'A Year in Provence' made the bestseller charts even in France !:-)

[just john]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/11/year-in-provence-peter-mayle

A Year in Provence has gone on to sell more than 1m copies in the UK and 6m around the world in the last 20 years, making it one of the most successful travel books of all time and inspiring thousands of Brits to leave Blighty in search of a warmer, gentler life.

Well, who'd a thought it!

[mint]

JJ, hand on heart, I can honestly say that I have never read it!

[bubbles]

our neighbour gave us a copy in french!

if i get extremely bored one afternoon, i might just read it.

i seem to remember it being on tv with john thaw and it was dreadful.

[Gardengirl]

I read it many years ago in English, and more recently in French. I rather enjoyed reading it, and could recognise a few traits, too. I took the English version into hospital recently, and when the usually taciturn surgeon came for his pre-op chat, he saw it and suddenly became chatty! He's never been known for his bedside manner, but became quite lyrical about his holidays in the south of France, where he first read the book. The anaesthetist and several nurses came round the curtain afterwards to find out what he'd been up to, laughing and chatting! [:D]

[Tricia]

I read it a while ago, before we came to France, and again last year. I enjoyed it [:)]

Perhaps I am easy to please.

[mint]

No need to apologise, Tricia, for liking it!  It's just that I don't like advertising people that much; having worked with them!

Mind you, I was considered quite good at writing attention-grabbing slogans!

[Gardian]

It has been normal in recent years to knock Mayle's 2 famous books.  For us, living in the rural south, we were able to recognise many of the characters almost immediately.

Of course the stories are embellished, but they'd be boring without that and who can ever say that they haven't piled it on a bit in recounting a tale?  Don't judge by the tv series - not one of John Thaw's better moments.

They are what they are - quite lightweight stuff, which struck a note at the right time. Good for him & worth a lightweight read.  

[Russethouse]

 I liked 'A Year in Provence' but didnt like the follow ons,  I felt much the same about Carol Drinkwater.

Hated the TV version of YIP, John Thaw at his worst ( and I normally love him) and I'm not keen on Lindsay Duncan as an actress in any case - a dead loss IMHO

[mint]

Agreed, agreed, agreed, RH. 

Didn't like Drinkwater, didn't see Thaw, never thought much of Lindsay Duncan and don't like her looks (it's something to do with her mouth![:-))])

Strange how it's possible not to like people we don't and can't possibly know!

[Gardengirl]

And equally strange to like people we've only 'met' on this forum!  Nice though! [:D]

[mint]

Yes, GG, totally illogical and should be enough to get one committed!

Not only that, some of us like each other enough to have met and stayed with each other [:-))]

[sueyh]

Loved Y.I.P. and (perhaps to others disgust) Carol Drinkwaters books.  Very easy read and having visited the area, could easily visualise the places.

Suey

[just john]

And me[:)], I have to admit to being a sucker for all of them, including Carol Drinkwaters, usually bought just as I'm about to board the ferry, easily read and then set up for hols[:D]

[Russethouse]

 I read the first couple of CD books in book form, I was very disappointed with Book 2 particularly, it was marketed as being about France when  its main topic seemed to be her relationship and miscarriage. Other books I have dipped in to in serial form but I've never been tempted to buy another book although I have good friends who correspond with CD regularly via Facebook and find her most pleasant.

A book I can thoroughly recommend is Raymond Blanc's 'A Taste of my life' now available in paper back......it's a lovely read. (and I've probably said so on here several times [:)])

[Celine]

Thank you for that recommendation Russethouse. I have just read that book and loved it too. All those wonderful recipes and Raymond's memories of his childhood.

Did you notice he said he considered himself a better Frenchman for living in England? So proud of his roots and nationality, it taught me a lesson.

[Judith]

[quote user="Celine"]

Did you notice he said he considered himself a better Frenchman for living in England? So proud of his roots and nationality, it taught me a lesson.[/quote]

I wonder if that could be looked at the other way?  That we English living over here are better Englishmen (and women of course) because we have taken time to live in France?  An interesting thought, perhaps.  Do you become more English, the less you live in England?

[Russethouse]

[quote user="Celine"]Thank you for that recommendation Russethouse. I have just read that book and loved it too. All those wonderful recipes and Raymond's memories of his childhood. Did you notice he said he considered himself a better Frenchman for living in England? So proud of his roots and nationality, it taught me a lesson.[/quote]

Lots of my friends are Francophiles and I have found that this book makes a great gift for them, so far everyone has commented favourably and I think the comments were genuine.....in fact I'm just about to order another copy ....my seventh!

[Wilko]

PM is a neighbour of mine, well 10kms away, and I have bumped into him in our local village bar on more than one occasion. He is a charming man and exceptional raconteur. I met him when they were filming a Good Year and asked why he wasn't on set as he wrote the book, but not the screenplay, for Ridley Scott......his reply was "far too many luvvies for my liking". Unlike PM Scott is not well liked in the area by the locals. He is an infrequent visitor and his pastime seems to be taking people to court for various matters, the latest being a young french couple, who applied for and were granted planning, for a large chicken coup. It is some 500 metres from him in an area zoned as agricole, it seems he was offered the land but thought it too expensive..........with all his millions !! He went to court and lost his case a month or so ago. According to the local rag he has sued on 4 other occasions and lost all of them.

I have read most of PMs books and invariably enjoy them but certainly YIP and TP provide fascinating descriptions of the Provencales. I read YIP before I lived here and thought very tongue in cheek but after having lived here for some time you realise that the local people are very much as described by PM. Good luck to him.

[Gardengirl]

AYIP in French sells very well in our local newsagent/bookshop. They have a pile of them, which varies in size each time we pop in. The longer we are here, the more I see likenesses to locals!

[Chancer]

For those wholike me found that "A year in Provence" was just too fluffy and rose coloured I can thoroughly recommend another book that I have just read that was written to counter the fantasy life portrayed in AYIP

It is called "A Year in The Merde" and written by Stephen Clarke, twas recommended to me by someone who has lived and worked here for 15+ years and I laughed my way from cover to cover.

Anyone who is working for a French P.M.E in Paris or one of the agglomerations will immediately identify with the characters in it but everyone will identify with all the other generalisations like the French working year running from la rentrée (when next years holiday is planned right through till Noel) to the the end of April, now in fact. After which every week has a public holiday, each weekend is taken as a pont before a break using accumulated days of conge before finally getting down to the real serious business of les grande vacances.

All this punctuated by the strikes and hostage taking of patrons that we see every day on the news but will stop dead come July.

It is definitely not a book to lend as you wont get it back!

There is a follow up called Merde Actually which I am hoping to read soon.

[Frenchie]

Hi Chancer, what is it called please? a year in the what ??

[Russethouse]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Year-Merde-Stephen-Clarke/dp/0552772968/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272400276&sr=1-1

[Frenchie]

LOL

Merci pour la réponse rapide !!

 

[Gardian]

[quote user="Chancer"]

the fantasy life portrayed in AYIP

[/quote]

Ummm.  Well Chancer, there's 3 of us who actually live down here who say that what Mayle portrayed wasn't far from the truth.

I've seen, met and dealt with exactly the sort of characters he described.   

[Gardian]

Oh, and I really like Stephen Clarke's books.