Name: A Year in Provence
Rating: 3.725806451612903 (31 reviews)

Peter Mayle

A month-by-month account of the author's experience in the first year of restoring a two-centuries old stone farmhouse in back country Provence, France.

A Year in Provence

A Year in Provence is a 1989 best-selling memoir by Peter Mayle about his first year in Provence, and the local events and customs. It was adapted into a television series starring John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan. Reviewers praised the book's honest style, wit and its refreshing humour.

Jose Sbuck

The author, an Englishman, buys a house in Provence, France, and moves in with his wife. They learn the language and culture, sometimes the hard way, and make amusing observationsof the local population. The house is in the Lubéron area. The book is divided into chapters by month. In the winter they suffer from the cold Mistral wind in their stone house without central heating, and eat hearty local food and drink deep, velvety red wine to stay warm. Heating becomes one of the overarching threads in the book as they decide to install central heating. The renovation requires hiring men to work on different aspects of the building, and trying to herd the team of obstinate French experts according to a schedule proves difficult. After the cold and trying winter comes a warm and sunny summer. The food and wine become lighter but no less abundant. The house is still going through renovation, with a concrete mixer becoming a regular piece of furniture. The workers appear sporadically, but it doesn't seem to matter that much, because the weather is good, there's a lot going on in the nearby towns and villages, and it's pleasant to spend time outdoors, taking a dip in the pool to cool off. Along with the sun arrive the tourists. The peace and quiet of the countryside is replaced with the hustle and bustle of "city people" who don't know the local customs and crowd the cafés and restaurants. The author recounts how the locals complain while also taking advantage of the tourism business. Towards autumn start the hunting season, the mushroom season, and the final spurt of renovation (with the wife's clever idea of inviting the workers avec to a finishing party, so that their work must be done because their colleagues' wives are there to judge the result). I like how the author portrays the quirky country dwellers as somewhat superstitious and very opinionated, and yet reliable, kind, and charming with their peculiar skills, especially regarding food and wine. My favorite characters are the philosophical plumber/clarinetist Menicucci and the "uncle" at the vineyard where the author goes to buy wine (with the intention of buying a few bottles of a specific white but ending up sampling a variety of reds as well). The book is often borderline too stereotypical, but in general the observations are insightful and appreciative. The author feels like a guy who would be a lot of fun at a dinner or on a walk around town. It's a light read. Recommended to readers wanting to get to know Provence.

A joyous, comforting escape to Provence. Written with wit and charm. 

Sarah Erle

Deyana

A year in Provence

Bee 

A fun read that conjures up images of an almost idyllic lifestyle in Provence. Although I enjoyed this book, I preferred the follow up 'Encore Provence'.

Enjoy an irresistible feast of humour and discover the joys of French rural living with Peter Mayle's bestselling, much-loved account of 'A Year In Provence'. Peter Mayle and his wife did what most of us only imagine doing when they made their long-cherished dream of a life abroad a reality: throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Lub�ron Valley and began a new life. In a year that begins with a marathon lunch and continues with a host of gastronomic delights, they also survive the unexpected and often hilarious curiosities of rural life. From mastering the local accent and enduring invasion by bumbling builders, to discovering the finer points of boules and goat-racing, all the earthy pleasures of Proven�al life are conjured up in this enchanting portrait.

A Year in Provence

Reviews

Highlights