn't trying to teach anyone deep lessons, but having some fun, ridiculousness with great art is a nice diversion every so often.
While I was in Montreal over the holidays, I stopped in at Renaud-Bray for my yearly fix of Francophone musique et livres. I ended up grabbing a book by Motin which was the sequel to this one, so I decided it was time for a reread!
But I Really Wanted to Be an Anthropologist is a silly, mostly one-off set of comics from a French blogger (from France, not Quebec). The art is absolutely fantastic. Unsurprising as Motin is a professional illustrator for magazines. The topic is general slice-of-life issues from a woman rather obsessed with fashion. Not my usual interest, but Motin has a particularly French view of life that I found amusing to read even if her life is something I would like to avoid. For instance, she's a young mother, but her comics about being a mom are quite irreverent and quite different from what we get from North American authors.
It's silly book that isn't trying to teach anyone deep lessons, but having some fun, ridiculousness with great art is a nice diversion every so often.
December 8, 2012
I read the English language edition, where the title is: But I Really Wanted to be an Anthropologist. This is an hilarious, irreverent take on life as a wife, mother, illustrator and young woman in France. Some of the illustrations, and captions, are laugh-out-loud. I gather it is based on a successful French blog also.
August 4, 2018
Margaux is so cute! The greatest issue with this book is the layout: very hard to follow with some strips, seems out of order or poorly designed, not to mention her chickenscratch is practically illegible. I loved this book, but its design detracted greatly from the reading experience for me and is truly what kept me from giving it five stars.
May 8, 2012
Loved this book and am very impressed with the translation job! Even the rants of swearing translated perfectly, and the illustrations made me want to desperately go shoe shopping. A quick, fun read - I just wish Margeaux's blog had an English translation, too!
July 24, 2012
LOVED her drawing style. cute little joke-filled commentary on life. leaned slightly too much towards the sex in the city lifestyle for my taste, but i'm willing to overlook that due to the amusement factor
November 20, 2012
Sometime a lady needs a bottle of bubbly ridiculousness, where she can imagine she is a French mom who looks amazing in mini-skirts and vacations for two weeks in Rome. This comic is a refreshing dose of fluff. I loved it! Like a 2pm cocktail on a Tuesday.
November 25, 2012
A pure joy. Wry, self-deprecating, funny, charming. I absolutely adore Margaux Motin's illustrations, which are absolutely alive on the page. The subject matter herein is slight to be sure, but small details closely observed allow for insight and hilarity. I loved this.
August 16, 2014
Je craque plutôt pour les illustrations élancées et élégantes que pour l'humour un peu facile et cliché. Ceci dit, il y a quelques perles qui m'ont bien fait marrer, et l'ensemble est réalisé avec une candeur qui me plait assez pour souhaiter en voir davantage.
August 28, 2014
I love this book! It was so funny! I hardly laugh out loud when reading books, but with this one I was constantly laughing. And the illustrations are so pretty! The fashion - the clothes, the shoes! Just awesome :)
January 7, 2015
Nice art, but memoir/journal comics are hard for me if I'm disinterested in the main character. Lots of cliches about what it means to be a lady. Like Cathy cartoons if Cathy were a hot French woman. Le "Ack!"
Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews