At 192 pages, this is a quick read that will be appreciated by all who live a French life, dream of French living or who are intending to travel to France. Interspersed with pretty line drawings, the chapters could stand alone as short tales or blog entries from three of Keith's visits to France. The anecdotes are told as they were lived and will draw a wry smile from those who have experienced the rigidity of French rules and the mountains of paperwork that accompany their application, the insouciant flaunting of road speed limits in France and the uncomfortable transformation of sleepy Provençal villages into tourist nests in July and August.
No barn is bought and no marriage break-down is lamented, which in itself is slightly unusual in this genre, but it is clear that Keith has an affinity with the French lifestyle and is determined to make a success of his visits. As a French language teacher myself, it was lovely to read both of Keith's determination to learn French and the way he went about this. The last section of the book is a set of resources for learners of the French language and includes how to find language partners and helpful websites, newspapers and television programs.
"Voyager, ce n'est pas seulement changer de pays ; c'est changer de voyageur, se transformer" (R. Sabatier). I like this and I think Keith would recognise himself in this quote. On a more frivolous note, I really like the dedication that Keith's wife Val received and about which he wrote.
To find out more, you'll just have to go to Amazon here to read the book!
Keith's blog can be found here
This looks so good! I love Keith's blog and his humorous take on French life.
ReplyDeleteYou are both devotees of the Provencal life!
DeleteThis is just my cup of tea, Catherine. Thank you! I've already ordered the Kindle version and have signed up for Keith's blog.
ReplyDeleteYou embrace us all so warmly. Thank-you!
DeleteLooks like a fun read. Though my mind continues to be boggled by people who would move to a country without learning the language first.
ReplyDeleteIt would make for a very different experience for sure. The important thing for me is that there is a willingness to learn the language and an openness to new customs as this is what leads to the richness of the experience.
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