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Toujours Provence
(Provence #2)
by
Taking up where his beloved A Year in Provence leaves off, Peter Mayle offers us another funny, beautifully (and deliciously) evocative book about life in Provence. With tales only one who lives there could know—of finding gold coins while digging in the garden, of indulging in sumptuous feasts at truck stops—and with characters introduced with great affection and wit—the
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Paperback, 241 pages
Published
June 2nd 1992
by Vintage
(first published 1991)
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Hi Gerlinde. Contact your local library - most have audiobooks on CD or even offer free audiobooks on download now.
Community Reviews
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I can go through phases of wanting to read book after book on travels to other countries, and then have a period of months where the idea displeases me immensely and makes me feel depressed because I can't go.
This year, I have again found my love for travel books, and ones that are hilariously told are at the top of my list.
I found 'Toujours Provence' in my favourite little bookshop in Cambridge - G David, pushed to the bottom of a book crate that was the result of an academic's house clearance ...more
This year, I have again found my love for travel books, and ones that are hilariously told are at the top of my list.
I found 'Toujours Provence' in my favourite little bookshop in Cambridge - G David, pushed to the bottom of a book crate that was the result of an academic's house clearance ...more
After rereading A Year in Provence, my next logical book to read was Toujours Provence, Peter Mayle's follow-up to the wildly successful A Year in Provence. To be honest, while I could remember reading the first book, I had no recollection of reading Toujours Provence and now I remember why.
::: When a Sequel Isn't a Sequel :::
A Year in Provence dealt with Mayle and his wife's move to Provence, near the Lubéron, their struggles with the language, their interesting neighbors, and the renovations t ...more
::: When a Sequel Isn't a Sequel :::
A Year in Provence dealt with Mayle and his wife's move to Provence, near the Lubéron, their struggles with the language, their interesting neighbors, and the renovations t ...more
More beautiful, humorous prose of the authors life in France. Quick read and great follow to A Year in Provence.
Peter Mayle writes about characters: Monsieur X, the truffle hunter; Massot with his metal detector; Boy, the dog, who ate the seat belt on his first car trip (and who apparently now has his own book, A Dog's Life). In Mayle's hands, the place of Provence and the French language become characters as well. From musing about Pavarotti's dinner to learning about the history of pastis, everything about this book is cheering. I've enjoyed all the other books by Mayle that I've read (A Year in Provenc
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I loved the book, so much so that I want to retire in Provence myself. The scenery, the villages, the people may not be same from Peter Mayle's time but still some parts of the old Provence lifestyle is bound to remain...
I'm also impressed by the author's wit and subtlety; the book was fun to read. ...more
I'm also impressed by the author's wit and subtlety; the book was fun to read. ...more
Sep 20, 2018
Mireille Duval
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2018,
non-fiction
I thought this format worked much better than the monthly chapters of A Year in Provence. It was still pretty far from a page-turner, though. Maybe it's the kind of book I should have read in summer - possibly in France - instead of during a cold and grey fall. It did succeed in making me want to eat a lot of french food, though.
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Fun, little stories from the man that brought us, A Year in Provence. I love books that immerse me in a different culture. Oh, how the French enjoy their food :)
This is a series of essays about the life of an expat in Provence, with the occasional mention of a friend introduced in A Year in Provence. Understated humour on a wide variety of topics made this a pleasure to read.
(3.5) The writing is as fluid and engaging as ever, but I didn't fall in love with this book the way I did with the first. It made for an amusing distraction from the shitshow of 2020 and I do love it for that :-)
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Delightful!
But, you are a fool to visit Provence in summer.
But, you are a fool to visit Provence in summer.
Just as entertaining as the first Provence book that I read about 10 years ago. Very similar format, lots of short stories about the people and Day to day life for a British couple now living in Provence. Since it was written 30 years ago I am sure the life described is no longer possible but wow the good old days!
Peter Mayle can probably do no wrong. This book is simply a continuation of the same from "A Year in Provence" and thusly, a delicious read.
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4.5 stars. Charming, witty and humorous. I especially related to the enthusiastic energy of Boy, the third dog that Peter and his wife adopted. The description of Pavarotti’s outdoor concert in the countryside was memorable, and the the great operatic tenor’s surmised dinner plans had me laughing. Also, there was plenty of understated humor around neighbors, like the one who dug in Peter’s yard for gold coins, and a rich vocabulary around food. This was a delight from beginning to end.
The best part about reading a book is traveling to places on other parts of the globe. When reading a memoir you get a personal look at things from the writer’s perspective, making it feel like you’re traveling vicariously without ever stepping into an airplane. Tourjours Provence allowed me a wonderful snapshot of life in a place allegedly advertised by a local real estate agent as “The California of Europe”. Sacre Bleu, that’s crazy! As a Californian who lived in La Quinta—a place where seaso ...more
I just discovered Peter Mayle last fall when I traveled to Provence, but now I think it's safe to say that I'm obsessed and I simply can't resist anything he has written. (Okay, I haven't tried any of his fiction, although it's on the list.) While Toujours Provence isn't my favorite of his travelogues (that would always have to be A Year In Provence, it's still delightful. And who could say no to more Provence? More truffle-eating adventures, more wine, more silly local antics, more legendary me
...more
Jun 30, 2008
Tom
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
francophiles, gastronomes, and anyone dreaming of owning a rural retreat
This book is an enjoyable follow-up to "A Year in Provence" and goes more into the details of daily life and life's adventures, and frustrations, in living in a Mediterranean country. I can understand the frustration of dealing with the seemingly unfathomable bureaucracy involved in getting anything accomplished and the difficulty for an Anglo in trying to adapt to the "C'est la vie" way of thinking. One drawback for me is what seems a pedantic overuse of French words and expressions (irony here
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A random collection of vignettes about the casual life of a man and his wife. Visiting friends, eating, living without clocks and eating, going out and eating. In a sense a good life to experience, a horrendously boring traveling blog to read. And I think I also have a problem with the style how Peter Mayle writes, because I was literally nodding off between the chapters. When I came around again and read some more, I felt I really wanted to eat something nice. Maybe travel there, drink some win
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I really enjoyed this book. Peter Mayle writes about his daily life in Provence. It continues where a A Year in Provence leaves off. It is a great read and really made me want to travel to that region of France. I definitely want to read his other books as well.
Grotesque stereotyping and cutesy exoticizing. I only read the first chapter, so maybe it got infinitely better, but I doubt it.
Riding high following the unexpected sales and awards for his best seller “A Year in Provence”, Peter Mayle takes readers on another journey describing life in his new home in France, publishing his second book on the area in 1991. Like the first volume, this one has no distinct plot thread. In his first book he used the months of the year to serve as a framework for sharing his experiences whereas in this volume, he simply describes his various adventures in a number of different chapters leavi
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Dec 21, 2020
Jon
added it
Mayle's tales about he and his wife's sojourn in Provence related in A Year in Provence were truly delightful, so I looked forward with relish (and maybe a little ketchup and mayo) to this one. Mayle has settled in and nearly gone native by the time this one was written, so he's lost a little bit of the sense of being on the outside, looking in, that made many of his stories so droll, but there's still a lot to love here.
Getting away from the calendar progression of the first book, Mayle feels f ...more
Getting away from the calendar progression of the first book, Mayle feels f ...more
Now I see from whence David Sedaris sprang as an ex-pat writer! Mayle led the way back in 1991 with A Year in Provence, to which Toujours Provence is a worthy sequel. I was too young and busy raising children to appreciate these lovely memoirs at the time; now they whisper wistfully to me of a different style of life that can only be adopted in this part of France that reveres beauty in its food, its wines, and its land. The Provence of which Mayle writes is a reverential photograph of taking on
...more
Another delightful read on the subject of a British couple permanently resident in the Luberon region of Provence and the challenges their new location presents. From their initial lack of understanding the nuances of the French language, to their incomprehension of the idea of time schedules where “normalement” acquires a whole new meaning; from their shock at the open displays of affection where men routinely kiss on greeting, to the lack of adherence to legal requirements when circumventing b
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This is a delightful little book guarenteed to take you back to the 20th century and forget the horrors of the COVID crisis! Touted as a 'follow up' to Mayle's 'A Year in Provence', it further pulls on one's heart strings to sell everything and move to Provence! Whereas the 1st book had a story line with a beginning and ending, this book is more like a box of chocolates...each chapter with its own delectable
flavor, distinct from the others but just as delicious as the last. I thoroughly enjoyed ...more
flavor, distinct from the others but just as delicious as the last. I thoroughly enjoyed ...more
After having lived in Provence myself, I finally got around to ready Peter Mayle's memoirs. I got a lot of chuckle from his stories, since many of them remain true to the core of the Provencal lifestyle even 30 years later. A collection of fun experiences and mouthwatering dinners, this book is a pleasant diversion from a dreary winter afternoon. Just take heed - should you decide to abandon all and whisk yourself away to the Luberon, the drivers are decidedly worse these days! The wine, thankfu
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This is really probably a 3.5 or 4. I think my expectations were so high after loving the first book, that this one never really stood a chance. It was still a pleasing book to read, but I missed the narrative flow of the first; this one is broken into short observational essays, rather than telling about daily life in Provence. Some of the essays were much stronger than others, though Mayle's trademark dry wit and affection for his adopted home are present in all. Overall, worth the read, but n
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I think I've enjoyed the other book of this author a bit more. This one has a bit too much of expressions in French that are not translated and, as someone who doesn't speak French, I found that I was missing several punchlines to the jokes. It delved a bit too deep into types of food of drinks that are being eaten there - I know it constitutes part of the regional culture, but it was a bit too much of it.
On the other hand, the book was written in a very funny and witty way and it did make me, a ...more
On the other hand, the book was written in a very funny and witty way and it did make me, a ...more
I liked the first one so much, I didn't think it was possible for the series to get any better. Toujours Provence is a little bit more fun, though, in that it doesn't follow the strict timeline of the seasons that A Year in Provence does. Instead, it tells a series of very charming stories about incidents (Contrived? Perhaps.) in the life of the author. One learns a great deal about everything from how the Provencal really eat to what it's like to have dinner with Pavarotti. I enjoyed it very mu
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It was nice to revisit the eccentric characters and the beautiful countryside of Provence in his second book by Peter Mayle. A year in Provence is one of my favorite travel books so I had hope that this one would give me the same kind of whimsical feelings, which it did.
The only thing I did not love so much about this book compared to the first was that there seemed to be less provincial type things in this book, it lacked the same kind of detailed descriptions that I enjoy in some parts of the ...more
The only thing I did not love so much about this book compared to the first was that there seemed to be less provincial type things in this book, it lacked the same kind of detailed descriptions that I enjoy in some parts of the ...more
There’s a chapter in this sequel to “A Year in Provence” called “Postcards from Summer”. It consists of a selection of snapshots or vignettes illustrating the joys, humour and sometimes frustrations of living in the South of France.
Actually the whole book is like a series of extended postcards, and the net effect is that of wishing you were there. My favourite insights into Provençal life were when the wild boars came to drink at the author’s swimming pool to escape the forest fires, and the aut ...more
Actually the whole book is like a series of extended postcards, and the net effect is that of wishing you were there. My favourite insights into Provençal life were when the wild boars came to drink at the author’s swimming pool to escape the forest fires, and the aut ...more
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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
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