Rating: 
Summary: Definately worth reading
Review: As someone moving to Provence in the spring, I have been devouring material on the area to aquaint myself with the customs, festivals and pace of life there. Mayle's books have been enticing journeys there. Encore Provence proved more helpful to me (relative to AYIP) as he actually lists the places to go for Oil, truffles and the like. A very enjoyable read
Rating: 
Summary: Look, this may sound cynical, but...
Review: Hey, here goes Peter Mayle again on a jolly-up through the South of France. On one hand, this little light book is worth 5 stars because it it so damned readable; it's like a warm bath on a winters' night, a Marguarita in a tropical beach bar. It's a nursery story for grown ups. Don't get me wrong - I like it! But the fact is I can't help feeling that Peter Mayle is writing to formula. His previous career was in advertising,so he's VERY well aware of who his target readership is, what they like, where they like to go on holiday - and what kind of life they aspire to. Mr Mayle pushes all those right buttons to draw people in to his fairy-tale, safe and sanitised world. Somehow, I just feel he could have written this anywhere, anytime, anyhow. Come on! If you want this kind of stuff, why not jump on a plane to some sunny haven and write your own book. Encore Provence is light, bright, funny and farcical, but for me just a little too false.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The stories are strained, the subject stale. I found it very diappointing after the delight of the author's earlier books.
Rating:
Summary: Another fun, vicarious tour
Review: Is one of Peter Mayle's Provence books better than another? Who cares? And who remembers when you're in the middle of any one of them. They're all worth the while if you're looking for a lilting ride through another person's favorite countryside. I'd read another if there were a fourth.
Rating:
Summary: Light-hearted Fun
Review: Yes it's somewhat similar in style to the other books. So what. It makes you laugh. I'm always ready to jump on a plane and go - not to investigate to see if Mayle "got it right" but just to collect my own sweet reminiscences. I especially loved the Reichl roast and therefore I would like to meet and shake the hand of the person from El Lay - I couldn't stand Reichl's style here at the Times either. But I guess Mr. Mayle doesn't want to write for Gourmet Magazine. Also, it was great when he described the Michelin places as pretentious. My husband and I have abandonned that route. He's right - better to eat with locals in smaller places - EXPENSIVE restaurants all over the world are getting to be fairly homogeneous.
Rating: 
Summary: A barbarian enlightened
Review: Having just finished the audio book obtained from the library, I rushed home to see if I could find (online) the cheese, wine and olive oil Mayle writes about. I wasn't surprised I couldn't afford any of them, but I now have a desire to try them all.I have disliked everything French since the good Sisters at Holy Spirit attempted to teach me the language. Mayle has gotten me to rethink my long held opinions. I'll have to scrape enough money together to buy the hardcover book. It's one I want in MY library to enjoy when I need to escape myself.
Rating:
Summary: A Year in Provence all over again, without the freshness
Review: This book is a perfect example of all that is wrong with the publishing industry. They've now milked three books on Provence from this dry,empty author without said author saying anything different or new. You need only read A Year in Provence to get a sense of the author's recurring themes and subjects; indeed, you need read only one paragraph. Here is is: Provence is quaint. The pace is slow. The focus is on food. The French think they know everything. Weather is a factor. There. I've just saved you time and money. Now can Mr. Mayle please move on to something new? ANd keep it brief?
Rating:
Summary: Still evocative after all these years
Review: The people who hated this book seem to concentrate on two things: His spirited defense of Provence in response to a poor review, and the feel of the book as a collection of essays instead of a coherent story. I'm ambivalent about the former criticism, but I wouldn't put down this book because it doesn't have a story; the overwhelming majority of the chapters ooze the trademark Mayle charm, which is always well worth savouring. I laughed out loud several times during the book, and, well, that's why we have Peter Mayle. If you want an charmingly light-hearted read, this book won't disappoint you.
Rating:
Summary: the author has burned out on this subject
Review: It is unfortunate that Peter Mayle's gentle humor did not continue in this book. It sounds as if the Provencal tourist bureau took offense at his satirical comments in previous books, and he felt obliged to write an apologetic rebuttal. I was most disappointed, since I thoroughly enjoyed his first ("A Year in P.") and somewhat less its sequel. But this book could have been much more interesting and enjoyable if he had not reworked his old themes.
Rating: 
Summary: New readers will like it!
Review: The die-hard fans of Peter Mayle know all his books intimately, and so the disappointing thing about "Encore Provence" is the extensive repetition from both the previous 'Provence' books as well as some of his fictional work. For new readers of Peter Mayle - I'm sure they'll find this book enjoyable. But for those of us who have read and re-read his work over the last 10 years - please give us some new stories next time. However, I'm still a fan!
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