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Summary: One to read again and again
Review: A friend let me borrow this book and, after reading it, I had to get my own copy to read again and again. I too spent a semester in southern France in college, and this book is a memoir of what my experience was like! I recommend anyone wanting to travel to this region or who just likes British writing as well to pick up this easy page-turner.
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Summary: Delightful
Review: This is excellent: This is funny, this is touching, this is moving, this is real, this is gastronomically tasteful...... This, a year in Provence, is indeed the best travel book, the most relaxing book, and the most intreseting book that I have ever read; Anybody, doesn't matter if you have been to Provence or not, nor if you have always hated travel books, my friend, you will have fun with this book! Brifing: Books divides into 12 chapters of 12 season, a lively recording of the author's one year everyday experience in Provence, full of fun stories and good food. "A Year in Provence" by peter Mayle, written in 1990
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Summary: Scores a homerun for the dreamer in all of us
Review: For those of us who have dared to live the dream, there is Provence. But for those of us who need to let someone else do the heavy work, there is the insight and wit of Peter Mayle. After spending two months in Europe without an English book, I stumbled on this one by accident in a little shop in Avignon and read it cover to cover in four hours. Peter's tales of French life according to food, complaining, boules and his inability to complete the work on his home in a timely mannor left me laughing out loud for both the truth of it and his casual downhome ability to tell us about it. This is easily the best slice of life or fish out of water story that I've read since "'Round Ireland with a Fridge."
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Summary: The Next Best Thing to Being There
Review: I read this book (recommended by a friend) before I spent a summer living in the Loire Valley of France. It really whetted my appetite for all things French, and when I arrived, I was delighted to see that even Mayle's exaggerations have a grain of truth. He really has pegged the pace of what the French call "la vie quotidienne", or everyday life, and a good deal of the national character to boot. It is above all a slow-paced, intensely-felt reflection on appreciating the best that every day has to offer, something I found that the French do extraordinarily well. He savors the sight of a provincial market, the feel of a cool swimming pool on a hot day, and the pleasures of a good meal. Even casual food-lovers will find his culinary descriptions captivating--call it "dinnerotica"! And all of this is done in prose that is gently wry, but not condescending, full of humor, light, and even wonder. It is a satisfying, evocative read, highly recommended to anyone who's ever dreamed of France, or of doing what they please instead of what they must.
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Summary: The most enjoyably readable slice of life I've ever read.
Review: Judging from the reviews, you will either love or hate this book. Peter Mayle is not a snob. He simply knows how to take his experience and turn it into an immensely readable slice of life story. To those who disliked it I ask, haven't you ever daydreamed about life as you wished it were? That's what this book is, a thoroughly enjoyable retreat from our daily troubles. I too cannot afford to live as Mr. Mayle does, but that didn't stop me from going to Provence via his often hysterical prose. This book made me laugh out loud. I have given it as a gift many times to people in need of an entertaining diversion. It hasn't failed yet. His encores and fiction are fun too, but none made me taste France the way this gem did.
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Summary: Rich Snob Ruins Good Writing Career with This Garbage
Review: I like Peter Mayle's fiction a lot, but when you meet him as a character, you wonder why a fictional snob is fun but a real one isn't. Maybe because his characters actually have jobs and lives, while he's a dilletante who spends his time eating and complaining. Some people dream of doing what he did. I don't. He runs away from the real world, moves into a house most of us could never afford, and glorifies the life of the idle semi-rich. Despite a good writing style, Mayle fails to make this book accessible to those of us whose lives are not about leisure time and food. I wonder if this man ever for one second realizes just how condescending he is, or how out of touch his snotty way of life has gotten. I would much rather he stayed at home in London and got a real job. Skip this book unless you really care about how well the French seemingly eat. And truthfully, I don't really believe half of what he wrote about the peasantry.
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Summary: A Good Armchair Jaunt
Review: I quite liked this book. It was recommended to me by a friend, who warned, "It'll make you ravenous!" Indeed. Mayle is as fond of the vino and cuisine as he is of the countryside, and exquisite descriptions abound. Might be a good thing to first stock up on a crusty baguette, quality olive oil, imported cheese, and a hearty red, unless you enjoy torturing yourself. Must confess I haven't yet been to the south of France (sigh), and so cannot report on the author's accuracy. But as far as armchair travel goes, this is a satisfying read. Most rewarding, I think, are the character sketches of the people he encounters: the testy, eccentric neighbour; the various workmen brought to the farmhouse; his imposing British houseguests. Amusing, light-hearted stuff.
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Summary: Character of the People Captured Well
Review: I picked this book up after reading "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes. Actually, I was in the middle of "Bella Tuscany" when someone recommended Mayle's book... I took it up immediately. His description of the French character brings a different kind of flavor to this book. I actually liked it better than "Tuscan Sun" because of the people he describes. He also aptly defines food as the centerpiece of French culture. I still have not finished "Bella Tuscany."
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Summary: C'est normal to have this gem of a book on your shelf!
Review: I think Peter Mayle was a genius to leave his boring Madison Avenue job to become a provencal in search of the perfect marc; pastis; olive oil; boulangerie; 130-franc seven-course dinner (!); philosophical plumber; crochety (murderous?) neighbor; goat race; Parisian hipster party...I could go on! The author has a flair for developing his characters with wry panache. You will want to read this book over & over (& at least ONCE while actually in Provence)! Enjoy!
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Summary: A Year in Provence with a Boring Snob
Review: I must agree with a previous review--I am mystified as to why such a piece of junk received so much acclaim. Mayle is definitely a snob, and it resonates through the entire book. I love travelogues, but this one was disgustingly superficial and boring. Don't waste your time.
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