The bestselling, much-loved classic account of an English couple enjoying the fruits of French rural living - an irresistible feast of humour and heart.
Peter Mayle and his wife did what most of us only imagine doing when they made their long-cherished dream of a life abroad a reality: throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Lubéron Valley and began a new life.
In a year that begins with a marathon lunch and continues with a host of gastronomic delights, they also survive the unexpected and often hilarious curiosities of rural life. From mastering the local accent and enduring invasion by bumbling builders, to discovering the finer points of boules and goat-racing, all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life are conjured up in this enchanting portrait.
'One of the most successful travel books of all time... Mayle created a new travel genre' Guardian
Delightful' Washington Post
'Engaging, funny and richly appreciative' New York Times Book Review
'Stylish, witty, delightfully readable' Sunday Times
'I really loved this book' Julia Child
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
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
"Delightful." --"The Washington Post"
"Get a glass of marc, lean back in your most comfortable chair, and spend a delicious year in Provence." --George Lang
"Engaging, funny and richly appreciative." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"Stylish, witty, delightfully readable." --"The Sunday Times" (London)
"Fascinating." --"Christian Science Monitor"
"I really loved this book." --Julia Child
"Delightful." --"The Washington Post"
"Get a glass of marc, lean back in your most comfortable chair, and spend a delicious year in Provence." --George Lang
"Engaging, funny and richly appreciative." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"Stylish, witty, delightfully readable." --"The Sunday Times" (London)
"Fascinating." --"Christian Science Monitor"
"I really loved this book." --Julia Child
"Delightful." "The Washington Post"
"Get a glass of marc, lean back in your most comfortable chair, and spend a delicious year in Provence." George Lang
"Engaging, funny and richly appreciative." "The New York Times Book Review"
"Stylish, witty, delightfully readable." "The Sunday Times" (London)
"Fascinating." "Christian Science Monitor"
"I really loved this book." Julia Child"
"Delightful." The Washington Post
"Get a glass of marc, lean back in your most comfortable chair, and spend a delicious year in Provence." George Lang
"Engaging, funny and richly appreciative." The New York Times Book Review
"Stylish, witty, delightfully readable." The Sunday Times (London)
"Fascinating." Christian Science Monitor
"I really loved this book." Julia Child
""Delightful." --The Washington Post
"Get a glass of marc, lean back in your most comfortable chair, and spend a delicious year in Provence." --George Lang
"Engaging, funny and richly appreciative." --The New York Times Book Review
"Stylish, witty, delightfully readable." --The Sunday Times (London)
"Fascinating." --Christian Science Monitor
"I really loved this book." --Julia Child
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 2.12
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk0140296034xvz189zvxnew
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Enjoy an irresistible feast of humour and discover the joys of French rural living with Peter Mayle's bestselling, much-loved account of 'A Year In Provence'.Peter Mayle and his wife did what most of us only imagine doing when they made their long-cherished dream of a life abroad a reality- throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Luberon Valley and began a new life. In a year that begins with a marathon lunch and continues with a host of gastronomic delights, they also survive the unexpected and often hilarious curiosities of rural life. From mastering the local accent and enduring invasion by bumbling builders, to discovering the finer points of boules and goat-racing, all the earthy pleasures of Proven al life are conjured up in this enchanting portrait. Peter Mayle and his wife did what most of us only imagine doing when they made their long-cherished dream of a life abroad a reality: throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Luberon Valley and began a new life. This work lets you discover the joys of French rural living. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780140296037
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780140296037
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780140296037
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780140296037_new
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 224 pages. 7.72x5.04x0.63 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0140296034
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. This item is printed on demand. New copy - Usually dispatched within 5-9 working days. Seller Inventory # C9780140296037
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0140296034