A Year in Provence

Peter Mayle (1989)

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THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

Those who dream of a slower and easier life in the French countryside will like living vicariously through Peter Mayle in his memoir, A Year in Provence. Mayle, his wife, and his two big dogs take the plunge and move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse, where they soon face workers who don’t show up to work, underground truffle dealers, and an overall life that is very different to what they were accustomed. Readers get a full understanding on what it is like to be in this beautiful part of the world year round with a chapter dedicated to each month of the year. And of course, there is plenty of attention paid to the delights of the amazing regional cuisine. The book is widely praised for its honesty and humor.

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GREAT QUOTES FROM A YEAR IN PROVENCE

“It is at a time like this, when crisis threatens the stomach, that the French display the most sympathetic side of their nature. Tell them stories of physical injury or financial ruin and they will either laugh or commiserate politely. But tell them you are facing gastronomic hardship, and they will move heaven and earth and even restaurant tables to help you.”

"And, as for the oil, it is a masterpiece. You’ll see.”
Before dinner that night, we tested it, dripping it onto slices of bread that had been rubbed with the flesh of tomatoes. It was like eating sunshine.”

INTERESTING LINKS:

Read the New York Times 1991 review of A Year in Provence by Mervyn Rothstein.
Peter Mayle wrote a novel called A Good Year, a novel also set in Provence, that was made into a movie of the same name that was directed by Ridley Scott and starting Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard.