This book provides a very intimate view of the author's experiences during his first year of living in Provence in the southeastern part of France. Most of the experiences represent the every day ones we all go through e.g. hiring someone to do work on our house, meeting neighbors through a party, etc. However, the people in Provence have a decidedly different perspective and character, and thus these ordinary experiences appear strange, fascinating and entertaining. This effect comes in part from Mr. Mayle's wit, writing style and emotional reactions to the events of his life. I particularly liked his description of the dress (leather), method of arrival (motorcycle) and behavior and attitudes of students coming into a certain town-absolutely precious. As with the French, food and drink in a Mayle book take an exalted status.

Mayle's vision of Provence is mostly fantasy. It's true, the details of food and weather and habits are accurate, but it rings of 19th century English colonial patriarchy. The French "peasants" are portrayed like happy go lucky children living in a Romanticized garden of Eden uncorrupted by the real world of London and Paris. Mayle is the benevolent Patriarch in contrast to the towns cast of cartoonish personalities (it's no accident this book was adapted to a comedic TV series). If it was a novel at least there would be a plot, but instead it's a faux anthropological survey with Mayle studying the life and habits of local natives and imparting information for those back home who wish to follow his colonial ambitions (Mayle was in advertising). Its been said travel writing is stuck in the 19th century and this is a prime example of the genre with a modern voice. The book has been very popular - it really is very enjoyable at a certain level - but believing the fantasy and traveling there expecting a similar experience is being complicit in a form of modern day colonialism. Mayle apparently has since left Provence because the town changed - one can only imagine why.

With that said I enjoyed reading about Provence and plan to read Alphonse Daudet's `Lettres de mon moulin` or Letters From My Windmill published in 1869 - it is beloved in France and offers perhaps an authentic French perspective on the region just before modernization.

Mayle's vision of Provence is mostly fantasy. It's true, the details of food and weather and habits are accurate, but it rings of 19th century English colonial patriarchy. The French "peasants" are portrayed like happy go lucky children living in a Romanticized garden of Eden uncorrupted by the real world of London and Paris. Mayle is the benevolent Patriarch in contrast to the towns cast of cartoonish personalities (it's no accident this book was adapted to a comedic TV series). If it was a novel at least there would be a plot, but instead it's a faux anthropological survey with Mayle studying the life and habits of local natives and imparting information for those back home who wish to follow his colonial ambitions (Mayle was in advertising). Its been said travel writing is stuck in the 19th century and this is a prime example of the genre with a modern voice. The book has been very popular - it really is very enjoyable at a certain level - but believing the fantasy and traveling there expecting a similar experience is being complicit in a form of modern day colonialism. Mayle apparently has since left Provence because the town changed - one can only imagine why.

With that said I enjoyed reading about Provence and plan to read Alphonse Daudet's `Lettres de mon moulin` or Letters From My Windmill published in 1869 - it is beloved in France and offers perhaps an authentic French perspective on the region just before modernization.

I'm probably the last person in the world to read this charming book. My interest was stirred by the Russell Crowe film A GOOD YEAR which has been running on the premium channels for the last two months.

The movie is heartwarming, witty, and full of sweet charm. Naturally I had to seek out the author of the book from which the movie was adapted. In doing so, I bought all of the other books written by Peter Mayle an ex-patriot Englishman living the life we all want to live in Provence.

Thus I began the first of his books A YEAR IN PROVENCE, his twelve-month epistle of establishing a new home in the Provençale region of France.

The articulate Mr. Mayle, a refugee from the advertising business, is of course articulate. More importantly though, he has a fondness for his subject matter and a humorous delivery that will at times make you smile and at other times make you roar with laughter.

The book is part travelogue and part love letter to Provence that will make you wish with every fiber of your being that you could find a similar Provençal farm house with land growing grape vines and fruit trees and shuck this rat race for the tranquil life described by Mr. Mayle.

If you haven't read this book, get a copy from your favorite online or local bookstore. I must warn you about one thing though. Don't do as I did initially and read a chapter at bedtime. The descriptions of the food consumed by the Mayles and their French neighbors and friends will make your mouth water. You'll find yourself in the kitchen uncorking a bottle of pinot noir and rooting through the fridge for a block of cheese.

I had not heard of this book until I was traveling last week, and a fellow traveler asked me in the Borders at the airport if I knew who had written "A Year in Provence". I did not know, but something in the title peaked my interest, so I googled it on my phone, found the author and read the excerpt on the publisher's site. I fell in love with the descriptions of Le Simiane's cuisine, and had to buy it (which I did as soon as I could find a local Borders).

I read it in 2 days - absolutely could not put it down, and I am certain there are some on the Metro in DC who felt as though I had lost my mind when I would suddenly burst into laughter at some highly entertaining little tidbit or description in the book.

Mayle has a dry wit (that British sangfroid perhaps?), that comes across clearly in his writing. I love his descriptions of how they (he and his wife) finally began to understand the "hand language" common in Provence and how "normalement" means anything from days to weeks! By the end of the book, I was already looking forward to starting "Toujours Provence".

Even though it is a travel diary of sorts, the book is absolutely a must read for anyone interested in the way the French peasants live...and of course the ultimate disdain they have for Les Parisiens (and all others as you will see through Massot's discussion of Germans, Swiss and Spanish campers).

Overall, this is an absolute delight - hats off to Mayle!!

A Year in Provence begins with New Year's lunch and ends with Christmas lunch. Between the two meals is a memorable year full of characters (from eccentric neighbors and affable builders to aged chefs), forays into the countryside, unwelcome visitors, the Mistral, and, of course, gastronomic delights.

Without explanation, such as how they can afford it, Peter Mayle describes how he and his nameless wife buy an old farmhouse in the Lubéron, insulated from the greater world and from change by the public lands that surround them. With dry English detachment, Mayle settles into a life ruled not by the minutes of commerce ("time is money") but by the seasons and the opportunities each brings, whether it's goat races, boules, or fresh olive oil. Although puzzled at first by what the people do when the bitter winter Mistral blows, Mayle soon figures out that even this depressing and confining season has its products--babies.

To their credit, the Mayles seem willing to accept and adapt to the Provence pace of life rather than expecting to find the urban English experience to which they are accustomed. They accept that the builders will return tomorrow "normalement" and don't fuss when "tomorrow" is weeks later. Rather than becoming demanding and ugly, which would achieve nothing, they come up with a plan that motivates the builders to complete the house by Christmas. They choose to live in Provence on its terms, not theirs.

Mayle expertly portrays the foibles of each person he meets. As a farmer, his neighbor Faustin is ever the pessimist, seeing future clouds on sunny days. "As if his life were not already filled with grief, Nature had put a further difficulty in his way" (that is, the table and wine grapes have to be picked at separate times, giving both crops the opportunity to go bad).

Another neighbor, Massot, could be the stereotype of the American mountain man, mistrustful and fiercely independent. Of his fierce Alsatians he says, "They wouldn't be happy in a town. I'd have to shoot them." Mayle adds, "He turned off the path to go into the forest and terrorize some birds, a brutal, greedy, and mendacious old scoundrel. I was becoming quite fond of him." Mayle doesn't pass up an opportunity for irony. Massot says, "Every summer they [Germans] come here and put up tents and make merde all over the forest" as he tosses an empty cigarette packet into the bushes. Later Mayle talks about, "The Belgians . . . to blame for the majority of accidents . . . forcing the famously prudent French driver into ditches."

The author does not spare himself. Hearing shots and hoping that the local grocer had missed killing a sanglier, Mayle says of the French countryman, "Let him worship his stomach; I would maintain a civilized detachment from the blood lust that surrounded me . . . This noble smugness lasted until dinner [a wild rabbit] . . . The gravy, thickened with blood, was wonderful."

When Mayle isn't chatting with the neighbors, being advised by the local plumber-musician, despairing over how to move his heavy stone table, entertaining friends of friends and obnoxious advertising executives, or watching goat races, he is, of course, eating. He and his wife find culinary wonders in the "good, simple food" served inexpensively in the restaurants they visit. ". . . artichoke hearts, tiny sardines fried in batter, perfumed tabouleh, creamed salt cod, marinated mushrooms, baby calamari, tapenade, small onions in fresh tomato sauce, celery and chick peas, radishes and cherry tomatoes, cold mussels"--and those are just the hors d'oeuvres, served with "thick slices of pâté and gherkins, saucers of olives and cold peppers."

When it comes to food, Mayle's favorite adjective is "fresh," which captures difference between life as most of us know it and the charm of Mayle's life in the Lubéron. Pressed for the time by the pressures of suburban living, commuting, work in the city, and our consumerist culture, and detached from the land, we eat food that is packaged, preserved, and transported, and then sold to us at a time and distance from when and where it was produced. Most of us live and eat well, we believe, but at the price of stress and at the cost of the pure enjoyment Mayle finds every time he dines in Provence, where bread is launched "into a sea of fish soup" and "it was as if the sliced, wrapped, machine-made loaf had never been invented."

I began A Year in Provence out of curiosity about its popularity and soon found myself living vicariously through Mayle, savoring not only the food and the beauty and rhythms of the countryside that produces it, but the companionship and consideration of each person they meet. As Maurice, the chef who finds a way to provide the powerless, desperate, and grateful Mayles with their Christmas meal "at a tiny table between the kitchen door and the open fire, next to a large and festive family," says, "It's not the day to be without an oven." A Year in Provence shows how richly rewarding even a simple life can be when accepted on its own terms, without ego, assumptions, or demands.

This book was a wonderful journey for me. I have traveled in the South of France and remember how beautiful the region is, yet how different its people are from a cultural standpoint. This is a fantastic read for anyone who wants to learn more about French culture, especially Provencal culture. For an interesting look at Parisian culture, I recommend "A Year in the Merde" by Paul West.

This book was a wonderful journey for me. I have traveled in the South of France and remember how beautiful the region is, yet how different its people are from a cultural standpoint. This is a fantastic read for anyone who wants to learn more about French culture, especially Provencal culture. For an interesting look at Parisian culture, I recommend "A Year in the Merde" by Paul West.

This is a very well written book. I like the sense of humor of he author. If you like food, you'll like this book. Food seems to be a major theme. It has very good descriptions of the area and the people. I felt like I was living there and getting to know their neighbors along with them.
I also enjoyed "A Good Year". More quirky humor and a great date film.

The fault may be mine. I think travel diary is just not my genre. I appreciate stories driven by plot and rich characters (the only rich character in this story is the food!). I kept asking myself where the book was heading, but basically it was just heading to the next dining experience, home improvement project, or inconsiderate guest. If I hadn't been reading the book for a book club meeting, I never would have bothered finishing it.

That being said, the writing does flow nicely. The book is well written, and some of the experiences are fun to read. If you enjoy travelogues, you will probably enjoy this book.

Warning: If this book were a movie, it would be rated PG-13 due to one strong expletive that blindsides you as you are reading along.

Over a decade has passed since A Year in Provence was published but time has not dulled the images, humor or humanity of Peter Mayle's wonderful story of an English couple's misadventures as they seek the good life in Rural France. The people, the food, and the land all come alive as the Mayle family struggles to rebuild an old farmhouse and blend in with the locals. This is the book that re-ignited interest in one one of France's most beautiful and gracious regions.

Peter Mayle's delightful expose of his first year as "foreigners" in Provence proves highly entertaining reading--for serious or armchair travelers. This month-by-month account proves a painfully honest narrative: how a perfectly respectable English couple "goes native" in just twelve months in Southern France. Clearly a cautionary tale this book catalogues the clandestine allures faced by naive Anglo-Saxons who have clearly absorbed too much semi-tropical heat to retain their Northern European rationality.

Read and be warned of the psychological horrors of gradulaly
slipping from productive, English sobriety and a lifestyle of moderation, into the fathomless pit of culinary worship with its acolytes: bread, wine, garlic, truffles, olive oil, cheese and game birds.

So this charming, apparently normal couple emigrates to southern France, where they are baffled by Provencal accents, attitudes and the
natives' flexible view of Time. The Mayles are thrown in without adequate warning to deal with sly peasants, avid promoters, local civic pride, excitable construction workers, rude drop-in guests and the seasonal invasion of European tourists: German campers and snobby Parisians who consider the entire globe beneath their notice.

The Mayles' first year concludes with the renovation (well, almost completed) of an old stone house, during which time they have earned the grudging respect of their colorful neighbors. Unfortunately, the standards of the once safe and sane British Empire have definitely disintegrated into shameless dedication/degradation to the gods of food and drink. The plotline can be briefly summed up: Going to the dogs--as some might say, (despite the fact that the couple actually brought their own dogs from home) in the land of the Frogs. If you read this book you'll never need to visit Provence in person, and yourfunny bone will be well fed, but your tummy/waist line will surely miss out.

Peter Mayle's delightful expose of his first year as "foreigners" in Provence proves highly entertaining reading--for serious or armchair travelers. This month-by-month account proves a painfully honest narrative: how a perfectly respectable English couple "goes native" in just twelve months in Southern France. Clearly a cautionary tale this book catalogues the clandestine allures faced by naive Anglo-Saxons who have clearly absorbed too much semi-tropical heat to retain their Northern European rationality.

Read and be warned of the psychological horrors of gradulaly
slipping from productive, English sobriety and a lifestyle of moderation, into the fathomless pit of culinary worship with its acolytes: bread, wine, garlic, truffles, olive oil, cheese and game birds.

So this charming, apparently normal couple emigrates to southern France, where they are baffled by Provencal accents, attitudes and the
natives' flexible view of Time. The Mayles are thrown in without adequate warning to deal with sly peasants, avid promoters, local civic pride, excitable construction workers, rude drop-in guests and the seasonal invasion of European tourists: German campers and snobby Parisians who consider the entire globe beneath their notice.

The Mayles' first year concludes with the renovation (well, almost completed) of an old stone house, during which time they have earned the grudging respect of their colorful neighbors. Unfortunately, the standards of the once safe and sane British Empire have definitely disintegrated into shameless dedication/degradation to the gods of food and drink. The plotline can be briefly summed up: Going to the dogs--as some might say, (despite the fact that the couple actually brought their own dogs from home) in the land of the Frogs. If you read this book you'll never need to visit Provence in person, and yourfunny bone will be well fed, but your tummy/waist line will surely miss out.

Love this book! It truly is a classic! From the first page it's fun, well-written, very entertaining, and made me feel I was there. All huge plusses with any book. I don't want to give too much away in hopes you'll buy it yourself and enjoy it slowly like a deliciously seductive meal in France. Very giftable, too! I'm thinking stocking stuffers? A little "just because" gift for a friend who needs a pick-me-up package in the mail? Or a housewarming gift with a bottle of French wine?

I read this book several years ago, and loved it so much I wanted to move to Provence.

I bought to give as a gift.

The long-running international success of this book is amazing. Almost enough to promote head-scratching. Doubt. Confusion. Fear of the Apocalypse. Because, if you really look at it, the book ain't all that great.

A YEAR IN PROVENCE tells the true story of a snobbish, know-it-all Englishman (a certain Peter Mayle) who retires after a successful career in the publishing industry in England and then buys an ancient farmhouse in Provence. He and his wife move in, eat fancy meals, re-do the house with all manner of expensive and modern luxuries, and cruise around the area looking for cute country restaurants, stores, and open-air markets, and even cuter anecdotes. That's the whole story: part culinary celebration by an English foodie, part travelogue of a newly retired control freak, part tourism poster for the French national administrative district of Provence/Cote d'Azure, A YEAR IN PROVENCE is the story of one wealthy, non-working Brit's gaze on a bunch of French people who do have jobs. Call it a giant chocolate box of witty, self-affirming anecdotes, some nutty, some sweet, most all scrumptious if ultimately empty.

In a move of sophistication that reminds me of Albert Einstein's most intellectually fertile period, Mr. Mayle names each chapter after a month. For example, Chapter 1 is actually called "January." Then Chapter 2 is called "February." It's "a year in Provence"!

But seriously, folks: Mr. Mayle gets a big shout-out for his descriptions of the cuisine served in Provence. It really is a foodie's delight to hear him tell of meal after succulent meal, wine after sweet wine. Also, kudos to the big Mr. M for his loving portraiture of the Provençal countryside. Here, too, the author excels. I, too, have lived in Provence, and his panoramas of the villages and countryscapes are spot-on.

But then we have to touch on the overall "me lord, you slave" nature of the text. As mentioned above, Mr. Mayle is retired. And he spends the whole book condesending to and commenting upon the hard-working residents who live in Provence and are just trying to get by. They exist, A YEAR IN PROVENCE tells us, so that a wealthy, superior, judgmental Brit can hover around them and fawn over them the way a slave owner must have grinned out appreciatively from the plantation's steps onto the poor folk working his fields.

So--in short--if you like your Provence filled with two-dimensional, grinning, child-like adults who shimmy and charm like Bojangles to make a smug, well-fed foreigner feel happy and superior, then Peter Mayle has written a book for you.

It is an utmost charming book, full of wit and humorous observation about life in Provence. It is a pity, that the audiobook is abridged. I read the printed edition and bought the audiobook for my blind wife. She enjoyed it greatly, but lost part of it because of being abridged.

I loved the funny antedotes in this book and it's a great book. It's about an English couple who buy a house in France to spend a year there to fix up the house. There's Ramon the plumber who is one of the interesting characters and the book talks about some of the events going on in the area along with some French cuisine. While reading this book, it feels like I'm in France. I really liked this book. It is funny, well written and interesing. I can't wait to read the second book in this series. A great travel book

This book is a 'must read' for anyone planning a trip to Provence. I kept a page for notes in the back as I read and used them when I planned our trip. Peter has a great sense of humor while accurately telling his story. We enjoyed our trip and reading his book was a bonus.

This book has something for everyone. The anecdotes are charming, funny, and full of deliciously descriptive sentences. I read some passages aloud to whoever will listen. This is the 2nd book I've read by Peter Mayle. I also read "A Good Year" and am currently reading, "Toujours Provence!" Mayle's books are refreshing and delightful to read.

I read this book as a follow up to "Almost French" which I thoroughly enjoyed. I wanted more but that author hadn't written anything else (yet?) so I looked to the back cover where there were some recommendations. I am so glad I did!
I always read 2 or more books at one time, usually because I have required reading for my profession. The book became my dessert and I rewarded myself for all kinds of tough accomplishments (even some teeny weeny ones) with a chapter or 2. It went all too fast and I was sorry to have it end! Sometimes, it was so funny that I had to wake my husband up to read him a passage, while my sides were splitting (he laughed too!) If you like reading anything about the French culture, or even just European culture, you will probably enjoy this book.

Englishman Peter Mayle and his wife realize what most of us could only dream about--life in the French countryside of Provence. Food and the hearty French life are the themes that run through this book as the Mayles undertake renovating their 200 year old farmhouse.

Season by season, Mayle infuses the local folk with wit and character, introducing the eccentric Massot who it seems is forever trying to sell his house to someone, Monsieur Menicucci the local plumber who plays clarinet to keep his fingers nimble during the cold season, stonemason Pierrot who lays stone floors as well as making tombstones, and a good array of other fascinating individuals. Discover how Mayle and his wife became the proprieters of a vineyard virtually overnight (weren't things supposed to take forever in Provence, Mayle thinks???), and how to properly prepare a meal of...Fox!

Throughout, food and drink are the ties which binds all together, beyond craft and culture. Or perhaps it is the ultimate craft that makes the culture. At any rate, a lovely fun book, much cheaper than a plane ticket or even renting a place in France. THIS is how to live!

Englishman Peter Mayle and his wife realize what most of us could only dream about--life in the French countryside of Provence. Food and the hearty French life are the themes that run through this book as the Mayles undertake renovating their 200 year old farmhouse.

Season by season, Mayle infuses the local folk with wit and character, introducing the eccentric Massot who it seems is forever trying to sell his house to someone, Monsieur Menicucci the local plumber who plays clarinet to keep his fingers nimble during the cold season, stonemason Pierrot who lays stone floors as well as making tombstones, and a good array of other fascinating individuals. Discover how Mayle and his wife became the proprieters of a vineyard virtually overnight (weren't things supposed to take forever in Provence, Mayle thinks???), and how to properly prepare a meal of...Fox!

Throughout, food and drink are the ties which binds all together, beyond craft and culture. Or perhaps it is the ultimate craft that makes the culture. At any rate, a lovely fun book, much cheaper than a plane ticket or even renting a place in France. THIS is how to live!

An excellent story of a couple living out their dreams in the beautiful Rhone Valley of France. Mayle fills "A Year in Provence" with his own witty accounts of exursions to near by villages and remodeling a 200-year-old farm farmhouse. The couples daily life is described in great detail, highlighting their delectible French meals. A true joy from begining to end!

If you are looking for travel information for spending a week in Provence, this is not the book. Instead try Rick Steve's tour books or other sources. However, if you want to go deeper than just tourist sites and Roman history of the area, this is an excellent book. It gives a lot of cultural info of the locals. It would help you to understand both the people and the area better. To top it off, the book has a lot of humors that even my 11 year old daughter find it interesting and funny. She finished the book before I did. The only "cons" is the book contains some French words or phrases from time to time without any translations. It would be nice if the editors of the book put a footnote for each of those phrases, especially for non-French speaking readers.

This book was a wonderful read. Funny, light, somewhat educational. Easy to read. Descriptive to the point that I felt I was there.
GREAT!!

My favorite Mayle book... and I have read them all (I think). I read this just about the time I was having a similar experience, moving into a new town, restoring an old house with a multitude of lurking issues, meeting people that you would not believe unlesss you met them yourself. Mayle's tale is much more interesting than my own, though the parallels were hilarious. I felt a kindred spirit.

Having never been to France (or Europe for that matter) I am not qualified to say weather this book accurately describes Provence or not. However, the wit and style of Mayle's writing is enough in itself to carry the book. I thoroughly enjoyed Mayle's description of everyday life, the character of the French people, and of course the food.

Mayle takes us into his world of moving to the South of France with his wife and purchasing an old provencial house. He is submerged in a culture that is fascinating on every level. Visions of biking under cherry trees bursting with blossoms, unending goblets of wine, and lavender infused air all drenched in golden sunlight make Provence sound like the promised land to this Alaskan girl!

Mayle has tact at describing even the simplest of details which may be taken for granted if you happen to experience them yourself, but I have been unsuccessful at growing lavender in my garden (which is an annual in Alaska) and there are no sun soaked vineyards for me to experience where I live so I loved reading about them.

My only frustration with this book is that French words are not translated and I can't find out what the heck marc is? I know it's a drink but what kind of drink? Is it like wine or what? I figured out that pastis is made from anise and I will try some...

My greatest hunger after reading this book is to savior the experience myself!

Peter Mayle's breakthrough book remains the classic Mediterranean travel narrative. An elegant and witty writer, Mayle set the standard for travel writers of the 1990s, and he's difficult to equal to the present day. Reading and re-reading "A Year in Provence" is like coming home again and again to a faithful friend.

Mayle is absolutely superb! The next best thing to actual travel.

It is common for English-speakers living in Provence (as I once did) to disparage Mayle and his books. "Provence isn't like that," they'll say, or: "He ruined it for us". However, they're missing the point - the Provence that Mayle created out of whole cloth (with a few real placenames and restaurant names to give it plausibility) is great entertainment for its intended market: sad people in grey, rainy England.

Of course Provence isn't like this, but maybe it should be.

A cracking good read if you don't take it too seriously...

This being my first encounter with Mr. Mayle's writing, I enjoy the spunk his writing style brings to one's experience of life in Provence.

Oh yes, the food and drink are foremost. But, what I find entertaining in a dear way, is how he describes the French people - the relationships his characters form with each other.

It's all about attitude, whether you're a foreigner or a local.

I find myself laughing aloud at Mr. Mayle's portrayal of the locals in their traditions and personalities, as well as the summer visitors from other areas of Europe.......truly a charming introduction to life in the south of France.

I'm saving my money and I want to move to France !!!

This is one of those books that would make for great beach reading, or perhaps by the side of the pool, sipping an ice-cold alcoholic beverage or maybe a glass of red wine. In fact, while reading, I was driven to grab a bottle of red, a loaf of bread and dish of olive oil and seat myself outside in the sun. Such a setting only enhances the sensory enjoyment of the writing and the apparent loveliness of the area it describes. Peter Mayle writes with a lot of humour and insight about a (somewhat) idyllic year in Provence, surrounded by a cast of oddly attractive characters, and his occasionally mentioned wife, who although is much a supporting "character" is clearly at one with the author in his exploration and sense of adventure.

Provence is one of those places that I dearly hope to visit one day, and this book only served to increase my appetite for the culinary and cultural pleasures that await me when I finally do. While not overly romanticizing the area with endless accounts of excessive eating and drinking and seamless and memorable experiences with "the locals" (in fact many such contacts with the tradesmen, local people and tourists are frustrating and exhausting), for this reader, a desire to mimic the author and move to an 18th century farm house and do major renovations remains undiminished. Well, at least in my dreams. Until then, I have this book.

Mayle is a hero to many, I am sure, who secretly harbour the desire to do as he and his wife did, and throw their all into making a fantastic life for themselves in an unfamiliar and exotic location. Whether it is Provence or somewhere else, such abandon is attractive and begs to be emulated.

A fun read, instantly enjoyable, and transporting in its descriptions of the food, the wine, the people and the spirit of Provence.

for a brief introduction into provence and provencal life, i'd suggest you start with peter mayle's book. it's an engaging, witty travelogue that keeps readers hooked from page one (if you like that dry british sense of humor, i suppose, but who doesn't?). we progress with the author and his wife through the seasons in provence and witness their troubles with getting their house fixed in a timely manner, eating sumptuous french meals, the bustling markets, the friendly and idiosyncratic characters who they interact with, and the ups and downs with weather (the mistral is something i'd care not to experience). although perhaps mayle and his wife are a bit stodgy english caricatures, you can't help but love their british affectations which over the course of the novel fall more in line with the unhurried french way of life.

It was interesting reading the first book after having read Toujours Provence. Of the two I prefer Toujours for it's vingette style of wrapping the author's autobiographical elements around the eccentric lives of those he meets. In A Year in Provence, it's exactly that, twelve chapters that start in January and go linearly through to December. Both are valid story telling methods but I think that the thematic method used in the sequel made for a more entertaining book.

I started the Provence trilogy by reading the last one first-no matter,I will probably read them again because they are so good and redolent [maybe too strong a word] of humanity. I read books slowly and the predominant thought that I always dealt with at the time, regardless of how much of it had passed since last I picked up the book, was the extraordinary humanness of his writing. The book oozes with deep, deep love for the people, their culture and the land that surrounds them-even the animals that accompany their passage through this life in the Luberon. The second thought that always occupied my mind as I read Peter Mayle is one of total envy-how can a person be so observant and at the sme time express those observations so lovingly and so clearly.

To someone who has not read the book, realize that it is a series of anecdotes about the people that become part of his life in Provence. These people, perhaps naturally or perhaps through Mayle's superb writing, take on a larger than ordinary life. He paints them with the utmost care and love but they emerge from his canvas as more interesting, more substantive and more full of life than most of us can manage-hence the title of this comment.

A marvellous, readable book.

Mayle shows us a corner of Provence through his own besotted eyes and what a charming picture he presents! I agree with another reviewer that his charicatures of the locals are just that - one-dimensional snapshots that lack depth and are long on generalizations. But Mayle is showing us life in Provence as he found it, and if he wears blinders that led him to focus on the scenery, ambiance, weather, and most importantly, the food, it's hardly cause for complaint! He brings his wry sense of humor, talent for observation and significant story-telling skills to a number of people, places and situations and in the end creates a marvelously warm and witty portrait of a place he has come to love. He is showing us HIS Provence, and the best recommendation for the book is that it will leave you with a compelling desire to go and see it for yourself. Which is perhaps a downside as well because I understand that his book was so successful and brought such a flood of tourists that he has moved!

One day, having been smitten with Provence, France for a long time, I discovered the Travel Literature section of my local bookstore. I found a book entitled "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle. This book chronicles the author and his wife's move from their home in England to Provence, France. The book, broken down by the months of the year, tells us what the Mayles encountered whether it be people, customs, food or weather. The book is quite amusing as Mayle describes the French as well as he and his wife's innocent, naive approach to the Provencial way of life. Throughout the book, Mayle describes delicious foods that only the French could have developed. The description of the food and Provence made me want to travel there! Oh! How I would LOVE to go to France! If you are interested in French food, check out this book! It is a quick read, and very entertaining.

This book was a joy to read. First of all, I found Peter Mayle's writing style to be charming and amiable. While keeping the story light and humorous (the book has many very funny parts) the author gives a reader a chance to learn something new. When he described anything from cuisine to Provence locals I found myself either salivating while reading "food paragraphs" or I felt that I met all the characters myself. That's how good the author is with words. Good book and what a great vacation from all other modern fiction books.

Nothing would be easier than adding another 5-star review of A YEAR IN PROVENCE. It is a hard book not to like, but seldom have I finished a book with such ambivalent feelings. A classically casual armchair travel book, A YEAR IN PROVENCE goes down easy like a fine wine, requiring nothing of its readers except a brief swirl around the mind before swallowing. The story is light-hearted, the writing breezy and funny, the food delectable, the local citizenry picaresque, the scenery pastoral, the wine earthy, the weather alternately wonderful and dreadful. A year of domestic calamities come and go, resolved with the gravitas of a TV sitcom. All ends well in each episode, with everyone smiling and bellies full.

Peter Mayle's A YEAR IN PROVENCE is filled with amusing anecdotes and gentle humor. He evokes the Provence countryside effectively, particularly the effects of climate and season on local temperaments and pace of life. Yet throughout this book, I repeatedly felt a sense of carefully-disguised, or perhaps inadvertant, distance. Mayle reveals little of himself and even less of his wife, who remains oddly nameless, faceless, and personality-less for the duration of the book.

More disturbing are the locals, the Provencals. Each comes across as something of a caricature, a French version of Normal Rockwell's characters, or maybe a French version of the old comedy show Green Acres. There's Faustin, the tenant farmer, always expecting the worst, and Menicucci, the plumber extraordinaire, bigger than life and full of small philosophies, and Massot, the local crank and German-hater. And Christian the architect, Didier the mason, Ramon the plasterer, and Jean-Pierre the carpet layer. Mayle's world isn't populated by people with lives, just role players in the theater of the author's own life, bit parts to Mayle's Everyman, named according to their professions.

Even the secondary characters are presented this way. The men are all salts of the earth, the women all earth mothers. Every chef and baker is a dedicated but understated master, every craftsman an artist who would rather eat, every English visitor a clown or a boor, every Parisian an effete snob, every St. Tropez beachgoer an SPF-slicked fool. And above it all, mildly bemused, sits Peter Mayle, the only non-Provencal to have discovered the truth about life, olive oil, wine, goat cheese, wine, French bread, wine, mushrooms, truffles, and wine.

A YEAR IN PROVENCE is an upscale, clean-hands-and-shoes view of Provence for readers enthralled by Michelin ratings, truffles, finding the perfect wine for each occasion, or discovering the ultimate olive oil. This is not life in Provence, it's a year's vacation in a French country house with a pool in back and money to spend on whatever moves you.

I finished the book feeling as stuffed full of Provencal food and wine as a local at lunchtime, but I was far less sure I had learned what makes a Provencal tick. Seven lines from the end, Mayle writes: "It had been a self-absorbed year..." I couldn't have summarized the book any better myself.

Three stars for an entertaining but disappointingly superficial book.

This is a truly enjoyable book of memoirs from Peter and Annie Mayle's first year in Provence. As others before me, I felt immediately compelled to pack my suitcase and set out on my own adventure in Provence! This book provides an intimate look into their experiences in day-to-day living in this lovely region in France, and it is nothing but either pure enchantment or true comedy from the quirky Provencaux to their former English countrymen. Written with dry British wit, it is very accessible and augmented throughout with French phrases that can be understood contextually for those who are not familiar with the French language. I highly recommend this book for francophiles, anglophiles, and any who are interested in starting a new adventure in a foreign country!

Fun AND FUNNY! It was like going on vacation... with someone else's money! :-)

I read this book after I had travelled to Paris and experienced a small part of French culture. After I read it I wish I would have gone to Provence.

Peter Mayle's memoir of relocating to Provence from England is laugh out loud funny. Like many of us Mr. Mayle fumbles about as he learns new things and manages to entertain his readers with his follies. So sit back with a glass of wine, cheese and a comfortable chair and enjoy!

In A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle descibes his and his wife's first year living in Provence as British expatriats. The book is divided into twelve chapters, one for each month, and takes us through the Mayles adjusting to life in France and getting their old farmhouse renovated. Mayle writes with self-deprecating wit and genuine pleasure for his new home. He is clearly bemused and captivated by his new friends. For example, before the cherry harvest (his land has 30 cherry trees), natives warn him repeatedly of the coming migrant "gypsies" who officially come to harvest the cherries but also have a habit of thievery. The stories are so overblown, that Mayle can't wait to meet these horrible gypsies; the results are hilarious. He and his wife also learn to contend with the Mistral, a harsh wind coming from Siberia, which their plumber informs them is getting stronger year by year, which can only mean that somewhere between Provence and Siberia the earth is getting flatter. In addition to all the home repairs are descriptions of excellent meals in perfect little restaurants around Provence. All is written with breezy good humor and infectious delight for both Provence and the Provenceaux.

An account of one man's move to Provence and his first year there. The book deals with mundane issues - building a house, meeting neighbors, and eating - but it is well written and successfully interests the reader in the small details of his life.

A wonderful read that I continue to share with friends and family.

If you've ever lived overseas, or felt like "an outsider" in a different culture, this book is for you. It captures regional details that one can only experience by "living" in a new place, as opposed to just traveling. I learned more about realtionships between cultures than I just did about French living. A must read!

If you're looking for a nonfiction trip to France, this is a good read. I like A Year in Provence (and Toujour Provence, too). Interestingly, I think Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence and Toujour Provence Mayes' work got reworked into Italy via Frances Mayes' Under The Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany. Interestingly, though, I would recommend Under the Tuscan Sun over A Year in Provence.

An Englishman and his wife buy a farmhouse in the countryside of Provence. I presume they are wealthy and retired, because they haven't a care in the world about money and they don't have anywhere else to be. And they certainly don't have jobs. The book starts on New Year's Day and chronicles the author's first year in his new home in a rather detached narrative. The author's wife, his guests and anything not French are somewhat shallowly described and often aren't even given names. If they have kids, I don't recall them being mentioned. I certainly have no idea how old they are. I therefore had no trouble inserting myself and my husband in place of the author and his spouse in this picturesque fantasy.

The real characters are the locals, the workmen, the café owners, the neighbors, their quirky habits and the divine cuisine. Some of the anecdotes seem contrived or shifted in time to accommodate the structure of the book in chapters based on months, but I didn't care. I loved the descriptions of the food, the markets, the country roads, the truffle hunting...

I found the author's style of writing very charming, if somewhat impersonal, and the situations that would induce a working city woman like myself to explosive anger are injected with an innocuous sarcasm that just made me chuckle with laughter. Even though the author must deal with sporadic remodeling, a constant stream of uninvited English guests, the cleaning of the pool etc., Life is good. So don't worry. Eat, drink and be happy.

I read 2, 3 or 4 chapters at a time and I had no trouble putting it down. I even read another book after August and picked it up to read September after a particularly hectic day and I finished the book in that sitting. This was not a page-turner. But I enjoyed it anyway. I have never been to France and I read this book as a work of fiction. I didn't read it to get acquainted with Provence nor did I read it to assist with a decision to travel there, so I have no idea if it is accurate or not. I feel that I am no more familiar with the south of France now that I have read this book, so it didn't seem helpful in that regard. What I do know is that is was delightful and soothing, like a relaxing vacation or a good cup of tea.

The appeal of this book is in the fact that Mayle has created a Shangri-La for his readers. But at what price? He has fabricated a world that does not exist, just as Disney created a home spun fantasy on Main Street USA. This Provence did not and does not exist. I don't argue the value of fantasy, but to sell it to the masses as an accurate representation of southern France does everyone an incredible disservice. This book is a fiction. Read it, love it, recommend it - I don't care. But don't believe a word of it.

This book is a journal about the adventures of a British family who have recently moved to an aging farmhouse in rural Provence. The author, Peter Mayle, is resolved to let nothing get under his skin, whether it be the unexpectedly cold winter weather, the unpredictable work schedules of the crew fixing up his house, or the unending stream of acquaintances from rainy London who decide that they would like to spend their vacations at Mayle's home in the sunny south. Mayle's style is to treat all of these happenstances with humor, in a British sort of way. At the same time, he manages to squeeze in many details of typical life in rural France. If you've spent any amount of time yourself in the French countryside, you will recognize the scenery that Mayle describes immediately. Mayle also expounds on the pleasures of eating in France- -don't pick up this book if you are trying to control your appetite. Occasionally, Mayle's descriptions of the people he encounters come across as a little too flippant, but overall, the book is quite enjoyable.