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Beginning, appropriately enough, on New Year's Day with a divine luncheon in a quaint restaurant, Mayle sets the scene and pits his British sensibilities against it. "We had talked about it during the long gray winters and the damp green summers," he writes, "looked with an addict's longing at photographs of village markets and vineyards, dreamed of being woken up by the sun slanting through the bedroom window." He describes in loving detail the charming, 200-year-old farmhouse at the base of the Lubéron Mountains, its thick stone walls and well-tended vines, its wine cave and wells, its shade trees and swimming pool--its lack of central heating. Indeed, not 10 pages into the book, reality comes crashing into conflict with the idyll when the Mistral, that frigid wind that ravages the Rhône valley in winter, cracks the pipes, rips tiles from the roof, and tears a window from its hinges. And that's just January.
In prose that skips along lightly, Mayle records the highlights of each month, from the aberration of snow in February and the algae-filled swimming pool of March through the tourist invasions and unpredictable renovations of the summer months to a quiet Christmas alone. Throughout the book, he paints colorful portraits of his neighbors, the Provençaux grocers and butchers and farmers who amuse, confuse, and befuddle him at every turn. A Year in Provence is part memoir, part homeowner's manual, part travelogue, and all charming fun. --L.A. Smith
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable,
By
This review is from: A Year in Provence (Paperback)
This book relates the "memoires" of an English couple for the first year following their acquisition of a villa in Provence. The writing style of the author is very light, humorous and enjoyable. Perfect book for anyone looking for an easy read and light entertainment.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A nice escape,
By
This review is from: A Year In Provence (Hardcover)
I thought that this book was like a beautiful and humorous journey with Mayle and his wife as they begin to settle in their new home and country. It is full of interesting local characters and Mayle paints each with descriptive prose that ignites the imagination. I am glad to own this book and I will read it again in future when I need a little mental vacation.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Year of Surprises,
By Douglas P. Murphy "Author, The Griffon Trilog... (Charlottesville) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
This review is from: A Year in Provence (Paperback)
This book provides a very intimate view of the author's experiences during his first year of living in Provence in the southeastern part of France. Most of the experiences represent the every day ones we all go through e.g. hiring someone to do work on our house, meeting neighbors through a party, etc. However, the people in Provence have a decidedly different perspective and character, and thus these ordinary experiences appear strange, fascinating and entertaining. This effect comes in part from Mr. Mayle's wit, writing style and emotional reactions to the events of his life. I particularly liked his description of the dress (leather), method of arrival (motorcycle) and behavior and attitudes of students coming into a certain town-absolutely precious. As with the French, food and drink in a Mayle book take an exalted status.
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