A Year in Provence (Vintage Departures)

Excellent.

I loved every word of this book -- I have sent it to two people already. I have been to France, so that was an aid to liking the book, I suppose. I didn't know or exactly recognize anything he described, but it all echoed in my memory of travels to a different part of the south of the country. You don't need to be a Francophile to like this book, though. Even if all you know of French is "oui," you'll like the people he describes -- except the crashers who insisted on inviting themselves for a multi-night stay at his new home! And you might even like *them* -- the author's wit and cleverness make even the household disasters seem funny and somehow more bearable. This isn't a boring travelogue. The author is a storyteller, and a good one. You'll do that annoying thing where you repeat his stories to whoever is unlucky enough to be in the room while you're reading. No, only me?

Since catching the travel bug early, I've always yearned to travel to places far and wide, with one significant exception. Those places I cannot travel to, I read about. Between actual trips and wanderings in the pages of books, I've been just about everywhere. The one place I never had any interest in going to was France. I'd probably spent more time reading about travel to Slovenia than to, say, Paris. This all changed a couple years back. Perhaps the trauma of middle school French class had finally worn away. Recently I've developed a keen interest in French history, culture, cuisine and geography, accumulating the info needed to perhaps someday travel to that country.One doesn't get very far in researching travel to France before running into A Year in Provence by Englishmen Peter Mayle. I'd heard about this book and the hordes it inspired to journey to the South of France with visions of quaint, rustic farmhouses dancing in their skulls. I wondered if Provençal's have the same love hate relationship with A Year in Provence as Savannahians do with Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (which, in Savannah, is simply known as The Book). I approached the book with caution because I thought that to have inspired such a swelling of interest in Provence, Mayle must have painted an unrealistically romanticized version of life there.A Year in Provence chronicles, from January to December, a year in the life of Mayle and his wife, newly arrived in Provence. Any misgivings that Mayle was about to paint an idealized picture of Shangri-la in the South of France were dispelled in the first chapter, "January". In it he describes the Mistral, the icy, brutal wind that rips down the Rhone Valley every winter, tearing shingles and shutters off houses and, if it lasts long enough, driving some to suicide (So powerful is this wind that the French have named a class of warships and a missile for it).The book is very readable and, more than anything, is about the process of the Mayles' adjustment to life in their new home. The common thread that runs through all twelve chapters is the renovation of their farmhouse near the village of Menerbes. Much to Mayle's chagrin, life goes at its own pace in Provence. Dates to begin work and deadlines to complete it are fluid and depend greatly on everything falling exactly into place as it should (which it rarely does). Despite despairing that the project will ever proceed to completion, it doesn't take Mayle long to come to grips with his new reality. Halfway through the book he seems to surrender to the rhythm of life in Provence, stating that he cannot remember the last time he wore a watch.Some have written reviews criticizing Mayle for what they see as condescension towards his new neighbors. To me, he did not come across that way at all. I found his writing style humble and self-deprecating and was struck by the fondness with which he describes the people of Provence. The author's Provençal's are proud and passionate people who admirably eschew the modern get-it-done-now-now-now ethos. If the men working on the writer's house adhere to a, at times, frustratingly flexible concept of time, once they get down to it, they attack their jobs, be it building a wall or installing a central heating system, with skill and professionalism. Whether it be butchering a pig, playing a game of boule, eating a meal or having a conversation about the weather, Provençals live each experience to the fullest. From his crusty neighbor Massot to his outstandingly named insurance agent, Thierry Fructus, it's obvious that Mayle likes the people he lives with, idiosyncrasies and all. He saves his greatest criticism for his countrymen; holiday makers and would be carpetbaggers, some who were no more than nodding acquaintances back in the UK, who presumptuously descend on his little slice of heaven expecting to be put up and fed.I am particularly susceptible to good food writing and A Year in Provence provides a wealth of it. The book is stuffed with all manner and preparation of cheeses, breads, meat from field and farm, mushrooms, truffles, vegetables, fish and pastries, fresh and available every day at the local market, sopped up with locally produced olive oil and washed down with a variety of homegrown wines and liquors. Mayle and his wife journey to tiny villages to experience some of the top restaurants in France. In most of these very small family owned establishments, no menu is posted. The diner sits and eats what the chefs prepare. More often than not, the Mayles were already planning their trip back before the bill was paid. There is something very attractive about an area and culture that places food, its preparation and consumption, in such a central and exalted station.Peter Mayle paints a very vivid picture of Provence with his characters and, yes, the region's food. My criticisms of the book are minor. I would have liked a little more context to his year in Provence. Perhaps a forward about how the decision to move had been made and what the fact finding trip was like before they finally pulled the trigger would have helped. While I was able to get through many of the French phrases in the book, it would have been nice to have had a glossary or perhaps footnotes to translate some of the more obscure verbiage. Mayle, obviously, quotes all his prices in francs. About halfway through the book I finally jumped online to look up the exchange rate in 1988 (approximately six francs to the dollar). Maybe in some future edition a note will be made of this in order to provide a little insight as to how much things cost while Mayle was living there.The book has a nostalgic feel to it and I can't decide whether to attribute it to being set in an era right before cellphones and the Internet or the laidback lifestyle which Mayle describes. Since I finished A Year in Provence, I've resisted the temptation to plan my next vacation around this area. I'd be very disappointed to arrive there and find that Mayle's Provence has caught up with the rest of us.

Having visited in Provence several times this story is a reminder of those times. The lovely towns, the markets,the roads and the wine and the people are all very familiar and the Pastis is a staple.

It was a joy to read and I would strongly recommend it for everyone to read! Happy reading everyone reading this review.

I can say I don't like this book or that I love it. The chapters are organized by months and the stories are often humorous. The author's descriptions of adjusting to life in a town in Provence after moving from England are easily visualized and mostly entertaining. However, I didn't have that "I can't put this book down" or the "I can't wait to start where I left off feeling". It is our book club choice for this month and our discussion is in two weeks so I'm not sure what others thought yet.

Great Book and the seller sent it in a timely fashion. Also, It was in good condition.

Being a neophyte to the “travel literature” genre, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But in Peter Mayle’s book “A Year in Provence”, I was surprised how absorbing the reading experience was, without the need for a distinctive narrative plot thrust. After a career on Madison Avenue, Mayle uproots his life and takes residence in the quaint and quirky region of Provence, located in Southeast France. Mayle and his wife realize they have much to learn in navigating their new surroundings. The novel’s structure is quite simple—each chapter is a month in the year—but Mayle’s observations cut into the essence of Provencal life, not just the hidden gems and signature qualities of the region, but reaches for the underlying motivations of the people, the way they move and think, and why no one seems to leave. Part of the enchantment is meeting all these characters—the plumber, the reclusive neighbor, the butcher, the unwanted guests. The prose is simplistic but thoroughly engaging, particularly when Mayle reveals small tidbits in timely places that echo latent cultural rivalries. One word of caution: don’t read on an empty stomach! (You’ll quickly realize what I mean)

Excellent book! I really enjoyed reading it. A well written story, makes one feel as if in Provence. Delightful and joyful.

No wonder this book is a best seller. Peter Mayle nails Provence even in 2025! Everyone who loves Provence - a must read!

If you like a rollicking good read that transports you easily to another place buy this book. Mayle is a genius at describing the life, food, and drink of southern France. Very well observed and captivating.

I really enjoyed this book. I remember vaguely some of the hype around it at the turn of the 90's but as I was only about ten I had no real interest in it at the time. I decided to watch the TV adaptations -staring John Thaw - on YouTube recently, which were good enough to make me want to read the book and I'm glad I did. It's much much better than the TV shows - Peter Mayle has a great sense of humour (lost in the TV versions) and the joke is just as often on him as on the colourful characters he meets in each chapter. His observations, although funny, clearly emanate from a place of deep affection, fondness and respect for the eccentricities of his new community and friends, of which there are many. The way in which he describes everything from the food to the weather to the people themselves is excellent - he creates a vivid image in your mind as though you were there. I've been to France loads of times and have some family in the south and although I've been to Provence as a child I'd really like to go again to see how much has changed and how much of the Provence in the pages of this brilliant book remain in the 25 years since its release.

Es un libro que te levanta el ánimo, te pinta un cuadro hermoso de cómo era la vida en Provence, Francia hace 30 años. El autor describe muchas situaciones hermosas y chuscas con mucho cariño y hasta a veces, con un toque de sarcasmo. Es muy ligera la lectura y vale la pena invertir en aprender más de esa bella zona.