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A Year in Provence

(Provence #1)

Peter Mayle

3.97 · Rating details · 65,630 ratings · 3,175 reviews

National Bestseller

In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs. He endures January's frosty mistral as it comes howling down the Rhône Valley, discovers the secrets of goat racing throug ...more

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Paperback, 207 pages

Published June 4th 1991 by Vintage (first published December 31st 1989)

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Feb 01, 2011 Noel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, memoir, travel, fast-easy-read, culture-clash

I read a couple of reviews on goodreads for this book and had to laugh at some of those who felt the book was whiney and written by a rich guy who could afford a super farmhouse with a pool no less! One review said that Mayle went back to England to live. Well – those reviews smack of small minded jealousy. Right now a farmhouse in France can be bought for as little as US$250,000.00; back in 1989 before this became trendy, property values were even more reasonable, especially coming from England I read a couple of reviews on goodreads for this book and had to laugh at some of those who felt the book was whiney and written by a rich guy who could afford a super farmhouse with a pool no less! One review said that Mayle went back to England to live. Well – those reviews smack of small minded jealousy. Right now a farmhouse in France can be bought for as little as US$250,000.00; back in 1989 before this became trendy, property values were even more reasonable, especially coming from England where everything was/is expensive. It was kind of like selling your million dollar house in San Francisco and moving to Iowa – you could buy the entire town for the price of your modest house in California. I don’t think Mayle whined about the repairs to his house – in fact, he took it lightly and with a clear dose of patience and humor. Kudos to the Mayles to manage their money well enough to be able to enjoy the lifestyle which I don’t believe it was at all over the top.
Anyhow – I just had to say that.

Now for the book. I loved this book. I curled up with a glass of wine (Chilean, sorry) and read this in a couple of evenings. I laughed and laughed and commiserated with the Mayles. The writing is witty and the pace is excellent. It’s a romp through Provence over the course of a year. Peter and his wife have left behind their lives in England to move to Provence, buy a farmhouse and settle in to a slower pace of life. The story starts with the formidable paperwork process in buying a house, and reminded me of the process my son has gone through to rent a simple apartment in Brazil. Frustrating to the point of being funny. Mayle goes on to beautifully describe the climate, which is so different from common knowledge (again, very similar to our Brazilian experience); the absolutely mouthwatering gastronomic descriptions, locals, tourists, and then the never ending quest to fix the house. This part in particular reminded me of the time we bought a “fixer-upper” right on the beach in a beautiful town in Chile, and went through so many similar situations with repairmen and guests. At the time it drove us crazy, but now we look back at those times with a bit more fondness. In any case, Mayle brings the area to life, and does so in a light engaging way.

...more

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Jan 13, 2009 Jen rated it it was ok

Shelves: psychadellic-memories

Hmmm...okay. I learned that:

1. With enough money you can relocate to Provence and buy a 200 year old farmhouse with mossy swimming pool, problematic pipes, and a wine cave backing up to the Luberon mountains. Wait, it gets worse!

2. Once you do this everyone who has ever vaguely heard your name and Provence together in the same sentence will attempt to visit whilst you are having a hell of a time fixing the charming antiquated house and bicycling into town. Hard times.

3. Tragedy strikes! Everythi ...more

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Nov 06, 2015 Margitte rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-read

The next best thing to living in France, is to read this book. Loved it!

It is the first book in this genre which provided a complete picture of life in a rural French town by two Brits moving there.

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Jan 17, 2018 Jan-Maat added it · review of another edition

Shelves: france, 20th-century, non-fiction, autobiography-memoir

Chiens de chasse are too specialised to be bought and sold across a counter, and we were told that no serious hunter would consider buying a pup without first meeting both parents. Judging by some of the hunting dogs we had seen, we could imagine that finding the father might have been difficult, but among all the hybrid curiosities there were three more or less identifiable types - the liver -coloured approximation of a large spaniel, the stretched beagle, and the tall, rail-thin hound with the Chiens de chasse are too specialised to be bought and sold across a counter, and we were told that no serious hunter would consider buying a pup without first meeting both parents. Judging by some of the hunting dogs we had seen, we could imagine that finding the father might have been difficult, but among all the hybrid curiosities there were three more or less identifiable types - the liver -coloured approximation of a large spaniel, the stretched beagle, and the tall, rail-thin hound with the wrinkled, lugubrious face (p.146)

I have come late to this book, my parent who bought it came late to it - it had been all the rage and on the best seller lists long before they bought it, and looking inside and seeing that it was published in 1989 it seemed to me that Mayle himself came late to writing it.

It is well known that many a British patriot will, given a chance, buy a residence in France and live there, the homeland easier maybe to love from a safe distance, this seemed to be particularly so when types who had made money on account of the deregulation and privatisations of the 1980s moved to France where life was more as it had been in the 1970s (or earlier). This it turns out wasn't quite true of Mayle who had made his packet of money in advertising in New York, but this book became emblematic of the aspiration of a generation - to sell up, move to France and enjoy the food and drink.

This book established itself as the basic and apparently near infinitely repeatable model for books and tv series of metropolitan Englishman heads to foreign country (or non-metropolitan part of Britain) buys old building which is potentially bucolic, spends a year getting it repaired while getting to know the locals, who are amusingly eccentric with delightful physical or sartorial quirks.

Perhaps in a nod to Mayle's background in advertising the book is shorter than typical, minus the illustrations maybe under 190 pages while I guess the typical book of this genre is more in the region of 240 pages. As adverts may do it leads to the curl of the lips without leading to full amusement (the above section on dogs I felt the funniest in the entire book). This is very efficient writing. Also true to the genre, change is all on the surface, the only adaptation to local habits is that he takes up the triple kiss as standard greeting. combien de Bises may be of assistance here but given the low number of votes for some departments I wonder if it is entirely accurate.

Mayle is curiously present and absent from the book - obviously he is the central figure but we learn nothing about him or his wife who really could have been a man or a particularly clingy kangaroo as far as I could tell from the text, they have some French (unusually for this genre in which humorous inability to communicate with locals may be a key plot point) but they struggle with the way French people speak it. At the same time Mayle is the measure of all humanity - the degree of deviation from Mayle is equal to the extent to which the person is amusingly original or eccentric. A thoughtful publisher could have provided a graphic to illustrate this so we can appreciate precisely how much the guy with bad teeth who eats foxes is funnier than the plumber who always wears a seasonally appropriate hat.

The narrative structure of a year is strong and simple, but as each month contains detailed recollections of the places they visited, meals eaten and how much they cost I wondered how accurate and honest this was.

The most curious feature to my mind was money, and the details of what things cost - million franc houses, 1,000 francs for a custom made stone table, the price of restaurant meals. Then one got about eight to nine francs for the UK pound so there is the undercurrent that one can live better than a Lord and eat better than the Queen for modest sums of cash money. At the same time he doesn't tell us how much his own house cost or the cost of installing central heating - this is all about living the dream (view spoiler) Perhaps more insidiously it suggests that the good life can be bought rather than cultivated - just the kind of sneaky message one has to expect from an advertising man. There's no sense of why he went to Provence or of developing a connection to it, beyond it as a place where amusing locals live, and beyond food and drink no appreciation of it either except as having better weather than Britain. So its as shallow as a dream too, but easy reading about full fat living.

Curiously the same is true about wine which exists for Mayle as white, pink, red and champagne. This despite owning some vines in an appellation controlee and a habit of buying wine direct from producers one of whom speaks lovingly of how micro differences in the vineyard produce differences in the wine. Still Mayle does not open up to us about Terroir - this is an advert, the product has to be simple and seductive, you can't be frightening the punter with complexity and the whole book is shaped by Kiss- as in keep it simple, son - rather than being a modern evocation of Epicureanism.

I did learn however that lemon juice freshly squeezed over ants encourages them to move their nest site - very useful if they take up residence in your electricity meter cupboard. ...more

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Sep 30, 2007 Leftbanker rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: People who wear fanny packs and read Conde Nast travel publications.

Shelves: travel

It’s sad to think that there are probably dozens of great books about people who have moved to France that were rejected by publishers so they could take this book, which is completely devoid of insights, and shove it down our throats. The book has a wonderful premise in which a British guy and his wife move to the south of France and begin a new life. I think most people who read this book didn’t need much more than that. It is mostly the tedious description of the work he does on an old house ...more

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May 09, 2011 David rated it liked it

Shelves: biography-memoir, france

I've read quite a few negative reviews of this book, many of them focusing on the author's presumption in being able to afford a home in Provence and the reviewers' consequent inability to "relate" to him. Others see it as "trite" and not at all what they were expecting.

Well, balderdash. I found this to be a very entertaining account of the first year in a new home and a new country, with all the explorations, discoveries, disappointments, triumphs and failures that go along with it.

Would it b ...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Dennis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: travel, nonfiction, humor

J'adore the English sense of humor. With stiff upper lip and wry observation sprinkled with warm affection, Englishman Peter Mayle embraces a cadre of colorful characters inhabiting the warmer south of France in this memoir documenting his first year as a new permanent resident relocated from Britain to the Lubéron region of Provence.

A Year In Provence is suitably divided into twelve chapters, each devoted to one month, January through December, staging the progress of renovations on Peter and M J'adore the English sense of humor. With stiff upper lip and wry observation sprinkled with warm affection, Englishman Peter Mayle embraces a cadre of colorful characters inhabiting the warmer south of France in this memoir documenting his first year as a new permanent resident relocated from Britain to the Lubéron region of Provence.

A Year In Provence is suitably divided into twelve chapters, each devoted to one month, January through December, staging the progress of renovations on Peter and Madame’s newly purchased two hundred year old home. Over the course of the year it becomes clear that here time is measured in seasons, not days, and that the tempo in Provence would not change for newcomers. A project as simple as moving an antique concrete planter into the garden, for example, is not something that can be arranged overnight. “There would be visits of inspection, drinks, heated arguments. Dates would be fixed, and then forgotten. Shoulders would be shrugged and time would pass by.”

The author has a special penchant for observing human nature and describing it both with humor and heart. Lubéron country folk can be suspicious of visitors from throughout Europe who descend upon the Côte d’Azur in the summer months, including German campers, Belgian road hogs, Swiss hotel dwellers, and the British with their notoriously weak stomachs and plumbing complaints; but the Provençal people are warm, amiable, and all too eager to ensure their friends are well fed. The absolute joy of Provence is the food and free flowing local wine, which refreshes even the most curious of exchanges such as unexpected house calls made by traveling Oriental rug salesmen or visits paid by French bureaucrats at Christmastime to hint for annual tips.

These pages are peppered with French, “Voilà!” “Oh là là,” “Allez,” which enhances the feel for a foreigner’s life in France as well as doubling as a grammar in simple and useful phrases to those readers who are sure to add Provence to their must-see list. This account is often laugh-out-loud hilarious and is every bit as savory as the much sought after and highly prized black Périgord truffles grown only in this region. ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 Connie G rated it really liked it

Shelves: france, autobiography-memoir, travel, series, food-drinks

It was fun to experience living vicariously in a stone farmhouse in Provence by reading this delightful book. Stories about good food, great wine, living close to the land, and the spirit of the people of Provence fill the pages. "A Year in Provence" is very entertaining, and I was sorry to see the book end. ...more

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May 21, 2016 Hannah rated it really liked it

4 Stars - Fantastic book, would absolutely recommend it.

There's really nothing I don't like about this book. It's short, easy to read, and such fun. Peter Mayle, the author, writes in a charming book that, in my opinion makes the people of Provence endearing. As an American, we often hear (or rather we're aware of the stereotype) how stuck-up, abrasive the French are. Albeit, I have met many-a French-person in my day and luckily I have never had this stereotype confirmed. Sure, they're mannerism ...more

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May 20, 2011 Cyndy Aleo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

In the course of thinning out my book herd, I've been reading books that I haven't read in years, trying to determine whether I should keep them, or move them along. Going back to Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence was like going back to an old friend's house, but I've never been so hungry in my life as the two times I've read this book.

::: The Dream :::

Mayle and his wife live out a dream come true, dropping everything, selling their home, and moving full-time to Provence, a region of France gener In the course of thinning out my book herd, I've been reading books that I haven't read in years, trying to determine whether I should keep them, or move them along. Going back to Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence was like going back to an old friend's house, but I've never been so hungry in my life as the two times I've read this book.

::: The Dream :::

Mayle and his wife live out a dream come true, dropping everything, selling their home, and moving full-time to Provence, a region of France generally known to span from the Alps to the Rhône River, with the Côte d'Azur in the southern section. Known for its food, its wine, and its perfumes, it is a popular vacation destination in Europe, with a generally Mediterranean climate. Mayle's book chronicles their first year in the 200-year-old farmhouse that they bought in a rural area of Provence, including their struggles with the language, renovation of the house, and settling in with their new neighbors.

::: The Year :::

A Year in Provence is broken into twelve chapters, one per month, beginning in January as they start out their new life in Provence and ending with their first Christmas. What makes the book so interesting (and for me, misplaced in the travel section) is that it focuses much more on the culture of Mayle's area of Provence rather than on the scenery. He includes tales of restaurants and meals eaten there, but even more memorable than the food are the chefs and servers that he meets, the additional knowledge and culture that they often impart. One woman sends Mayle to an olive oil mill, and we learn about the world of olive oil, which is almost as intricate as that of wine.

Even better are the characters Mayle introduces us to. We meet Faustin, who runs the vineyard on Mayle's property, the curmudgeonly neighbor Massot, and a host of skilled laborers who are in and out most of the year while working on the home renovations. Each individual the Mayles meet helps them on their journey from tourists who moved to Provence to something resembling natives. Each experience, from goat races to plumbing issues, is related in such detail that you almost believe you are there, and reading this book on an empty stomach will leave you pricing flights online.

::: The Final Say :::

A Year in Provence is one of those books that you can read a chapter every so often, or all at once. Like one of the excellent meals Mayle describes, it's a delicious read, and leaves you hungering not only for the food, but also for more on some of the characters. You feel as if they have become old friends, and I'm eagerly anticipating re-reading the follow-up, Toujours Provence.

This review previously published at Epinions: http://www.epinions.com/review/A_Year... ...more

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Jul 07, 2009 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british, cooking, culture, funny, food, france, library, memoir, travel, concierge

Review UPDATED on re-read, Feb 2019

This is a re-read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it back in 2001. What a delightful diversion! Mayle's account of his and his wife's first year owning a house in Provence is entertaining, relaxing and inspiring. I love the way he accepts his status as an outsider but tries to understand and join in with the local traditions. A few of these characters are definitely memorable, including his plumber Menicucci, neighbors Faustin and Henriet ...more

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May 26, 2015 Julie Ehlers rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: france, travel

In some ways it wasn't really this book's fault that I didn't like it. It came out in the U.S. in 1990 and was probably one of the first "I-lived-among-the-French-and-they-are-peculiar" memoirs. Since then, there have been countless other memoirs on this same topic, several of which I have read and enjoyed, so by the time I got to this, the flagship volume, the subject matter was a little old hat. Also problematic is that, while some of this book is composed of funny anecdotes, some of it is jus ...more

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Sep 26, 2009 JG (Introverted Reader) rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, z_read_in_2010, 4_stars, biography_memoir, z_author_british, reviewed, non-fiction, z_setting_france, travel

Peter Mayle and his wife finally decide to say goodbye to dreary British weather and move to sunny Provence in France. This book tells about their experiences living in Provence, from the colorful locals to the excellent food to the workmen who come and go like forces of nature.

This book had me ready to go on vacation in Provence. Notice that I don't say "move to Provence." I would starve. All those lovingly written descriptions of French food left me cold. I could survive for a week or two thou ...more

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Oct 01, 2007 Dave rated it liked it

This is a fun book that is literally about the first year Mayle spent in his new home in Provence. The chapters are divided into months, so a reader gets to enjoy with Mayle the seasonal changes of this beautiful region of France. Mayle understands the importance of gastronomy to the French and his food descriptions are a well written part of his story.
Mayle mentions in passing, in an almost disparaging way, people of affluence buying up property in Southern France. This perspective was interes ...more

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Sep 26, 2007 Christine rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: people who find things quaint

I found this book walking to the B train this morning. Someone had gotten rid of it. Don't judge me to harshly for my foray into escapism, it makes the morning commute go fast.

1 week or so later...

So I've finished it, and although it had its moments where I chuckled a bit, I really didn't find it to be the incredible, evocative travel writing that it had been cracked up to be. The food descriptions were probably the strongest part, and I have to admit I did find my mouth watering on occasion. ...more

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Dec 28, 2015 Bookish Temptations rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Such a fabulous book. If you've never read a book by Peter Mayle I'd really recommend that you do. I've enjoyed all of his books...some of them several times. ...more

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Dec 17, 2011 David Silva rated it it was amazing

I vacationed in the Luberon area of France this year, the setting of Peter Mayle's book and mini series. My friend had read his book prior to arranging the trip and as expected the familiarity was a great starting point. I decided to wait on reading the book until after the trip. I wanted to experience it all first hand. After a truly fabulous time walking all over, eating pretty much nonstop, fumbling with French to the always very polite shop keepers, going to see every little town's offering ...more

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Jul 29, 2013 Zanna rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: food

Seduced by the setting, I read compulsively, savouring the detail, despite my distaste for Mayle himself, who seems arrogant and cyncial, and has a particularly repellant way of talking about his wife...

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Nov 28, 2007 Maria rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction

3.5 stars.

Well, this was a very charming read. The whole "o hay we moved 2 provence, awesome rite?" thing wasn't nearly as obnoxious as I thought it was going to be, although I still think these travelogues are highly masturbatory in nature. Peter Mayle has a light touch with a pen (I think I read the whole thing in under five hours), and a real flair for characterisation. I admire a man who can sketch a portrait in a sentence, like this bit describing his uncle, for example: "'Puke in private, ...more

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Aug 06, 2018 Chris Pavone rated it it was amazing

When we lived in Luxembourg in 2008 and 2009, we visited Paris every few months; a two-hour train ride. Then I started writing novels that take place at least partially in Paris, and so I've visited a few times for research, and another couple of times on book tour. So I've been to Paris about 10 times in the past decade, and have seen plenty of other beautiful parts of France--the Dordogne and the Lot, Bordeaux and the Loire, the Haut Savoie and the Pyrenees--but never Provence. Until this summ ...more

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May 22, 2017 Kara rated it liked it · review of another edition

"A Year in Provence” is not lesfic, nor is it a new book. Thirty years ago it kicked off a new type of travel book that showed the reader what it would be like to live in an area, not just visit it.

Honestly, I expected much more from the book. The first half or two-thirds showed that rich Englishmen and their wives were very condescending toward the rural French. The last part of the book showed more kindness toward the country folks, but only by declaring that the expats were now like them, and ...more

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Apr 05, 2019 Otis Chandler rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, nonfiction, france, memoir, food, humor

Magical descriptions and prose of the authors life in Provence, France. Full of humor, and tantalizing descriptions of French food, and French life. Written in the 90's but still likely relevant (I'd be curious how much Provence has changed, but I'd bet this book still applies). Biggest takeaway was that the national sport of the Provencals, at least according to the book, is food.

"the French spend as much of their income on their stomachs as the English do on their cars and stereo systems"

No w ...more

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May 20, 2012 Snap rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, read-in-2012, travel

I've been cleaning out the bookshelves and found A YEAR IN PROVENCE. I know I read this book when it was first published and remembered enjoying Mayle's chronicles of the year he and his wife moved to Provence. I thought it was the perfect weekend read and I was correct! I enjoyed visiting Provence again. There is a certain rhythm to life in Provence. Mayle's sketches of his neighbors, laborers, markets and restaurants; the customs of the country and the pleasure and frustrations of home ownersh ...more

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Jan 25, 2007 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: autobiographical, france

Loved all the descriptions of stinky cheese and sauted rabbit. I could read about food all day.

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Jun 02, 2017 Kim rated it it was ok

2.5 stars, ok +. I'll give the next two a go! ...more

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Jul 15, 2018 Lucie Goroyan rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-the-original-language, read-in-english, contemporary-romance

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes 😍 A witty and warm-hearted novel about English couple who moved to France. I absolutely loved it! I laughed out loud with the author! And it felt like I was in Provence. The writing is so easy and so witty. I just ADORE the English humor ❤️ All the characters were so colorful and so real! This was like a vacation in a book and I think now we all need books like this ❤️

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Dec 20, 2015 ❂ Murder by Death rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: general-non-fictio, travel-essays

One of those beautiful, descriptive memoirs that make me want to sell everything I own for a house in France (or Italy) and a life of tranquility and luxurious food.

Only slightly more wordy review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/123517... ...more

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Jun 08, 2020 Taylor rated it liked it

Shelves: travel-food-drink, memoir-autobiography-biography

3.5 rounded down. Overall this was an enjoyable book, very easy to read and even easier if you know some French.

A heads up that midway through the book, Mayle compares "dignified Mandarins" to goats. As soon as I read that, I was like, "Wait... what the fuck did he just say?" I read it like 20 times over to make sure that's actually what he was racistly saying out of absolutely nowhere. Gross and casts a cloud over the rest.

The book is filled with food descriptions as expected. Lots of focus on ...more

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Feb 03, 2021 Colleen rated it it was amazing

I swoon over this book. If I could make up a dream scenario in life, it would be to live in a restored 200 year old farmhouse in the French countryside with nothing to do but bicycle to markets, pick wild mushrooms in the forest, eat baguettes and cheese, and drink wine. Like pardon meeeeeee how do I make this happen!!!!

To me the book is SO charming, though I found it FASCINATING to read more into it afterwards. Perhaps this is unsurprising, but the Provençal locals did NOT take kindly to this ...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Antonomasia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: travel, 2012, france, francophonie

[3.5] Back in the early 90's, A Year in Provence was a favourite easy target for satirists and alternative comedians on British TV. Now in my 30s, with a new liking for books about moving to the country and doing up an old house, I wanted to find out what this object of so many jokes was really like.

And, much as I love it when I genuinely disagree with haterz, I can kind of see the satirists' point.

There is, nevertheless, much to like about this book. It can be enjoyably escapist and it has some ...more

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About Peter Mayle

Peter Mayle

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Peter Mayle (born June 14, 1939, in Brighton) was 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 ...more

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Quotes from A Year in Provence

“It was a meal that we shall never forget; more accurately, it was several meals that we shall never forget, because it went beyond the gastronomic frontiers of anything we had ever experienced, both in quantity and length. It started with homemade pizza - not one, but three: anchovy, mushroom, and cheese, and it was obligatory to have a slice of each. Plates were then wiped with pieces torn from the two-foot loaves in the middle of the table, and the next course came out. There were pates of rabbit, boar, and thrush. There was a chunky, pork-based terrine laced with marc. There were saucissons spotted with peppercorns. There were tiny sweet onions marinated in a fresh tomato sauce. Plates were wiped once more and duck was brought in... We had entire breasts, entire legs, covered in a dark, savory gravy and surrounded by wild mushrooms.

We sat back, thankful that we had been able to finish, and watched with something close to panic as plates were wiped yet again and a huge, steaming casserole was placed on the table. This was the specialty of Madame our hostess - a rabbit civet of the richest, deepest brown - and our feeble requests for small portions were smilingly ignored. We ate it. We ate the green salad with knuckles of bread fried in garlic and olive oil, we ate the plump round crottins of goat's cheese, we ate the almond and cream gateau that the daughter of the house had prepared. That night, we ate for England.” — 19 likes

“A connoisseur of woe needs fresh worries from time to time, or he will become complacent.” — 9 likes

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A Year in Provence

(Provence #1)

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