Customer Reviews

Chasing Cezanne: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Andre, a magazine photographer finds himself embroiled in an adventure that includes a forged Cézanne, an immaculately attired magazine editor, her ruthless boyfriend, a beautiful woman, a dashing art dealer, Paris and lots of good meals. The prose is warm and friendly, enveloping the reader instantly, the plot is well twisted, and the characters appealing. The book races from one funny and enjoyable event to the next.

Sadly, instead of legging it past the finish line with a spectacular ending, Mayle shuffles and falls at the ending. It's almost as if he ran out of time and just ended the book. It doesn't match the pace and feel of the rest of the novel.

But, regardless of the watery ending, the book is solid, meaty and well worth reading.

As a fan of Peter Mayle, I can't tell you how let down I was by this extremely slight, jetsetting-but-going-nowhere novel. I enjoyed the lighthearted A Year in Provence and Hotel Pastis, so I wasn't expected War and Peace by a long shot. But this (perhaps mercifully) short novel does nothing to evoke the landscape, whet the reader's appetite for fine food and gracious living, or even hint at character development. Too many stock characters (the dashing photographer, the take-no-prisoners editor, the perfectly pressed art dealer, the starry-eyed first-time-in-Paris ingenue). And the quick pacing leads to a disappointing denouement, which is -- sacre bleu! -- even more lackluster than the author's description of the colorful art which is purportedly being "chased." The extra star is only for my fondness of Mayle's other books: Otherwise, I'd only give it one. Two dreary thumbs down.

An enjoyable book, despite its limitations. Its a raconteur's culinary romp only thinly disguised as a mystery, too busy having fun restaurant-hopping and people-watching to make much effort at anything deeper. The characters are likeable, if somewhat two-dimensional, the story line is plausible, the satire palpable. The book pokes fun at the effette artistic pretenses and materialistic snobbery of the rich and famous, while drooling over the culinary escapades their incomes allow.

What it lacks in plot-layering and tension-building, it makes up for in the upbeat tempo of the bon vivant lifestyle. I could have done without the salacious innuendos and the veiled chauvenism, but it was mild enough, and in the end I just gave in to the gaiete de coeur.

I have to admit, I enjoy Peter Mayle's nonfiction musings on Provence more than his novels. His travel books are classics; his novels are all lighthearted, fun highjinks that put a smile on the face of all but the most cynical. No, are aren't undying literature, but sometimes undying literature is just not what I want. This wonderful little book is a very welcome diversion from the stress of the real world, a sweet and charming "time out," a carefree litte romp through the south of France.

Mayle's writing in Chasing Cezanne is every bit as good as in his classic, "A Year in Provence." His descriptions are just as perfect and he has captured the essence of Provence in an extraordinarily enjoyable manner.

If you're looking for lighthearted highjinks with a fine mixture of mayhem and fun, then this might be the book for you.

If you like fast-moving and exciting action mixed with jet set characters, haute cuisine, and treachery among the fine art set in the South of France, then this book is for you. Peter Mayle has written another fun-filled novel that takes you on a merry ride from New York to the South of France. Characters include an honest and fast thinking photographer and his adorable assistant, a devilish magazine editor, and various amusing and interesting characters from a world most of us donï¿t know but are all too glad to visit for a time. The famous chefs who flavor the novel with mouth-watering menus and taste- tempting dishes make reading a savory experience as well as filling the reader with a desire to hop on the first plane to finer eating. Descriptions of restaurants from out of the way inns in the French countryside to the trendiest in New York City make the book a vicariou culinary experience par excellence. As for mystery and mayhem, there are fine art thieves and their accomplices, the relentless hit men who do their best to throttle the photographer and his string of good guys. All in all, this is a book that is fun to read, hard to put down, and that will make you long for sunny vacations with a bit of flare.

I don't know that i've ever read a worse book. Stupid, unexciting plot; flat, cookie-cutter characters; a lack of deeper themes or messages. I've never read Peter Mayle's other works, but I expected a whole lot more from a bestselling author.

I cannot say that this book is a great literary work but there is something very light and enjoyable about it. It was fun to read. I have read most of Peter Mayle's books-I loved Toujours Provence,A Year in Provence and A Dog's Life...this isn't that caliber but it holds its own....it seems fitting that this book ventures into the art world....I would recommend this book-go ahead and buy it-it is only (price)-it takes about 3 hours to read.

I listed to the audiotape version. It was pleasant entertainment during a very long commute. The island accent that the audiotape had for the main female character was slightly annoying. Amusing and entertaining light reading; not a work of truly great literature.

I loved A year in Provence, and Toujours Provence. Hotel Pastis left me a bit cool. I bought this a while ago and let it sit for a while, until last weekend. Chasing Cezanne returns you to Provence with its many dashes through Nice, Aix, St Paul de Vence, and so on. You get to taste the tastes, smell the smells, and generally enjoy the French Riviera as a backdrop to this not-terribly-plausible story line. Characters are somewhat awkward, and the plot is contrived, but the writing is fun and light. This is a quick read -- with little effort a sunny weekend will allow you to take a mental vacation to France!

I've enjoyed several of Mayle's other books, but this one is an amiable clunker. The mystery plot is buried under the guise of globetrotting and eating good food. The book would have read much better without the dumb chase scenes (the "hit man" following our narrator) and with more meals. After all, it's mood, ambience and food that Mayle specializes in, not characterization and plot, both of which are sorely lacking.

This book is so mediocre that it's not even a good beach read. You won't care much what happens in this "art" mystery because the plot is so thrown together. One gets the feeling his editor said, "Okay, we need a book in a week." I won't hold it against Mayle since his other books are much more charming, but this one is almost totally devoid of this usual charm.