Rating: 
Summary: C¿est genial
Review: "French Lessons" is not Mayle's best book, but it is not one to be passed up, either. I recommend "A Year in Provence" and "Tojour Provence" for a better flavor of Mayle's love affair with France. For the art and fiction aficionado, "Chasing Cezanne" is quite a hoot. Peter Mayle has turned me into a Francophile with his wonderful books about everyday life in Provence. Mayle describes the French as wonderfully expressive people who are eager to share their knowledge and passion about food and everything else that may come up in conversation. I have a feeling that Mr. Mayle could find that positive reaction in people where ever he went in the world because his approach is curious, friendly, and whet with a tremendous appetite for life (as well as for alcohol, cheese, bread, etc.) Mr. Mayle gives me motivation to conquer my reclusive habits in order to better enjoy my stay in Provence some day on my way to Giverny.
Rating: 
Summary: French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew
Review: A joyous exploration & celebration of the infinite gastronomic pleasures of France. Ranging far from his adopted Provence, Peter Mayle now travels to every corner of the country, armed with knife, fork, & corkscrew. He takes us to tiny, out-of-the-way restaurants, three-star Michelin wonders, local village markets, annual festivals, & blessed vineyards. We visit the Foire aux Escargots at Martigny-les-Bains--a whole weekend devoted to the lowly but revered snail. We observe the Medoc Marathon, where runners refresh themselves en route with tastings of red wine (including Chateau Lafite-Rothschild!). There is bouill-abaisse in a beachside restaurant in St.-Tropez. A search for the perfect chicken that takes us to a fair in Bourg-en-Bresse. There is even a Catholic mass in the village of Richerenches, a sacred event at which thanks is given for the aromatic, mysterious, & breath-takingly expensive black truffle. We learn which is the most pungent cheese in France (it's in Normandy), witness a debate on the secret of the perfect omelet, & pick up a few luscious recipes along the way. All the glory & pleasure of the French table in the most satisfying book yet from the toujours delightfully entertaining Peter Mayle.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great One from Peter Mayle
Review: Absolutely the BEST!!! Great to see he is turning out more good books. Word of warning-don't read this book when you are on a diet. Your appetite for food will go WILD!!
Rating:
Summary: What a Delight!
Review: After reading only a few pages of this book, I became obsessed with owning every volume by Peter Mayle about his life and experiences in Provence! It is truly entertaining, laugh-out-loud reading and you dread the end of each book. I gave copies to both of my parents, friends and coworkers and everyone agrees...Peter Mayle's books are everything you want in a good read! I can't wait for his next publication!
Rating: 
Summary: adventures with snails, frogs, wine, and more wine
Review: Another fairly quick read. Nothing really WRONG with the book, but after a while, all the meals seems to blend together as Mayle travels France experiencing the traditions of French cuisine. Somehow all the meals start to look alike. Much more interesting is the recent book "A Cooks Tour," where the author travels the world looking for the perfect meal.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from Mayle
Review: As a fan of the author's Provence books, I picked up this audiobook for a long road trip. I was not disappointed. Mayle's writing is still as funny and educational as before. His "research" for this book takes him (and others) all over France, sampling the country's best cuisine--helped appreciably by the famous red Michelin guide. Mayle's long descriptions of escargot and wine-tastings are never boring, and Simon Jones lends the perfect voice to this reading. He has an excellent grasp of the French tongue and the foreign words blend with the English with no slips. This was also a comfortably familiar voice to travel with, as Jones played Arthur Dent in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series I liked so much as a child. This is a terrific audiobook to travel with--or, I expect, to stay at home with. A warning, however. Be prepared to salivate at the descriptions of the wonderful French food. If traveling, you may have to pull over to the nearest French restaurant to sample their fare. The greatest compliment I can pay this book is to say that my only complaint was that it was too short. So, sit back, tie a bib round your neck and tuck in to Peter Mayle's latest offering.
Rating:
Summary: I only wish it had been longer
Review: First off, I hadn't read any reviews of this book when I picked it up in the store, but I had read a couple of Mayle's other books and been struck by the charm of both his writing and his subjects. Mayle has found a way to make a living out of everyone else's fantasy -- perhaps those who view him harshly were simply meant for colder climates... As for "French Lessons" itself, for god's sake, if you love food read it. As much of a francophile as I am, the French as a people take a backseat to the simple, overwhelming pleasures of their food. If anything, the culture emerges through the value it places on gustatory pleasures. I was hungry for 227 pages, and Mayle's obvious love for his subject changed my mind about a few "delicacies" that only the French seem to love by nature. (I never thought a description of frogs'legs would make me hungry...) Frogs, escargot, the chickens of Bresse, pungent cheese, and vast, vast quantities of wine. If you fantasize about chucking your computer, flipping off your boss, and running off to the French countryside to be a writer, this is your book.
Rating:
Summary: Keeping a stiff upper lip at a clothing optional lunch
Review: For several years, and through many pages of several books, expatriate Brit Peter Mayle has been a most congenial guide to the victuals, drink and lifestyle of Provence, the site of his residence in France. In FRENCH LESSONS, subtitled "adventures with knife, fork and corkscrew", we vicariously accompany the author on gastronomic fieldtrips to other French provinces near and far. Mayle sometimes falls prey to overindulgence in food and wine when accompanied by a like-minded, hedonistic, male pal, and not under the watchful gaze of the Missus. Yet, whether he's reveling at the festivities of local fairs celebrating the delights of truffles, frogs' legs, cheese, escargots, or an elite breed of chicken, he remains in the constant, unobtrusive good humor that one expects from an Englishman abroad. Peter remains smooth and unflappable, though not completely unappreciative of the local female talent, even when dining amidst the almost-naked lunch crowd at a beachside bistro near St. Tropez. And when the going gets tough, the tough get going, as he leisurely observes, glass in hand, a runners' marathon through the Bordeaux vineyards, and the high drama of a wine auction in Burgundy. Probably one of the more enlightening chapters is towards the end of the book, as the author does a behind-the-scenes report on the inspectors employed by the Michelin Guide, and the evolution of its star rating system. (This last bit was most instructive, though it still doesn't explain why Guido's Big Apple Pizza Palace down at the corner has no Michelin stars at all.) Peter Mayle is one of those chaps, a bon vivant to the core, with whom it would be a true privilege to share a bottle of wine, a baguette, some stinky cheese, and (even) garlic-drenched snails at an outdoor café in some remote French village. His books continue to provide considerable pleasure and entertainment, and I shall continue to buy them without hesitation.
Rating: 
Summary: French Lessons
Review: French Lessons did not live up to Mayle's earlier efforts. However, for the travel enthusiast, his vignettes offer pleasant excursions into the French countryside. Truffle hunting, frog leg tastings, and of course a cheese festival, all offer romantic ideas of what France was and, in many respects, continues to be today. Repetition sets in rather quickly in this Mayle travelogue. One has a sense that the second half of the book was destined as filler after having explored a very limited number of interesting festivals presented in the earlier pages. This is most unfortunate. I found myself hurrying through the second half of the book, much like a quick fastfood meal, rather than savoring chapter after chater as one might in a Michelin starred restaurant. However, it is a pleaant way to pass a few hours on the beach or sitting in a chair in the countryside dreaming of one's next trip to France and the true culinary delights that await the avid traveler.
Rating:
Summary: Passport to Pleasure
Review: French Lessons may sound like something that should come with a syllabus, but it is in fact the latest witty look at French culture from British advertising executive turned writer, Peter Mayle. Page after delicious page, this book is pure enjoyment! Even if you haven't read Mayle's other wonderful books (which I highly recommend), this is a great read for anyone who loves French food, French wine and has a good-natured sense of humor about the people who both produce and consume it. It's like a trip to France without the inconvenience of transatlantic travel. If you're a Francophile like I am, you'll be laughing hysterically and pulling out your passport at the same time! If you are planning a trip to France, get the book as reference material, and a great way to get excited about your trip. On our honeymoon, my husband and I used Mayle's books as a guide to Provence and had a great time on our pilgrimage. If you are going to Paris and not the countryside however, I recommend reading "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik. Mayle is in love with the real French, not the Parisians (and if you've ever traveled both places you know exactly what I mean) so he spends his time in Burgundy, Provence and other countryside areas. One warning to the serious reader though, you'll be done in a couple of hours with this book. You'll fully enjoy those hours, but it is very much a quick read. I think of books like French Lessons as a vacation for the brain. It's great fun and not much thinking. So give that big brain a rest and pull up a fork for what I consider one of the best books about life in France published to date.
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