Peter Mayle
la vie en rose
I mentioned last week the recent death of author Peter Mayle. His novels and crime capers that mostly take place in the south of France are loads of fun. Since it is always appropriate to travel to France, I decided to reread his A Year in Provence and see how it held up after 30 years.
I am happy to report that it is still as funny and fresh as it was when it was first published in 1989.
Mr. Mayle takes the reader through his first year after buying a home in the Lubéron in Provence. Originally from England, he and his wife (I don't believe she is ever named) look forward to settling in to life in an area they had often visited.
Things go well at first, but...
Well, we start the tale in January and just as the ex-pats are thinking perhaps they will be enjoying their pool soon, the Mistral comes blowing across the region bringing frigid temperatures and the sound of bursting frozen water pipes. This, of course, leads to calling the plumber who is the first of many local characters who are introduced throughout the year.
In February, the area is covered in snow and they decide it would be wise to invest in central heating. In March, they learn to deal with the random hours of the workmen hired to remodel the kitchen. There is also a lesson in truffle hunting.
In April, friends of friends and acquaintances of acquaintances begin calling and hinting that they would love to come for a visit and houseguests begin to arrive. In May, the couple take to their bicycles and find it is a painful way to navigate the steep hills of the region.
That is as far into the year as I have read. I savor one chapter/month each night before bed.
It is a pleasure to hang out with the couple and the many characters they meet as they make headway into becoming a part of the weft and warp of the culture. There is plenty of delicious food and wine as always and I enjoy reading Mr. Mayle's wry observations on life lived the French way.
There are two more books recounting his adventures — Toujours Provence and Encore Provence. More tales to look forward to.
If you haven't had a chance to read A Year in Provence or if it has been a while since you first read it, go ahead and pick it up. I don't think you will be disappointed. Besides, who doesn't want to spend a little time in Provence?
Perhaps it is because I have been snowbound for a week. Or, perhaps it is because of my marathon uncluttering project, but the title The Solace of Open Spaces appealed to me right away.
The book contains a series of personal essays written by Gretel Ehrlich during her sojourn in Wyoming - a state that certainly has its share of open spaces.
She originally went to Wyoming in 1976 to film a documentary on the life of its sheepherders. While there, her lover and partner in the project died. She tried to outrun her grief for two years - first living in Santa Fe and then just moving restlessly about. She finally went back to Wyoming to live on a ranch at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains and that was when these essays - they began as journal entries - were written.
In lyrical prose she covers Wyoming's harsh topography and weather. She rides her horse every day to the tiny post office. She helps with birthing and shearing and all sorts of sheep related tasks. She regales the reader with stories of the cowboys, sheepherders, ranchers, hermits, and hoarders she meets. There are also elk, antelope, eagles, and bobcats. Definitely an eclectic mix of inhabitants and ones you will most likely not meet in your urban neighborhood.
There are twelve essays in the book. The one titled From a Sheepherder's Notebook is dreamy and poetic, covering her three days on horseback herding sheep from one feeding ground to another. She's a tougher woman than I am!
Here are two images from that essay that struck me:
About her sheep charges that cluster together and defiantly refuse to move in the heat: ...their heads knitted together into a wool umbrella.
and
As her friend drives away: Dust rises like an evening gown behind his truck.
Ms. Ehrlich has another book of personal essays The Islands, The Universe, Home. You can be sure it is on my list to be read.
########
Je suis triste. I read this morning about the death of author Peter Mayle. He is probably most famous for A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence about his experiences relocating from London to the south of France. I have quite a few of his books on my shelves. I especially enjoyed his later crime caper novels as I do so love a humorous tale. I relished his writing style, his sense of humor, and the smattering of French phrases throughout his books. I have a feeling I will be rereading Mr. Mayle very soon. Au revoir, mon ami.
I plan on spending the weekend in Provence...all without having to pack a suitcase.
I purchased a hardcover copy of Peter Mayle's Toujours Provence (1991) at a recent book sale and it looks to be the perfect place to be this weekend. This is a follow-up to Mr. Mayle's very successful A Year in Provence which chronicled the trials and tribulations of his first year in the region after moving there from London. I enjoyed the book when it first came out and also enjoyed watching the television mini-series starring John Thaw (aka Inspector Morse).
I have already read a couple of chapters of this second book and have attended a very fancy birthday picnic, met a truffle dealer and his snuffling pig, gotten tipsy on a wine tasting adventure, and made the acquaintance a man who raised singing toads.
Mr. Mayle has a comfortable, breezy style and a keen, affectionate eye for the foibles of the French. Just the fellow I want as a tour guide.
As a bonus, the text is sprinkled with pen and ink drawings by Judith Clancy.
Where might your reading take you this weekend?
