I'm really happy it worked for you, however, it's a bit bleak that a language learning tool was only able to help you learn to read in French (from already reading/speaking English) and not even speak it.
The difference between French/English is relatively small, I would have hoped to set my sights higher than that if I was Duolingo.
That being said, props to you for your progress!
I somehow feel it's more due to your perseverance and focus than Duolingo though. It sounds like you focused on absorbing more than just the app lessions (you read news now) and that speaks more to your discipline for language learning rather than it does Duolingo's capabilities.
The difference between French/English is relatively small, I would have hoped to set my sights higher than that if I was Duolingo.
That being said, props to you for your progress!
I somehow feel it's more due to your perseverance and focus than Duolingo though. It sounds like you focused on absorbing more than just the app lessions (you read news now) and that speaks more to your discipline for language learning rather than it does Duolingo's capabilities.