Books - A Year in Provence

A Year in Provence

by Peter Mayle

This was really the first of the new generation of ultimate travel memoirs from people who actually immerse themselves in a place by moving there. Personally, I think these can be a good read, but the author really puts the way of life they are sharing at risk to millions of potential copycats and tourists trying to visit all the places in the books.I don’t know about what has happened to the Mayle’s since publication, but I know Frances Mayes, author of Under a Tuscan Sun, ultimately had to move.

That said, I did like the book. Its a wity, enjoyable year in the life of an English couple who moved to Provence. You learn about life in the region, house construction and all the magic and mundane of ordinary life.

The only negative comment would be the overuse of French phrases peppered throughout the book. While they give the flavor of the country, they are pretty disarming to the non-French speaker. I even speak some French and struggled with much of it.