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A review by dmturner
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
5.0
i finally read it!
There is a genre of the Brit abroad, best epitomized by Gerald Durrell. Mayle is of the same species: Somehow, he retains his Englishness while happily socializing with the salt of the local earth. I loved the genre as a child, but as an adult began to perceive a condescension that made me uncomfortable. I finally picked up this book when I started considering a visit to my ex-pat brother who himself has retired to Provence. It’s a sweet book if a touch obsessed with wine and food, and the funny thing is my brother is experiencing much of the same relationship with home renovations in Provence as Mayle did.
There is a genre of the Brit abroad, best epitomized by Gerald Durrell. Mayle is of the same species: Somehow, he retains his Englishness while happily socializing with the salt of the local earth. I loved the genre as a child, but as an adult began to perceive a condescension that made me uncomfortable. I finally picked up this book when I started considering a visit to my ex-pat brother who himself has retired to Provence. It’s a sweet book if a touch obsessed with wine and food, and the funny thing is my brother is experiencing much of the same relationship with home renovations in Provence as Mayle did.