What do you get when you get two parents with three children who just happen to have a deep rooted wanderlust? The answer is a thoroughly entertaining book!
And so we find ourselves travelling from Australia with Catherine, her husband, and three children to Annecy in the French Alps, where we, through their eyes discover how very different French life is from Australia, not only the language, but many other new things which make moving to a new country both exciting and terrifying.
Their move was an adventure, born of a love for France that Catherine had discovered whilst spending time there in her youth. Like most of us she wanted to give her children the experiences she enjoyed and so off they went to Annecy, where they rented a cottage initially, and the surrounding area where they settled.
Thanks to her vividly descriptive writing, straight away you are taken on a journey of discovery as through her eyes you explore the villages, mountains, lakes, and breath-taking scenery of one of the most beautiful regions of France. If you are fond of sports and the outdoor life then this book will have you yearning to holiday in this area, or perhaps move there…. I have to say that this story also takes the reader to many other parts of France including my locale the Loire Valley and even for a sojourn into Italy.
However, this book is not a travel guide, beautifully descriptive as it is, it is in some respects a life guide as we join this adventurous family as they settle down to life in a totally different country, millions of miles from the one which they used to called home. Not only do the children have to settle into school in another country, but the family also have to overcome the hurdles which can enter our everyday life wherever we live.
I found this story compelling reading, it is one of those books which you simply can’t put down, but know that when you get to the last page you will be sad it is finished. Being an expat myself, I found myself laughing at the simple faux pas it is so easy to make when one doesn’t understand the language, like a native (as they say), and like most sympathise with them as they come to terms with the interminable and of course infamous French bureaucracy.
I can highly recommend this as a really good light-hearted storybook to read with a French flavour, however I would also say that if you are planning to visit this area, you will find the wonderful descriptions of its villages, architecture, gastronomy and customs very interesting. This book is a real gem, it is all so very different in France as those of us who live here can testify, and the answer to everything official is, as the book title says, ‘But you are in France, Madame.’