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24th out of 68 books
—
41 voters
Hotel Pastis: A Novel of Provence
by
Peter Mayle
With his national bestsellers A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence, Peter Mayle gave new meaning to the phrase "great escape." Now he has written a delightful novel of romance, adventure, and tongue-in-cheek suspense, set in the beguiling French region he has staked out as his own.
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
November 8th 1994
by Vintage
(first published 1993)
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68th out of 69 books
—
41 voters
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Hotel Pastis is a Peter Mayle novel, nothing more, nothing less. You're in for a bounder of a tale about Provence involving some English executive (who, in this case, is named Simon) who has had enough of the business world and falls in love with the south of France. Usually for the author, the most colorful characters are the French villagers the main character encounters, but Mayle turns this on his head, introducing us to a hardnosed American ad exec named Zielger (who, in my mind's eye, was...more
In the vein of his other novel of the French countryside, Peter Mayle's Hotel Pastis offers a fun and lighthearted tale set against the backdrop of provincial France... with a bit of Paris and London thrown in. Simon, an overworked (and very well paid) executive, is looking for something in life a little different than that which he has known -- something to take him away from the superficiality of the marketing world and back to a more peaceful existence. When he meets a lovely young woman look...more
Quick and fun.
That's what Hotel Pastis is all about-first I liked the fact that Simon Shaw takes a break and decides that France is the place and goes to Luberon,some small village-given how fast paced his life is and how hard he works to please clients-the move was good. That was a good part in the story and as for the thieves-well, it I didn't like it that much, but how they sit down to plot their heist was fun to read-the French was also good-it makes you appreciate the culture and the people...more
That's what Hotel Pastis is all about-first I liked the fact that Simon Shaw takes a break and decides that France is the place and goes to Luberon,some small village-given how fast paced his life is and how hard he works to please clients-the move was good. That was a good part in the story and as for the thieves-well, it I didn't like it that much, but how they sit down to plot their heist was fun to read-the French was also good-it makes you appreciate the culture and the people...more
Another outstanding book! I read this book sitting on a beach in Honduras and laughed and laughed, much to the annoyance of my wife and sons. This was my introduction to Peter Mayle who is probably the funniest intellectual I have ever read.
This is a mystery that unfolds in the south of France. The protagonist is an English advertising executive whose life is collapsing. He is tired of living in cold dreary England, tired of dealing with his ex-wife, tired of advertising, just plain tired. He bu...more
This is a mystery that unfolds in the south of France. The protagonist is an English advertising executive whose life is collapsing. He is tired of living in cold dreary England, tired of dealing with his ex-wife, tired of advertising, just plain tired. He bu...more
This isn't up to Mayle's usual standard but it is a fun quick read of particular interest to those who have traveled to Provence or are planning to. The plot is predictable and a bit trite. The characters are humorous (as are all Mayle's characters) but in a caricaturish way I didn't see in his other works.
Picked this up for a $1 and read it on the plane - quick and fun. You can tell the author was an ad man (like the main character) as he provides a little too much detail about the main character and not enough about some of the other major characters - such as the girlfriend and the butler - (yes, there's a butler). The crime mystery takes up all of about 35 pages of the 380+ total - but its a fun addition (not the main story) and I have to admit that I did not guess the ending. I do have to war...more
Jul 27, 2008
Bethany
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction-and-literature
My idea of the perfect beach read. A little wealth, some fun-in-the sun, a bit of how does one find the perfect career, mixed in with a plot to pull off the perfect bank robbery.
Picked this book up at a Library book sale.
Picked this book up at a Library book sale.
This was ok, but the narrative never really grabbed me. It's the story of a dissatisfied, wealthy advertising executive who gets divorced and winds up buying a broken down building in Provence and turning it into a luxury hotel. The characters were pretty stock I thought - his assistant, who is clearly gay and described in some very stereotypical ways; his new lover, who is of course gorgeous and amazing; etc etc. There's a side plot about a bank robbery that eventually ties into the main story,...more
I read this book for one of my book clubs and was not impressed. The story centers around a British advertising executive tired of his job and going through a messy divorce. He decides to head off to Provence to vacation where he meets a beautiful French woman who somehow convinces him to quit his job and buy a halfway built building in a small Provencal town and turn it into a hotel. He brings along his trusty stereotypical butler. Most of the book is about them building the hotel and getting i...more
Very entertaining. Lots and lots of eating fine French food and drinking fine French wine (I was pregnant while reading this book and missing wine...). A rich British advertising executive gets fed up with his job and decides to restore an old ruined building and open a hotel in the south of France. He is aided in his project by his personal assistant Ernest and an attractive French woman named Nicole, whom he meets at an auto shop the first time he is down by his new property. Meanwhile, a gang...more
A truly delightful book! Having worked in an advertising agency, the dialogue between Simon and his co-workers was so familiar. And having done an Elderhostel 2-week tour of Provence the book brought back beautiful memories of that time. There is a crime committed in the book but I was 'for' the robbers and their scheme to break into the bank and escape via racing bicycles. The book just moves along at a nice pace; no furious page-turning; nothing depressing; no tiresome sex scenes or descriptio...more
This is my first venture to Peter Mayle's works and it did not disappoint me at all. The smooth transition of the story lines and equal development of the characters makes this book an easy read.
The vivid description of the beauty of Provence would have left the story almost forgotten yet with a simple line, Mayle reminds us what it is all about:
"...Exactly. And so you buy a new car or a new house and tell yourself that living well is the best revenge -- it's like a consolation prize for being...more
The vivid description of the beauty of Provence would have left the story almost forgotten yet with a simple line, Mayle reminds us what it is all about:
"...Exactly. And so you buy a new car or a new house and tell yourself that living well is the best revenge -- it's like a consolation prize for being...more
Read this because it was recommended to me by my sister. It seems the people who really read books and who know me are always right on with their recommendations. This was my first (but nowhere near my last) Peter Mayle book. This book made me a Mayle fan and I've read several of his books since this one simply because this one was so good. It made me want to move to Provence. It made me want to like wine. The pace of the book and the characters and story development are superb. Great summer rea...more
Simon Shaw is a highly successful ad executive in London, whose current marriage has dissolved in a cloud of resentment and recriminations. He is tired of his ex's constant grasping for more money and the shallowness of colleagues at his advertising agency; in fact he's tired of the whole spinning money-making machine (though not so much the money) and is ready for a change when he meets a savvy, French woman with an interesting idea.
Simon begins the process of disentangling himself from life in...more
Simon begins the process of disentangling himself from life in...more
I could not put it down. Love the way Peter Mayle writes. You are there in Provence meeting the characters.
It's a wonderful story of a mid-life "crisis" or realization. We all need to step back and evaluate out priorities. Not everyone can do it in Provence, but vicariously through Simon's eyes we can.
Lots of action in the main plot and the sub plot. Mayle intertwines them in a very unique and entertaining way. Can't remember when I've read a more satisfying conclusion.
Loved it.!
It's a wonderful story of a mid-life "crisis" or realization. We all need to step back and evaluate out priorities. Not everyone can do it in Provence, but vicariously through Simon's eyes we can.
Lots of action in the main plot and the sub plot. Mayle intertwines them in a very unique and entertaining way. Can't remember when I've read a more satisfying conclusion.
Loved it.!
Hotel Pastis was a very pleasant read with the story starting in London and soon moving over to beautiful Provence. I found it enjoyable but a bit meandering at first, with no real action until the last 100 pages; but once it began it was quite a ride. With high-powered Ad-men, a Texas billionaire, common thieves and dangerous mobsters, Hotel Pastis ended with a flourish.
I felt there were a few loose-ends but I suppose they weren't all that important. If you've already read, I'd love to discuss...more
I felt there were a few loose-ends but I suppose they weren't all that important. If you've already read, I'd love to discuss...more
Romance in the form of a French woman, plenty of humor in the town's longtime inhabitants and various hotel guests (not to mention the hilarious scene where his old firm is trying to land a big condom account), and a subplot about a French gang's plan to rob a bank in a neighboring town which seems a bit superfluous and tacked-on but ties into the main plot quite handily toward the end. Delightful, and less fluffy (but still light-hearted) than it initially appears."
Fabulous recipes, too.
Fabulous recipes, too.
I was really excited about this book, and chose it to bring as a vacation book as I traveled through France. Having worked in the ad agency world for a few years, I thought this book would really strike a chord with me. However, I was bored through most of the book and annoyed by the frequent cliches spattered throughout. It had some interesting moments, mostly towards the end, but it seemed more self-indulgent than anything.
...I left it in a hotel in Paris without any remorse.
...I left it in a hotel in Paris without any remorse.
LOVE LOVE LOVE This book. It is the perfect vacation book that you can read over and over again. My husband first introduced me to Peter Mayle with this book as it is his favorite - and I can definitely understand why. The way that the two stories intertwine themselves is fantastic. A word of caution however, after reading this book you may have to fight the urge to hop on a plane and fly to Provence.
Another hand-me-down from my dad. I'm not really into it. I have a hard time with stories where everything goes too smoothly. This is the story of an advertising executive who chooses to give it all up to open a boutique hotel in France. He seemingly has unending funds and all the resources at his fingertips. Boo. When does that ever happen? I mean, really. I need a library card.
I liked the story just not the peppery language. It's starts out slow but then finally hooks you. An ad exec leaves his London job to open up a new hotel in an old police station with his French girlfriend and psuedo-butler. At the same time a bank heist is being planned. The converge finally and the story gets good! I'd have given it 4 stars if it weren't for the language.
My favorite of Mayle's novels. The main character is clearly based on Mayle's old life in advertising. The descriptions of food, the sun, the lavender all make me start speaking with a French accent and pretending this is only a temporary setback in my real life, and soon I will be back again in The South of France as a gorgeous blonde drinking wine at a cafe.
I'm a fan of Peter Mayle's because of his manner of describing both the people a d territory of Europe as so e chanting... For instance, when he describes Nicole bending over to reach for the bottle of champagne, I can see the delicate hairs on her arms that the sun has bleached to a near platinum against the bronze of her elegant wrist...
Of course, it probably helps that I was drinking wine the entire time I was reading. It's only fitting, since his characters seem to be drinking the entire tim...more
Of course, it probably helps that I was drinking wine the entire time I was reading. It's only fitting, since his characters seem to be drinking the entire tim...more
Another Mayle hit! Maybe I'm a little biased being French, with family in Provence, but Mayle's work always puts a smile on my face. I've seen his characters, and enjoyed the same quirks in the dialect and attitude of Provence. I wish Hotel Pastis was a real place, and that I could go there right now!
Excellent,a very enjoyable read with lots of colourful characters and interesting plot. As expected, with the best of Provence
it's gastronomic delights , it's people and of course Pastis. A very different read to A year in Provence yet keeping the humour we love.
it's gastronomic delights , it's people and of course Pastis. A very different read to A year in Provence yet keeping the humour we love.
This one took a while to read both because I've had a lot going on in my life the past couple weeks and haven't as much time to read, and because it was kind of a "slow" read. There are a lot of French phrases in the book that aren't translated, which makes the reading difficult if you don't happen to know French. In the past, I have loved everything I've had my hands on by Peter Mayle. This was an interesting story, definitely amusing in parts, but the ending was a bit anti-climactic. I'm left...more
Peter Mayle must be one of the most overrated authors out there. His 15 minutes of fame on the occasion of the publishing of A Year in Provence (The BBC adaptation by the same name was MUCH better) appears to have given him a halo effect. This book is lame.
Jun 14, 2012
Michael Edwards
added it
My favorite of the series. Opening a hotel in a former (yet uncompleted) jail with a butler and a girlfriend. The comedic chain of events cascades across your funnybone with laught-out-loud humor. A definite must read that you'll never forget.
I have forgotten how much fun Peter Mayle novels are. Only thing is you have the urge to eat great food and drink wine brought on by the suggestive discriptions of what the characters are enjoying...all of them from stone worker to executive...all enjoying the lovely french way of life.
Easy and breezy, but the indulgences of an advertising executive with very deep pockets became a bit wearisome at times. There are two very disparate story line waiting to collide, but there is very little excitement when they finally do.
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Peter Mayle (born June 14, 1939 in Brighton) is a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France. He spent fifteen years in advertising before leaving the business in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. In 1989, A Year in Provence was published and became an international bestseller. His books have be...more
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