Rating: 
Summary: Enchanting.
Review: Peter Mayle has managed to make me feel as if I spent "A Year In Provence". I recommend this this to anyone who would like to escape for the day to a new place. You will taste the wine, smell the bread, and join in as Peter and his wife learn the ways of Provence.
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Summary: Mayle's Book a "Virtual" Experience
Review: Mayle writes so vividly and with such intrinsic humour that I believe *I* have now lived and enjoyed the year in Provence!! After reading the book I feel like I have been on holiday, what great $10 value. Congratulations Peter.
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Summary: Mayle's most elegantly written book of all!
Review: I read A Year in Provence in a matter of hours one afternoon. Peter Mayle has a writing style all his own and made his book a joy to read. Mayle has the rare talent of storytelling; being able to present his readers with an everyday situation and make it into a witty tale of adventure. A Year in Provence is a book one could read several times and still find it entertaining. I highly recommend this book and it's sequel, Tojours Provence.
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Summary: Experience Provence
Review: Having lived in Provence myself, reading A Year In Provence took me back there to relive its madness, charm and beauty. The aromas, tastes and characteristics of the place comes alive in this most delightful book
Rating:
Summary: very charming book
Review: After all not every book becomes an A&E 4 our serie. The
TV serie based on this book was good, but does not cover
all the details of the book. This book introduced me to Peter Mayle books.
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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: Provencal Prose at its finest
Review: Ignore all the other reviews telling you that Peter Mayle is a "snob" who belittles the "peasants" living near his home. They obviously haven't gone to this little corner of the world and left the touristy areas like Nice and Cannes. Peter Mayle's Provence is exactly what I found when I recently visited. It is a luxurious, sunny and friendly place, filled with great food and kind people. Most of the "peasants" in Mayle's book are builders helping to reconstruct his newly purchased home. It's absurd to criticize him for describing these men because the book is essentially a running commentary on rebuilding his home over the first year. Sure, some of his accounts of events and people are fictionalized somewhat, but they reek with the genuine charm that I experienced first hand in Provence. His portrayals of the locals are much more than mere amusement. They are an eloquent and entertaining tribute to their grace and character. Through his telling of the Provencal lifestyle, I was for the first time able to truly understand the meaning of a siesta. As an American, it seemed ridiculous to spend three hours of the busiest time of day eating and drinking Pastis. After reading this book and spending a couple weeks in the area, I find myself wishing everyone would slow down and join me for an extended lunch along Wall Street's East river. The only point of criticism I would levy against him is a brief interlude demeaningly and bigotedly describing Little Richard's music as a "great SQUAWK from the jungle". That was the only moment of snobbery I detected and it faded quickly. Pick up this little gem and read it once or twice. You'll want to go visit this little understood spot of earth and you may be surprised at how badly you too will want to stay.
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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: Armchair travel par excellence.....
Review: Mayle shows us a corner of Provence through his own besotted eyes and what a charming picture he presents! I agree with another reviewer that his charicatures of the locals are just that - one-dimensional snapshots that lack depth and are long on generalizations. But Mayle is showing us life in Provence as he found it, and if he wears blinders that led him to focus on the scenery, ambiance, weather, and most importantly, the food, it's hardly cause for complaint! He brings his wry sense of humor, talent for observation and significant story-telling skills to a number of people, places and situations and in the end creates a marvelously warm and witty portrait of a place he has come to love. He is showing us HIS Provence, and the best recommendation for the book is that it will leave you with a compelling desire to go and see it for yourself. Which is perhaps a downside as well because I understand that his book was so successful and brought such a flood of tourists that he has moved!
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Summary: Great Armchair Travel to Provence!
Review: One day, having been smitten with Provence, France for a long time, I discovered the Travel Literature section of my local bookstore. I found a book entitled "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle. This book chronicles the author and his wife's move from their home in England to Provence, France. The book, broken down by the months of the year, tells us what the Mayles encountered whether it be people, customs, food or weather. The book is quite amusing as Mayle describes the French as well as he and his wife's innocent, naive approach to the Provencial way of life. Throughout the book, Mayle describes delicious foods that only the French could have developed. The description of the food and Provence made me want to travel there! Oh! How I would LOVE to go to France! If you are interested in French food, check out this book! It is a quick read, and very entertaining.
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