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Summary: Abstracts of provencale life
Review: Mayle's classic leads the reader through a year or charming abstracts of the provencale life. It is an excellent guide for those interested in Provence in that it is really a chronicle of the attitudes and characters of the region. It has really become a must have for across-the-pond francophiles.
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Summary: a Charming Divertissement
Review: I generally abhor travelogues, but this defies the genre and isn't really a travelogue per-se anyway. It describes a destination rather than a journey. Mayle and his wife arrive in Provence with full expectations of living la dolce vita and end up embroiled in a series of catastrophes that require them to reshape their entire characters and perform some serious attitude-adjusting. The English, like their American cousins, are accustomed to time and labor operating at peak efficiency. When someone tells us a job will be done in two weeks, we expect it done in 10 days. When we listen to weather reports, we want to know how long a particular pattern will last. We don't want to be told, "Maybe two days, maybe two weeks, maybe two months." As Mayle reports, things are done a bit differently in Provence. Time operates in a different dimension. If time is even considered, it is contemplated in terms of seasons, rather than hours, days, or weeks.Mayle's (and his wife's) adaptation to the Provencal lifestyle is sometimes painful, other times poignant and telling, but almost always extremely funny. He is a born raconteur, a master of the amusing anecdote, expert at rendering a farcical tableau. The cast of characters of A Year in Provence are priceless. He describes them vividly and each lends color to the overall impression of les Provencals that we eventually come away with. Mayle pokes gentle fun at them and obviously has warm feelings towards them, even his fox-eating neighbor, Massot. Every inhabitant of the region has a strong opinion on a variety of subjects, and these opinions are often at odds with those of their neighbors. About the only thing everyone agrees on is the importance of food. Mayle's decsriptions of his gastronomical forays are rendered so vividly that I have started combing the supermarket here in Pinehurst for ingredients (pale imitations for the most part, sadly). I was fortunate to find the unabridged tape of this book at my library. David Case did a great job at rendering the English disposition slowly succombing to the pace and timbre of Provencal life. Mayle is great company. I look forward to hearing more from him.
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Summary: I have died and gone to heaven
Review: I live in northern Idaho where we are at the whimsy of the elements and when I stumbled onto this lovely book I was entranced. I can understand moving to an area where it is hard to communicate with the natives.......we have several ethnic groups here.......and although they are a source of enlightenment, sometimes it is hard to get the work done. Mayles has the unique ability to transport one to a place where we all would like to be. Would that we had the wherewithall to accomplish our desires. His sense of humor is not to be excelled. I loved this book and it set me up for the rest. Keep on Mayles! I'm awaiting the next book.
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Summary: Oh la la... La Provence
Review: With my wife coming from the region of Provence in the South of France, and having spent numerous vacations hiking the hills, swimming in the sea, eating the food, and drinking the Pastis of Provence I must say this book is a delight to read. From the "langue provencal" to the rain that is simply "pas normal" I am touched with each turn of the page. Peter Mayle does outstanding work describing an outsider view and is a must read for anyone who likes France and especially the wonderful region in the south.
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Summary: A Year in Provence
Review: It is like taking a vacation in the South of France. Every page makes one want to win the lottery and leave for Provence tomorrow; of course with other books by Peter Mayle in your luggage. This author makes one feel like he/she has found utopia, despite the hardships that Mayle and his wife faced trying to communicate in French and with the Frenchmen. This is the retirement destination of all who can afford it. Peter Mayle makes you wish your next vacation is to Provence-with its vineyards and countryside.
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Summary: Lovely visit to France-for its Italian=read AS THE ROMANS DO
Review: I read and re-read A Year in Provence and longed for the European sensibilities; the sensual, amusing, delicious ways. Then I visited France and although it was beautiful I found it lacking in something that I couldn't put my finger on. Then I visited Italy and my life changed. Years went by and I finally took the plunge and moved to the place that captured my heart, bella Roma. Then recently I read the new book by Alan Epstein, As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City and he described exactly what it was I was feeling. If you didn't get enough with a Year in Provence or if you love Italy as much or more than France then you MUST read As the Romans Do.
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Summary: Like vacationing in the South of France . . .
Review: When I was a sophomore in college, I spent a semester in Aix-en-Provence, France. While I was there I discovered that many of my fellow classmates had read "A Year in Provence" and were captivated by Mayle's account. Once I returned to the US, my parents bought it for me and I devoured it quickly. I loved this book -- and since I spent some time in Provence, I could relate to the various characters and adventures that Mr. Mayle writes about. His talent is definitely in the writing -- you certainly feel as if you are in Provence with him, searching out truffles or lamenting over his stone dining room table. I read this book (as well as its sequel, "Toujours Provence") over and over again, whenever I want to reminisce about the four months I spent abroad, or just for a few quick laughs. It truly is like taking a vacation, and taking a peek into Peter Mayle's charming quaint Provencal life. I highly recommend this book to anyone . . . and I promise that you will want to visit the South of France immediately!
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Summary: Read it and see for yourself!
Review: A French national, 4th generation "provençale" (from Provence), I couldn't help being both surprised and annoyed by the controversy around Peter Mayle's book. I loved his work and so did my whole family, still living in Provence. We found it refreshing to see our little world seen through a British eye, and got a real kick out of all the anecdotes. My (American) husband along with his parents read the book as well before discovering Provence and my family for the first time and enjoyed it tremendously.My advice to you, potential reader: do not pay attention to negative comments about this book. Read it and make your OWN opinion. You may love it or not.And if you end up touring in Provence, you're in for an unforgettable experience, especially if you avoid Summer months (Anyway the light in September is THE best), and if you get to know locals. This is better than any guide book. it is Provence from within... Enjoy!
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Summary: An insult to Provence
Review: Provence is my favourite place on earth. Peter Mayle's book is junk. Trash writing... I couldn't get past the half-way mark.
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Summary: yum-yum
Review: This book made me very hungry and left me extremely satisfied. Have a good bottle of wine on hand when you read this book.
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