"It was a pleasure just to be alive." ~ Peter Mayle, on his experience in France

Peter Mayle's "French Lessons" is an engaging book about French cuisine. He takes the reader off the beaten path to vicariously experience new discoveries. Along the way we find cooking advice (what type of pan to use when making an omelette), health spas, festivals, beaches, marathons and cheese eating competitions.

In one adventure Peter Mayle takes the reader to a Catholic mass which celebrates the expensive black truffle (they are auctioned off before lunch). His vivid prose enlivens the imagination. Through his writing we experience all the nuances he is enjoying.

As someone who makes her own croissants I am always eager to read about French cuisine. This is a warm cozy read, the type of book you curl up with in the winter or read in the summer in the shade.

If you love Peter's books I know you will adore: The "A Year in Provence" Movie.

~The Rebecca Review
Once I spent a weekend in Paris

This book chronicles the adventures of Peter Mayle through the French country-side armed with knife, fork and corkscrew. His delightful sense of humor is present through out his epicurean journey. He attends amazing food events. There is the religious celebration of the black truffle. the marathon where every stop is hosted by a winery ( complete with tastings through-out the 26.2 miles!!) and the "interesting" fair of the ESCARGOT! You will understand how seriously the French take their food when you read this book..or do they just like to have fun!

As a former (and once-again) food writer, I must say this book is deliciously entertaining. I'm still in process of devouring the entertaining writing. Very well done. Any serious foodie will enjoy it!

In this wonderful look at Gallic Culture and Cuisine, British Francophile Peter Mayle visits several food fairs and celebrations in the French countryside and takes us along for the ride in this tale that is part travelogue/ part food guide. The tales are usually funny, interesting and mouth watering. I nearly drooled on some of the pages reading his description of the elegant dishes that were served.

I've never learned so much about Frog Legs, truffles, snails, or cheeses. I only regret is that he missed the festival celebrating the sausage that my Canjun relatives call Boodat.

Conviently there is an appendix with addresses and phone numbers for anyone contemplating a trip to France to attend one of the festivals themselves.

I am ready to go back to France after reading this book. Anyone with a love of good France, light humor and beautiful countryside of France, should read this book.

I am ready to go back to France after reading this book. Anyone with a love of good France, light humor and beautiful countryside of France, should read this book.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book so I kept putting it off. Boy, was I wrong! What I enjoyed even more than the detailed descriptions of his degustations, were his extremely accurate descriptions of Frenchmen. I studied in French schools throughout my young adulthood and this book brought back so many memories... To top it off, I'm a big cheese lover and cheese plays a big role in this lovely work.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book so I kept putting it off. Boy, was I wrong! What I enjoyed even more than the detailed descriptions of his degustations, were his extremely accurate descriptions of Frenchmen. I studied in French schools throughout my young adulthood and this book brought back so many memories... To top it off, I'm a big cheese lover and cheese plays a big role in this lovely work.

My son is very into the french language and culture and this book is excellent is filling in gaps that he does not get at school and through french movies and videos. Thank you.

My son is very into the french language and culture and this book is excellent is filling in gaps that he does not get at school and through french movies and videos. Thank you.

Peter visits the fetes of food throughout France - escargout, wine, cheese, etc., etc., etc. A plethora of flavors and smells in Mayle's wonderful style.

The French may smoke, drink and eat the richest food in the world, but they live longer and have fewer heart problems than Americans. In his better known bestseller, A YEAR IN PROVENCE, Peter Mayle led us on a tour through markets, vineyards, goat races, and mushrooms hunts in the south of France. In FRENCH LESSONS, he takes us on a culinary Tour de France, which includes the consumption of frog legs, snails, truffles, poultry, and, of course, lots of wine along the way. Mayle writes that, upon his first taste of French food, his dormant taste buds "went into spasm" (p. 3), awakening his "Inner Frenchman." FRENCH LESSONS is the result of that experience, and as such is truly a celebration of French cuisine sure to change one's attitudes toward the pleasures of food.

Memorable stops along the Mayle's Tour include a yearly cheese fair at Livarot, "La Foire de Fromages;" a frog-eating festival in Vittel; the Marathon du Medoc offering runners liquid inducements like Lynch-Bages, Lafite Rothschild, Phelan Segur, Latour and Pontet-Canetc rather than Gatorade; and a Richerenches' village mass, in which the parishoners are blessed with a rare, black truffle. For FRENCH LESSONS, Mayle deserves a yellow jersey.

G. Merritt

The French may smoke, drink and eat the richest food in the world, but they live longer and have fewer heart problems than Americans. In his better known bestseller, A YEAR IN PROVENCE, Peter Mayle led us on a tour through markets, vineyards, goat races, and mushrooms hunts in the south of France. In FRENCH LESSONS, he takes us on a culinary Tour de France, which includes the consumption of frog legs, snails, truffles, poultry, and, of course, lots of wine along the way. Mayle writes that, upon his first taste of French food, his dormant taste buds "went into spasm" (p. 3), awakening his "Inner Frenchman." FRENCH LESSONS is the result of that experience, and as such is truly a celebration of French cuisine sure to change one's attitudes toward the pleasures of food.

Memorable stops along the Mayle's Tour include a yearly cheese fair at Livarot, "La Foire de Fromages;" a frog-eating festival in Vittel; the Marathon du Medoc offering runners liquid inducements like Lynch-Bages, Lafite Rothschild, Phelan Segur, Latour and Pontet-Canetc rather than Gatorade; and a Richerenches' village mass, in which the parishoners are blessed with a rare, black truffle. For FRENCH LESSONS, Mayle deserves a yellow jersey.

G. Merritt

In another installation on Peter Mayle's fanciful and intriguing adventures in France, he takes us on a journey throughout this remarkable country to experience the best gastronomic ventures (or adventures in some cases). Whatever your preference (snails, frog legs, or nude lunching), this book is sure to delight and comes with a reference section for those wishing to have their own experiences in true French cuisine.

It seems that Peter Mayle has found the golden formula: write about food with humor and detail, and add funny anecdotes about the French - these eccentric foreigners whom we regard with a combination of suspicion and admiration. Yes, there are many people who fall for this kind of literature and I admit to be one of them. I just love to read about food. I even liked to read different versions of Red Riding Hood as a child only due to the nice anticipation of what would the heroine have in her basket this time... Peter Mayle seems to satisfy this whim. After winning great success with his previous books and most notably the famous "A Year in Provence" he continues to write about this favorite subject. In this book he makes an effort to give us a kind of serious research of the French obsession with food, while searching one French food festival after the other, the more bizarre the better. Mayle jumps between a snail festival to a wine festival and to a frog legs festival and then ends his adventures in a glorious spa where one looses weight eating great food.
I admit the book is funny, although most of its jokes center on the cultural difference between the British author and the eccentric French and their dedication to good food. However, you cannot escape the feeling that somehow Peter Mayle had a too much of a good time writing this book. He traveled around France and then did some fact checking at home. He even fills a chapter with his failed attempts to reach a blood sausage fair (my favorite chapter is the one describing the work of the mysterious Michelin critics). To call this a serious job and on our expense? This is something so different to a serious way of life ... its almost heresy.
But seriously. The book has several very entertaining and interesting parts, but can also get quite tedious at times. This is not a book to read in one sitting. A good book to read while planning a trip to France some time in advance (so that reader can allow enough time to make all necessary reservations) or for lovers of food and France, who enjoy reading food descriptions. In no way is this a "must" book. This is indeed a luxury book.

Peter Mayle has long been famous for his books on Provence, where he has lived as an expat Brit for the best part of decade. He has made it his speciality to examine the lives of the French, their customs and habits in a witty, humourous and often very personal way.

The focus of his attention here is the French obsession with food - the making and cooking of it, the ingredients, and of course the eating of it, one that he himself coincidentally shares. He intends to satisfy his curiousity by going on a wild romp through many of the strangest food events France has to offer. From a trip to a festival celebrating Frogs Legs (where he is enthroned as an honarary taster), to a church service dedicated to the venerable and hidden majesty of the truffle, to another festival honouring the other French staple the snail, and my personal favourite one involving a wine tasting marathon, each story is supremely funny and wonderfully entertaining.

This book, which is basically made up of several self-contained stories, is a delightful treat. At its length however, it is more akin to a extremely delightfully crafted appetizer, rather than a full wholesome main course. That said, it does whet ones appetite, and leaves you longing for more.

This is a must read book for any lover of France and the french culture foods and way of life. "A Year ib Provence," make one
want to pack up and move there to a very charming town and simpler way of life.

I listened to "French Lessons" on tape, the unabridged production read by Simon Jones. What pleasant few days of commuting those were!

I had never read any of Peter Mayle's books before; I had never even read this genre. I found this book in our local library by a complete coincidence and truly enjoyed every minute of listening to it. I liked the combination of the entertaining style and the array of very interesting facts.

I share with the author the pleasure in eating good food. I agree whole-heartedly with Peter Mayle's opinion on the critical importance of the quality of the ingredients you use in the cooking process.

For example, the chapter on "Aristocrats with Blue Feet" brought to my mind the memories of my childhood summer vacations and specifically how my grandfather's cows "respected themselves". Every evening, before the cows came home from the pasture (where they were all day with all the other cows from the village grazing on the shamrock), my grandfather prepared a pail of fresh icy cold water straight from the well for each cow. The pails had to be super clean and nobody was allowed to drink from those pails (which we, city kids, loved doing - pretending we were cows; and which the farm dog loved doing as well). If a cow as much as smelled that someone drank from her pail, she would shake her head, look at our grandfather with her beautiful eyes, and - without having a sip - go straight to her barn. Those cows' walk was almost as "stately and deliberate" as Peter Mayle's chickens' and even though they did not "pause between steps, holding one foot in the air", they respected themselves and expected the same from their farmer. The point of my story? My grandfather would never even think about offering them the feed made from dead cows' bones and other parts. That would be unimaginable. No wonder the cows all over the world are getting mad.

I wonder if the following two situations could have happened to me in France. At a major North-American chain café I asked a lady behind the counter if the pastry presented behind the glass was fresh (unfortunately, I had doubts just by looking at it). Her answer: "Let me check. O yes! It is fresh, it was delivered yesterday." Or in a major North-American sports lounge, we were offered frozen chicken breast in tomato sauce, and after complaining to the waiter, we had it reheated in the microwave (talking about insult to the stomach).

Peter Mayle's book is a true breath of fresh air in this world of the contaminated food and the appalling standards in some of our "good reputation" restaurants and cafés. I wish more people understood what he is talking about so that one day I will find quality food at my corner grocery store rather then having to drive 20km one way to a European bakery and 25 km in the opposite direction to a European meat store to find edible food.

French Lessons may sound like something that should come with a syllabus, but it is in fact the latest witty look at French culture from British advertising executive turned writer, Peter Mayle. Page after delicious page, this book is pure enjoyment!

Even if you haven't read Mayle's other wonderful books (which I highly recommend), this is a great read for anyone who loves French food, French wine and has a good-natured sense of humor about the people who both produce and consume it. It's like a trip to France without the inconvenience of transatlantic travel. If you're a Francophile like I am, you'll be laughing hysterically and pulling out your passport at the same time!

If you are planning a trip to France, get the book as reference material, and a great way to get excited about your trip. On our honeymoon, my husband and I used Mayle's books as a guide to Provence and had a great time on our pilgrimage. If you are going to Paris and not the countryside however, I recommend reading "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik. Mayle is in love with the real French, not the Parisians (and if you've ever traveled both places you know exactly what I mean) so he spends his time in Burgundy, Provence and other countryside areas.

One warning to the serious reader though, you'll be done in a couple of hours with this book. You'll fully enjoy those hours, but it is very much a quick read. I think of books like French Lessons as a vacation for the brain. It's great fun and not much thinking. So give that big brain a rest and pull up a fork for what I consider one of the best books about life in France published to date.

I loved it. Peter Mayle is funny, adventurous, witty and blends right into the French lifestyles. He is game to go anywhere and try anything and he takes you along for the ride. I enjoyed every page.

mayle makes masterpieces, undeniable works of art. I no longer feel so confined to the knowledge of one culture.

Peter Mayle takes you back to the world of bright sunlight, full bodied wine, and glorius food, all found in only one place according to him: Provence.
Here he focuses the book on various gastronomical festivals in the region including ones for, frog legs, snails, and a marathon that hands out various wines at pit stops.
All is told with the comfortable wit and charm that you've come to expect after three previous literary outings in the South of France. Not to be read with an empty stomach, but instead savored with a glass of good red wine and a slice of fragrant cheese.

I read this book by Peter Mayle before I discovered any of his previous writings and was hooked immediately! French Lessons is the latest by this engaging author on his life and experiences in the South of France and is necessary reading for anyone interested in French fare, life in France or just an incredible experience (vicarious or literal) in International travel. I love this book, as I did all others by the same author, bought many copies this last holiday season for all of my friends and family and Everyone felt the same way as I! You really need to read this book, as well as "A Year in Provence" and all the other wonderful editions by Peter Mayle. The only complaint I can voice is that there are not enough other volumes available today, as this is one of those books that you do not wish to ever end and you just can't get enough of Peter Mayle!

After reading only a few pages of this book, I became obsessed with owning every volume by Peter Mayle about his life and experiences in Provence! It is truly entertaining, laugh-out-loud reading and you dread the end of each book. I gave copies to both of my parents, friends and coworkers and everyone agrees...Peter Mayle's books are everything you want in a good read! I can't wait for his next publication!

Here's a book that entertains in many ways. It succeeds as a travelogue, as a food book, and as humorous writing. One can almost see the expressions of offended Fenchmen, revel in anticipation of bountiful and unusual food exquisitely prepared by some of France's fine chefs, as well as end up with an almost belly-ache or hangover. It's great fun to learn about French food and beverage favorites such as truffles, escargot, and burgundy with such an entertaining tour host as the British Peter Mayle. He tells about the quirks of the French with such devotion, one cannot help but love them despite their elitist behavior regarding the preparation, celebration, and enjoyment of food and drink.

French Lessons: Adventures With Knife, Fork, And Corkscrew by Francophile and culinary expert Peter Mayle is an informed and engaging guide to proper etiquette with respect to the French culinary culture. From what to wear, to instructions on gracefully wielding dining utensils, to the author's personal and anecdotal stories of gourmet delights, French Lessons is the next best thing to enjoying sumptuous French cuisine itself! Also highly recommended are Peter Mayle's previous books on French culture and country, A Year In Provence; Anything Considered; Chasing Cezanne; Toujours Provence; and Encore Provence.

Peter Mayle's lighthearted romp through some of the greatest gastronomic events occurring in modern-day France. Here's an enjoyable and easy read that one can complete in one transcontinental flight or a couple of evenings before bedtime. In his continuing style of astute British observation in France, which served him so well in "A Year In Provence", Mayle walks you through festivals devoted to frog legs, French wine, gastronomic running marathons, near-nude dining of the beautiful (and rich) people at the beach and finally a trip to the 'fat farm'. I must admit Mayle had me busting with laughter as he describes the female attendant's methods to cleanse his body after the mud bath. As a finale, Mayer provides a few elusive insights into the creation of the "Michelin Guide". That famous organization that over a hundred years has kept its workings out of the public eye so that they can provide near truth for their restaurant and hotel ratings.

As a fan of the author's Provence books, I picked up this audiobook for a long road trip. I was not disappointed. Mayle's writing is still as funny and educational as before. His "research" for this book takes him (and others) all over France, sampling the country's best cuisine--helped appreciably by the famous red Michelin guide.

Mayle's long descriptions of escargot and wine-tastings are never boring, and Simon Jones lends the perfect voice to this reading. He has an excellent grasp of the French tongue and the foreign words blend with the English with no slips. This was also a comfortably familiar voice to travel with, as Jones played Arthur Dent in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy radio series I liked so much as a child.

This is a terrific audiobook to travel with--or, I expect, to stay at home with. A warning, however. Be prepared to salivate at the descriptions of the wonderful French food. If traveling, you may have to pull over to the nearest French restaurant to sample their fare. The greatest compliment I can pay this book is to say that my only complaint was that it was too short.

So, sit back, tie a bib round your neck and tuck in to Peter Mayle's latest offering.

Another fairly quick read. Nothing really WRONG with the book, but after a while, all the meals seems to blend together as Mayle travels France experiencing the traditions of French cuisine. Somehow all the meals start to look alike. Much more interesting is the recent book "A Cooks Tour," where the author travels the world looking for the perfect meal.

Last year I was lucky enough to take a month long holiday in the south of France. Naturally, "French Lessons" is one of the books I chose to take with me.

"French Lessons" is vintage Peter Mayle. While I enjoy Mayle's fiction as a light and fun change of pace, I really think he is at the top of his form when writing non-fiction. "French Lessons," like the classic, "A Year in Provence," is simply charming. There is just no other way to describe it. The book charms and beguiles you; you lose yourself in it and time just flies. No one seems better able to describe the "real" France than Peter Mayle. And it shows. Most definitely.

Just as with Mayle's previous non-fiction books, I found I could relate to just about everything he wrote in "French Lessons." I had had similar experiences in Provence, in Paris, in the Loire, in Burgundy. One can learn about more than food in this book; Mayle also details the social customs of the areas and the idiosyncrasies of the people. I learned there are people who attend Mass to give thanks for the truffle, a festival where snails are eaten by the dozen and washed down with Gewurztraminer, and an actual "cheese hall of fame" in the town of Livarot. The person honored with the award from this particular hall of fame is expected to eat as much livarot cheese as possible. In another such festival, frogs' legs are the celebrated foodstuff. The annual celebration of the bleu footed poulet in Bourg-en-Bresse and the Marathon du Medoc made for especially hilarious reading.

Mayle takes us from region to region and from town to town...all in the name of great food. We visit festivals, restaurants, chateaux and so many town squares, I lost count. Mayle's descriptions of the festivals and his historical notes are particularly interesting, especially to anyone who is planning to visit France. After reading this book, he or she will surely come away knowing what is, and what isn't, authentic French food.

Throughout this book, Mayle writes in his characteristically charming, witty and urbane manner. His is a style that suits the subject matter of this book perfectly.

I do think that those readers who have actually traveled to the south of France at least once, will find more to love in this book than those readers who are unfamiliar with the area. But familiar or not, Mayle and this book will certainly charm. "French Lessons" is a witty, and sometimes hilarious book that is guaranteed to ensure an enjoyable afternoon in the sun.

Peter Mayle once again knows how to keep you riveted - it was hard to put down while reading these wonderful stories about particular events throughout France. Very funny at times and well written: it flows along at a good pace. If you know France and the French, it will confirm what you know. Otherwise, you will certainly learn something new (and unusual?) about the country and its people. A great simple read.

I returned with hope to this latest book by Peter Mayle, since the previous ones have been about the best drive-time listening I've found. This book isn't quite up to the previous standard but is well worthwhile.

Instead of life in Provence, this tome focuses on dining throughout France, covering areas from snails to frog's legs to truffles to the world-famous Michelin guide. Mayle isn't short on anecdotes, but the book reads a bit more like a collection of restaurant reviews, albeit very entertaining ones, than a memoir.
Simon Jones was initially a jarring change from the voice of David Case that I had previously considered the voice of Peter Mayle. Jones lacks the precision of Case but has a folksy, conversational tone that Case's "snooty, cruel voice" lacks.
As I said, still an enjoyable book but not quite the marvelous collection of stories and anecdotes that the Provence books are.

Peter Mayle's latest book is the first book from this writer's oeuvre that I have read. "French Lessons" is a collection of anecdotes often filled with wit and always filled with tales of adventure in different festivals and trips he took throughout France concerning food, wine, and missing only women. (Although his wife occasionally makes an appearance.) Nonetheless, I ask Mr. Mayle: Next time, take me with you.

The writing is fast moving, the tales amusing, the dialogue funny, and the characters always entertaining, including Mr. Mayle himself as represented in this first-person narrative.

Mr. Mayle has as a surveyor of French oenology and gastronomy succeeded on two levels: 1) The telling of interesting tales that make you want to pack your suitcase and get to France; and 2) He provides enough factual information--names, places, addresses, contacts--to make that happen for you.

Short on recipes (there are a couple of culinary principles he sets forth for making a chicken dish and a mussles dish, for example) or on particular criticisms or insights regarding what the chef actually did to make the dishes he experiences so delicious, he nevertheless, succeeds in his foremost goal--to make the reader read his book.

Finally, Mr. Mayle, this writer is on to you. It's no secret that you're no expert on food, wine, or, really, the culinary history of France. So why are we reading your book with such faith? What is your level of expertise to discuss these topics?
At bottom, Mayle's a good eater, a good drinker, and can spin a damn good yarn. If this along with some occasional factual notes that one could find in an encyclopedia is all one needs to eat and drink for free and publish a selling book, then Mr. Mayle might very well be a genius. Or a con artist. But when you finish the book, satisfied but hungry, what is the difference, really? I enjoyed the book, and so will you.

Peter Mayle returns to France in his latest book, French Lessons, which focuses on French cuisine and culinary experiences. Here he travels from Provence to all corners of France, exploring small restaurants, village markets, food festivals and vineyards alike. Recommended for anyone with an interest in French culture and cuisine, French Lessons is a delightful armchair read of encounters with the French and their foods evolves.

For several years, and through many pages of several books, expatriate Brit Peter Mayle has been a most congenial guide to the victuals, drink and lifestyle of Provence, the site of his residence in France. In FRENCH LESSONS, subtitled "adventures with knife, fork and corkscrew", we vicariously accompany the author on gastronomic fieldtrips to other French provinces near and far. Mayle sometimes falls prey to overindulgence in food and wine when accompanied by a like-minded, hedonistic, male pal, and not under the watchful gaze of the Missus. Yet, whether he's reveling at the festivities of local fairs celebrating the delights of truffles, frogs' legs, cheese, escargots, or an elite breed of chicken, he remains in the constant, unobtrusive good humor that one expects from an Englishman abroad. Peter remains smooth and unflappable, though not completely unappreciative of the local female talent, even when dining amidst the almost-naked lunch crowd at a beachside bistro near St. Tropez. And when the going gets tough, the tough get going, as he leisurely observes, glass in hand, a runners' marathon through the Bordeaux vineyards, and the high drama of a wine auction in Burgundy.

Probably one of the more enlightening chapters is towards the end of the book, as the author does a behind-the-scenes report on the inspectors employed by the Michelin Guide, and the evolution of its star rating system. (This last bit was most instructive, though it still doesn't explain why Guido's Big Apple Pizza Palace down at the corner has no Michelin stars at all.)

Peter Mayle is one of those chaps, a bon vivant to the core, with whom it would be a true privilege to share a bottle of wine, a baguette, some stinky cheese, and (even) garlic-drenched snails at an outdoor café in some remote French village. His books continue to provide considerable pleasure and entertainment, and I shall continue to buy them without hesitation.

Wonderfully entertaining. As charming as 'A Year In Provence." Each chapter focuses on a particular type of French food, and how the French celebrate that food with their way of life. Mayle's characteristic quirky, British humor shines through as he describes dishes I would never have thought to eat before - he actually left me wanting to try escargot or frog legs (and I'm a Burger King kind of gal!)

A quick read that'll stimulate your appetite and your appreciation of a culture that defines its days by its meals. Don't miss the chapter on the wine marathon in drag...

OK! I love all of Peter's books. This one is a lovely skim thru his part of France. He makes us want to come visit, if only for a short while!! The natives in his neck of the woods are so colorful and each has his or her own particular venue.

I'm saving my money for a visit. His prose makes me hungry for the cooking and I'm looking forward to the wines. Thank you Peter Mayle!

Peter Mayle has lived and written the French culture in a way that many of us dream and so few live and enjoy. With all the tourist books, magazines, online info and uneducated travel agencys, Mayle places us in his passenger seat, tours, introduces and presents us to the French we never knew. Proud countrymen and women who want to share their lives with you.

LESSON 1: What I've learned....To become a writer and tour France like Peter.....A country so old, traditional feasts of fun remains important as this Fall harvest. Hey, why change if things are good? They take full pride in their culture, life, history and food. Good or bad! All four of which could fill volumes and take 4 generations to read and understand. The French introduce food to the world, the world embraces it, and the French in return critique, teach, nod their approval, as they should. Mayle's friends and multi-journeys through France's little-town feasts and competitions is in everyway memorable and funny. No other writer (Biritsh or American) has taken food mixed with comedy the way Mayle has. A lot more respect was earned by reading this. Much jealousy was flowing through me when Mayle was down in the cellars drinking wine older than himself in those countryside "holy places" known as Chateau du " " (you fill in the blank). I have alreay purchased his other published works and plan to finish them this summer. I highly encourage anyone who appreciates food, wine and the French countryside to purchase it. I found that reading 5 minutes here and there or while waiting for a subway or on-line at the supermaket made that moment go a lot quicker and funnier.

....

We come to a reality of enjoying life and food with friends, new and old, funny and proud. Peter Mayle has given that to us with this book.

A+++

a little departing note:

There will come a day Mr. Mayle, that I too will "wear my metal in bed!"

French Lessons did not live up to Mayle's earlier efforts. However, for the travel enthusiast, his vignettes offer pleasant excursions into the French countryside. Truffle hunting, frog leg tastings, and of course a cheese festival, all offer romantic ideas of what France was and, in many respects, continues to be today. Repetition sets in rather quickly in this Mayle travelogue. One has a sense that the second half of the book was destined as filler after having explored a very limited number of interesting festivals presented in the earlier pages. This is most unfortunate. I found myself hurrying through the second half of the book, much like a quick fastfood meal, rather than savoring chapter after chater as one might in a Michelin starred restaurant. However, it is a pleaant way to pass a few hours on the beach or sitting in a chair in the countryside dreaming of one's next trip to France and the true culinary delights that await the avid traveler.

I have read and enjoyed most of Mr. Mayle's books on Provence and was eager to read this one, especially since I was traveling to Provence the following week.

Yes, at times the stories (a different event per chapter) may seem a bit "too cute", but in my limited experience from two trips to France, he is right on the money. The French have such a passion for food that it spills over into all parts of their lives. Food (and of course drink) is always a celebration - whether it's a simple lunch at a roadside cafe or a 5-course meal.

The final chapter is about the Guide Michelin and his visit to the restaurant at the Hotel D'Europe in Arles - which has been rated for more than a hundred years now. Days after reading this chapter, my wife and I were dining there. One of the best meals of our lives.

Read the book, laugh, shake your head and then plan a trip to France!

It's an assignment that would make even the most jaded writer pick up his pen: Travel around France and report back about the oddest, most unusual ways that it celebrates its cuisine. Frog legs, snails, truffles, poultry, and, of course, its wine. Sheer heaven!

Peter Mayle accepted the challenge and here's the perfect book for curling up on the porch alongside a glass of cool refreshment. "French Lessons" charts a year in Mayle's life as he travels across France, describing with a combination of droll wit and wine-soaked facts (many times, he couldn't read his notes the day after some festival) how a country blessed with not only a variety of climates and cuisines, but also a people willing to spend large amounts of money on their enjoyment thereof.

I am a longtime fan of Mayle's writing, back when he was writing about pastis and other subjects for "European Travel & Life" magazine, but I hope not an uncritical one. I was disappointed in his account of his return to France in "Encore Provence," and "Hotel Pastis" did not engage me at all. Sometimes, I wonder if, with skills learned in the advertising trade, where he was an executive, he doesn't succeed in giving the French a gloss it doesn't otherwise deserve. Certainly, when discussing chickens from Bresse, the only poultry to have its own label (called appellation contr�l�e), he touches only in passing, how most chickens we eat are raised (if we may call it that) in horrible conditions. Not for nothing is it called factory farming.

But "French Lessons" went down like a lightly garlic-flavored escargot. This is a book which celebrates eating and drinking well, and is a balm to the soul as well as incentive for the appetite. Needless to say, it should only be taken in short dollops, after a good meal.

Not everything has to do with cooking. There's the Le Club 55, a restaurant in Saint-Tropez where the Beautiful and mostly undressed people meet to eat and be seen, where an expert on plastic surgery was able to tell which surgeon worked on which lift ("Cosmetic surgery has its Diors and Chanels, and when looking at a suspiciously taut and chiseled jawline or an artfully hoisted bust, the informed eye can identify who did what.")

Then there's the Marathon du M�doc, where, amid the serious runners, jog several thousand more in fancy dress amid the ch�teux of Bordeaux, where wine is offered at the refreshment stations, and the winner earns his weight in wine. Rounding out the book is celebration of frog's legs on the last Sunday in April in Vittel, where 30,000 people will eat five tons of the stuff. If you want to know what they taste like, Peter will inform you down to the last bite of the marrow.

And if you wish to attend these fetes, addresses and other notes are listed at the back of the book.

"French Lessons" represents a return to form for Mayle. So long as he is willing to go out and hunt up new stories to tell, he'll remain an entertaining and informative writer.

First off, I hadn't read any reviews of this book when I picked it up in the store, but I had read a couple of Mayle's other books and been struck by the charm of both his writing and his subjects. Mayle has found a way to make a living out of everyone else's fantasy -- perhaps those who view him harshly were simply meant for colder climates... As for "French Lessons" itself, for god's sake, if you love food read it. As much of a francophile as I am, the French as a people take a backseat to the simple, overwhelming pleasures of their food. If anything, the culture emerges through the value it places on gustatory pleasures. I was hungry for 227 pages, and Mayle's obvious love for his subject changed my mind about a few "delicacies" that only the French seem to love by nature. (I never thought a description of frogs'legs would make me hungry...) Frogs, escargot, the chickens of Bresse, pungent cheese, and vast, vast quantities of wine. If you fantasize about chucking your computer, flipping off your boss, and running off to the French countryside to be a writer, this is your book.

Writing about such a narrow scope does make it difficult to "better' your lot everytime. However for those who "Know" the French like those who actually live in Provence..his characterizations of "The French" and their wisdoms and frailties makes his books even more right on and charming. Bravo Peter!

This is a very nice book. Not as good as A Year in Provence, but still good armchair travel, not to mention good armchair dining, I suspect that the 1 star reviewer from nyc has been unable to get his/her writing published even in the back of airline travel magazines. By the way, the author's name is Mayle not Mayne as nyc wrote several times.

Mayne is completely out of gas. This collection reads exactly like back of the magazine filler in an airline throwaway that only the desperate for any text would read. Mayne had one book in him, and he is clearly down to seeds and stems at this point. His publishers and editors also deserve blame for printing, at hardcover prices, less nothing. The colorful characters, surprising and humorous adventures, and local color are totally absent from this, probably the last Mayne for a long time unless he devotes himself to a total overhaul of style, substance, and subject matter. Save your money.

This book chronicles the adventures of Peter Mayle through the French country-side armed with knife, fork and corkscrew. His delightful sense of humor is present through out his epicurean journey. He attends amazing food events. There is the religious celebration of the black truffle, the marathon where every stop is hosted by a winery(complete with tastings through-out the 26.2 miles), a celebration of the most perfect chicken in all of France, (complete with blue feet), and the "interesting" fair of the Escargot! You will understand how seriously the French take their food when you read this book ..or do they just like to have fun... Well worth reading if you enjoy good food and anything French!!

"French Lessons" is not Mayle's best book, but it is not one to be passed up, either. I recommend "A Year in Provence" and "Tojour Provence" for a better flavor of Mayle's love affair with France. For the art and fiction aficionado, "Chasing Cezanne" is quite a hoot. Peter Mayle has turned me into a Francophile with his wonderful books about everyday life in Provence. Mayle describes the French as wonderfully expressive people who are eager to share their knowledge and passion about food and everything else that may come up in conversation. I have a feeling that Mr. Mayle could find that positive reaction in people where ever he went in the world because his approach is curious, friendly, and whet with a tremendous appetite for life (as well as for alcohol, cheese, bread, etc.) Mr. Mayle gives me motivation to conquer my reclusive habits in order to better enjoy my stay in Provence some day on my way to Giverny.

Since "A Year in Provence" is such a charming memoir I was prompted to read Mayle's subsequent works in the now Provence series. However, while amusing, the latter works pale in comparison with the jewel like quality of the original. Though entertaining "Tourjours Provence" was a disappointing "sequel." Last year after reading "Encore Provence" I felt that Mayle had squeezed out all the juice he could get from the "Provencial" rind. So, with trepidation and low expectations I bought "French Lessons" and was pleasantly surprised.

While not nearly as clever or heart warming as his initial work, "French Lessons" is fun, entertaining, and will heighten your appetite. It is an ideal work for the Francophile, or simply the reader who wishes to travel vicariously to France. It is a perfect summer beach, or long plane ride book.

Absolutely the BEST!!! Great to see he is turning out more good books. Word of warning-don't read this book when you are on a diet. Your appetite for food will go WILD!!

I have read every Mayle book and thus eagerly bought French Lessons with the hope that the downward trend of Mayle's efforts would be turned around. It was not, and it is getting worse. Mayle has been coasting on the extraordinary A Year in Provence for many years. He seems to have lost a good deal of his wit and cleverness in French Lessons. One gets the impression that he was pressed for another volume (which would certainly be a best seller irrespective of its merits due to Mayle's prior successes), had neither inspiration nor energy to maintain his prior efforts, and figured he might as well arrange for and then write about a few potentially enjoyable--and tax-deductible--excursions in France. He may have had fun, but the reader really doesn't receive his or her proper share of it. For a much better book of this genre, try Pasquale's Nose, Extra Virgin, or Driving Over Lemons.