| | |  | Travel | Home » » A Year in Provence | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | A funny--and often hilarious--month-by-month account of the charms and frustrations of moving into an old French farmhouse in Provence and adapting to a very different way of life. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780679731146
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
•
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Peter Mayle | | Paperback:
| 224 pages | | Publisher:
| Vintage | | Publication Date:
| June 04, 1991 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0679731148 | | Package Length:
| 7.9 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.1 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.8 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.75 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 143 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Delightful memoirNov 17, 2009
Peter Mayle and his wife fulfill a longtime fantasy by leaving their native England and living in Provence. The chapters of this book have titles of the months of the year as Mayle writes about the interesting weather and the more interesting inhabitants that they find in their adopted land during their first 12 months. Running throughout the book is the progress, or lack of progress, with the home renovation which is going on. Sometimes for no particular reason, the workers decide to go elsewhere or just take some time off from their labors. The French temperament dictates that time is of little importance, and work is not always valued as much as fellowship and breaking bread together. Author Mayle brings a wry, self-deprecating wit and a keen sense of observation to bear on the customs of Provence and this book is a humorous and delightful read.
A Year in ProvenceAug 18, 2009
This is a charming as well as an informative book, frothy but still interesting and entertaining.
 Whimsical and pure delight!Jul 13, 2009
This little book that covers a year in the colourful French province of Provence surprised and delighted me. This type of book is far from my usual genre, but I read it because a family member recommended it, and I loved it! The book was fascinating and extremely funny. Peter Mayle portrays the wonderful local people of Provence with humour and with great appreciation. His portrayal of Menicucci the garoulous plumber made me laugh out loud several times. He turns out to be the hinge that the story swings on because Mayle and his wife keep having to go to back to him to solve another problem. The book is part travelogue, but it is a study of human nature. It made me want to go to Provence myself to experience the people and of course the wonderful food! Make no mistake. This book is really about the wonderful and varied food culture of this wonderful part of the world. I really loved this book!
Charming, But InsubstantialJul 13, 2009
Mayle's experiences center around food, eccentric characters, food, guests, food, renovations, and food. While the writing and stories are charming, they could have taken place in many other areas, so I didn't get a feel for the south of France the way I had hoped to.
warm and funny - feels like a holiday in Provence!May 28, 2009
Recently, feeling a little tired and overworked, I decided to re-read Peter Mayle. I started at the beginning - with "A Year in Provence". When I read it for the first time, several years ago, I lived in Switzerland and read it rather as a companion to my frequent trips to France. Now I haven't been to Europe for a long time, so I needed to charge my batteries. I can recommend Mayle's books as a great remedy for any kind of boredom with everyday life and lack of vacation!
Mayle's book energizes in an amazing way. From the first chapters (the book is divided into months), although it started in unusually cold January, I felt like I were in Provence, breathing the fresh air smelling of herbs and lavender, lived in an old, stone house among the vines and at the feel of the Luberon mountains, and ate good food.
Inevitably, food, as a great part of the French experience, is an important subject in this book. Foie gras, wild mushrooms, truffles, wine, all kinds of game, restaurants from home-style ones serving fixed dinners and run by elderly couples, to the most elegant, with multi-course menus and champagne. I could read only about the food forever (luckily, Peter Mayle wrote more books about his life in Provence).
Mayle's gentle, but unfailing English sense of humor and his style make this book a lot less banal than it could be, considering the light subject. His masterful character creations, rendering his French neighbors and friends with accuracy, but also with almost loving tenderness (I am sure that even the people shown most critically and in the most funny way, like the grumpy farmer Massot, could not be offended by these descriptions), are superb.
The process of adjustment to the French way of life is painful, but it is sweetened by all the pleasures of living in the dream place, and it is great to feel the happiness of the narrator. I liked this light, cheerful book, when I was done, I immediately started "Toujours Provence", and, of course, began planning my French holiday...
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