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A Year in Provence
A Year in Provence
A Year in Provence
Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

A Year in Provence

Written by Peter Mayle

Narrated by Peter Mayle

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

More than 40,000 listeners have enjoyed this story on cassette. Now anyone who's ever dreamed of getting away from it all can enjoy the charms and challenges of A Year in Provence on CD!
Peter Mayle and his wife had been to Provence as tourists. They had dreamed of one day trading the long, gray winters and damp summers of England for the blue skies and sunshine of the coast of southern France. And then they made it happen.
They moved into an old farmhouse at the foot of the Luberon mountains and embarked on a wonderful, if at times bewildering, new life. Among their experiences that first year: being inundated with builders and visitors, grappling with the native accent, taking part in goat races and supervising the planting of a new vineyard.
Peter Mayle personally recounts the pleasures and frustrations of Provençal life--sharing in a way no one else can, the unique and endearing culture that is Provence.
A Year in Provence was a New York Times bestseller for three years and won the British Book Awards' "Best Travel Book of the Year."

LanguageEnglish
Release dateNov 1, 2004
ISBN9781427208576
A Year in Provence
Author

Peter Mayle

Peter Mayle (1939-2018) spent fifteen years in the advertising business before escaping in 1975 to write books, including his bestselling A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence. His work has been translated into seventeen languages and he has contributed to a variety of newspapers and magazines.

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Reviews for A Year in Provence

Rating: 3.899925554315476 out of 5 stars
4/5

1,344 ratings63 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love Peter Mayle!!! He is a favorite author of mine! I have read this series numerous times, now I am listening!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Reading this I felt as though I was transported to France. A wonderful insight of the people, the food and the culture in Provence.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Eh...too many French words.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a delightful diversion! Mayle's accont of his and his wife's first year owning a house in Provence is entertaining, relaxing and inspiring - it inspires me to enjoy life - good food, good wine and the siesta. I will read more of his writing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An account of two British expats and their quest to live, eat and get used to a wine-besotted life in the south of France. The book is filled with droll characters and events that make it seem as though folk in that area fill most of their lives with eating and talking about eating. The gastronomic priorities sometimes take a back seat to the couple’s efforts at remodeling their 200-year-old stone farmhouse.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fun read that conjures up images of an almost idyllic lifestyle in Provence. Although I enjoyed this book, I preferred the follow up 'Encore Provence'.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Reading about spending a year in France is way easier to organise than actually spending a year in France so that's what I did. I had to keep reminding myself that this was written in the 80s and that things have probably changed quite a lot since then.

    Peter Mayle certainly found himself planted amid an eccentric group of people, who were a perfect fit for his humorous writing style.

    I really enjoyed the first third or so, then I realised that I was listening to my great uncle Ron talk about plumbing and driving and roads. There's definitely an old man's sensibility contained within these pages. It's a credit to the author that he crafted a story out of fairly mundane happenings. I was still hoping for something more.

    I've never studied French and therefore didn't pick up all of the French language insertions, but I'm confident any reader with a high school level of French would have no trouble with that. I did appreciate the descriptions of food and found myself quite hungry reading this. I'm sure I would thrive on a French diet. But no, I'm not inspired to plonk myself in France. Instead, I consider myself warned: If we up sticks for a year, I should make it someone damp and dingy, otherwise we're in for a yearlong influx of guests.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    We have very dear family friends from the UK. As I read of author Peter Mayle and his wife's adventures I could easily picture our friends in this scenario: "throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Lubéron Valley (France) and began a new life" and it gave me all the more reading pleasure.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Fun little travel book about life in Provence area of France. Very pleasant reading. Reminds me a little of Bill Bryson's style.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of those beautiful, descriptive memoirs that make me want to sell everything I own for a house in France (or Italy) and a life of tranquility and luxurious food. Alas, selling everything I own would not be enough to fund my dream life-style and I don't like escargot. But for 12 chapters, I got to live Peter Mayle's' life with him and that was good too.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is an intimate look at life in Provence, told by an Englishman recently moved into his own ramshackle house in paradise. The format starts in January and goes month to month, depicting weather, events, and the curious eccentrics, both neighbors and visitors. It's a quick, breezy read, and not a propaganda piece for sure--he talks about the good, the ugly, but a love for the place carries through everything.I'm amazed at the lasting fame of this book. Maybe it had such an impact because there was never a travel book quite like this before, I don't know, but I was left with a vague sense of newly-come foreigner who enjoyed sharing juicy gossip on the local peasants. I was rather bothered by how his wife is like a shadow, rarely mentioned, never given a name. It's an interesting book for the local insights, but I would have found it more enjoyable as fiction than nonfiction.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have been aware of this book since it came out decades ago but never read it until now. Turns out it was a perfect end of year read. With the world feeling like it was falling apart, it was just the cozy book I craved to remind me of happier days. I'd recommend to anyone as a treat during these long winter days in this year of so much unhappiness.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    One of my favorite escapes!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
     This book made me feel like I actually knew what it was like to live in France. Reading it dovetailed with my own education in all things regarding red wine. It also made me want to live there. I now have both a friend and a relative who reside in this country. As soon as the pandemic is over, it is high on our list of places to visit!A wonderful book and series of books from an author who will truly be missed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A highly enjoyable read. This is labelled a travel book, but it's really more a memoir about relocation. Lots of interesting anecdotes and foodie descriptions.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    #unreadshelfproject2020. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED!!! What an amazing adventure through the Mayle’s year in Provence. Everything about this book made me want to be there. I can’t wait to read Tojours Provence.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Peter Mayle and his wife decided to pick up from their home in the UK and move to Provence. In this classic expatriate travel memoir, Mayle recounts a year from January to December recounting stories of their neighbors, fixing up the house, great food to eat, and all sorts of experiences they had in their first year in Provence.First written in 1989, this book is 30 years old so of course there's a sense of reading it and realizing that it's probably changed dramatically since Mayle wrote the book. But he writes with a humorous eye and a real love for the place and its people that make for really enjoyable reading. It reminded me a lot of my favorite Bill Bryson stories with a little less whining and sarcasm.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In this book, Mayle relates how he and his wife purchased a property in Provence and how moving there was an eye-opening experience for them about the ins and outs of the French way of life. There isn't really much of an over-arching theme to this book, unlike the many expatriate-in-France memoirs that have followed this publication, but rather it just moves along chronologically with all the big and small events that happen to the Mayles over their first year as French inhabitants. These range from a variety of home improvement projects to shopping at the market to attending hunting parties and more. Along the way, they struggle with re-learning everyday customs (e.g., how many times to kiss a neighbor on the cheek in greeting versus their English habit of shaking hands). Mayle can be witty with his portrayals of little foibles and undoubtedly many of his observations about various cultural norms remain true; however, enough time has passed that certain things have changed (e.g., the European Union forming!). While this was an interesting enough read, I didn't find it compelling enough to want to read the follow-up books. At this point, I'd prefer to read something a little more up-to-date if I'm going to go for another 'hey-we-moved-to-France!' title.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enchanting memoir of a year in Provence, learning the language, the area, the food, the wine, and the neighbors. Peter Mayle and his wife, Jennie, move to Provence from London and set out to renovate an old home. Along the way, they learn that contractors don't move with any scheduled regularity, that there are many unseen problems, and that their new home will have many surprises.
    I enjoyed the stories of the neighbors, the amazing food they enjoyed, the kindness of the villagers, and the adventure of it all.

    #AYearInProvence #PeterMayle
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    LOVED this book. Peter Mayle paints a magnificent picture of life in rural France, from the picturesque scenery, to the people, the food, it was utterly enjoyable. I didn’t want it to end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    We have very dear family friends from the UK. As I read of author Peter Mayle and his wife's adventures I could easily picture our friends in this scenario: "throwing caution to the wind, they bought a glorious two hundred year-old farmhouse in the Lubéron Valley (France) and began a new life" and it gave me all the more reading pleasure.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very pleasant light read about an English couple who buy a farmhouse in Provence. Their first year includes the joys of home renovations and house guests, interesting neighbours, grape picking and mushroom gathering, and mouth-watering descriptions of food and wine. It even gave me one laugh-out-loud moment.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First published in 1989, this account of Englishman Mayle’s life in the countryside of Provence is a modern classic.Mayle’s writing is warm and witty, and I’m sure has made thousands fall in love with the idea of buying an old stone farmhouse in France.4 stars
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Enjoyable fluff. Amusing to me that Cavaillon is depicted as such a charming place. I loved our stay in Provence (and the Cote d'Azur, which Mayle appears to hate), but Cavaillon was an ugly, charmless city, at least the parts we saw. But of course ugly in France is still pretty wonderful.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The travel porn aspect of this was great - I wished that I could eat what they ate and have two bottles of wine with every lunch and ramble around in a forest with my dogs.

    On the other hand, it was also like, I get it, you guys are rich. And if there had been anything to the story or to their personalities that didn't revolve around that, it wouldn't have bothered me.

    Also, he so specifically describes the people and places of the village and not always in the best way - that doesn't seem very smart.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This will make you want to visit France. And Eat. Fair warning.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Mayle's makes renovating an old home in a country where there is just no rush to get things done sound like great fun -- you just need great food.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I think of this book, the word "charming" seems to fit best. I found it for a few cents at a thrift store and I'm still unsure why I picked it up. However, I'm eternally glad I did! The prose is lite, humorous, well-crafted, beautiful and delightful. I laughed out loud several times, once even have to set the book down to because I could not breathe (the goat race scene had me crying I was laughing so hard). Mayle's description of the people and customs, his own response and their adventures are - charming! I enjoyed every minute of this book and was rather sad to see it end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This popular book seems to have been around forever, but I only got around to reading it shortly before travelling to Provence myself for the first time.It is a gentle read. Paints a picture of a lifestyle that I hope is still visible when I get there next week. The author doesn't try to be too smart, and doesn't get in the way of his tale. Most of us will never be able to retire at 50 to live in the south of France, but very manny of us would carry a yearning to do so, if we won the lottery. And I'm not sure that all those that are able to do so, would be as successful as the Mayles. He had the language skills and the patience and the personality to make it all work. For the rest of us, it is probably better to remain an unfulfilled dream.Read August 2015
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A truly delicious feast of a book, Peter Mayle makes you want to run away to Provence right this minute. Simple, clean and vivid writing, coupled with a great heart. This guy has a wry, open-minded and elegant sense of humour along with a great eye for brush0stroke nuances that sketch an entire character for you deftly. A must-read for travel and food buffs.