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Title: A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle, Judith Clancy ISBN: 0-679-73114-8 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: June, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.31 (89 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Remove author & wife. Insert self & spouse.
Comment: An Englishman and his wife buy a farmhouse in the countryside of Provence. I presume they are wealthy and retired, because they haven't a care in the world about money and they don't have anywhere else to be. And they certainly don't have jobs. The book starts on New Year's Day and chronicles the author's first year in his new home in a rather detached narrative. The author's wife, his guests and anything not French are somewhat shallowly described and often aren't even given names. If they have kids, I don't recall them being mentioned. I certainly have no idea how old they are. I therefore had no trouble inserting myself and my husband in place of the author and his spouse in this picturesque fantasy.
The real characters are the locals, the workmen, the café owners, the neighbors, their quirky habits and the divine cuisine. Some of the anecdotes seem contrived or shifted in time to accommodate the structure of the book in chapters based on months, but I didn't care. I loved the descriptions of the food, the markets, the country roads, the truffle hunting...
I found the author's style of writing very charming, if somewhat impersonal, and the situations that would induce a working city woman like myself to explosive anger are injected with an innocuous sarcasm that just made me chuckle with laughter. Even though the author must deal with sporadic remodeling, a constant stream of uninvited English guests, the cleaning of the pool etc., Life is good. So don't worry. Eat, drink and be happy.
I read 2, 3 or 4 chapters at a time and I had no trouble putting it down. I even read another book after August and picked it up to read September after a particularly hectic day and I finished the book in that sitting. This was not a page-turner. But I enjoyed it anyway. I have never been to France and I read this book as a work of fiction. I didn't read it to get acquainted with Provence nor did I read it to assist with a decision to travel there, so I have no idea if it is accurate or not. I feel that I am no more familiar with the south of France now that I have read this book, so it didn't seem helpful in that regard. What I do know is that is was delightful and soothing, like a relaxing vacation or a good cup of tea.
Rating: 1
Summary: Incredibly overrated
Comment: The appeal of this book is in the fact that Mayle has created a Shangri-La for his readers. But at what price? He has fabricated a world that does not exist, just as Disney created a home spun fantasy on Main Street USA. This Provence did not and does not exist. I don't argue the value of fantasy, but to sell it to the masses as an accurate representation of southern France does everyone an incredible disservice. This book is a fiction. Read it, love it, recommend it - I don't care. But don't believe a word of it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Fun
Comment: This book is a journal about the adventures of a British family who have recently moved to an aging farmhouse in rural Provence. The author, Peter Mayle, is resolved to let nothing get under his skin, whether it be the unexpectedly cold winter weather, the unpredictable work schedules of the crew fixing up his house, or the unending stream of acquaintances from rainy London who decide that they would like to spend their vacations at Mayle's home in the sunny south. Mayle's style is to treat all of these happenstances with humor, in a British sort of way. At the same time, he manages to squeeze in many details of typical life in rural France. If you've spent any amount of time yourself in the French countryside, you will recognize the scenery that Mayle describes immediately. Mayle also expounds on the pleasures of eating in France- -don't pick up this book if you are trying to control your appetite. Occasionally, Mayle's descriptions of the people he encounters come across as a little too flippant, but overall, the book is quite enjoyable.
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Title: Toujours Provence (Vintage Departures) by Peter Mayle ISBN: 0679736042 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: June, 1992 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Encore Provence: New Adventures in the South of France (Vintage Departures) by Peter Mayle ISBN: 0679762698 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 25 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle ISBN: 0375705619 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 09 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes ISBN: 0767900383 Publisher: Broadway Books Pub. Date: October, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence by Peter Mayle ISBN: 0679751114 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: November, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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