Customer Reviews

Anything Considered.

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a fan of Peter Mayle's Provence series I was slightly apprehensive about his diving into the work of fiction but at the same time looking forward to his offerings. And, since after reading "Hotel Pastis" I was certain that he was still the author that I had come to enjoy so very much. With the addition of "Anything Considered" his literary skills, at least for me, remain intact! Thank goodness!

This book simply catches all of the magic of his previous offerings. A mystery, love story and comedy I can think of fewer books that I enjoyed so much that I picked up a copy in hardbound to keep and read again...and again. Set, once again, in the French country-side plus Monaco our protagonist Bennett, an English expatriate,lives out his meager existence until placing an ad in the Intl. Herald Tribune where he's offered the chance to live the "high-life" by providing services to Julian Poe, who delves into the illegal truffle trade. What ensues is truly high-comdey with a sprinkling of romance and French travelogue thrown in for good measure.

Overall, the characters are well-thought out and brought fully to life...plus, who could not enjoy a novel where the author is simply having such a wonderful time as Mr. Mayle obviously is! Highly recommended this is...and is there any chance of having this made into a film or BBC series?

A generous,delicious serving of Mr. Mayle!

Having thoroughly enjoyed Peter Mayle's best-selling non-fictional (mostly) account of life in Rural France (A Life in Provence), I long meant to give his fiction a try. I'm not a real dog-lover, so A Dog's Life didn't intrigue me, and the jacket copy for Hotel Pastis didn't lend it to immediate reading, either. But the cover for Anything Considered, showing a cast of characters straight out of a CLUE game, and the premise--an Englishman in France, desperate for a job, places an advert in the international paper saying that he was looking for employment and "anything considered"--sounded so close to a Wodehousian experience, that I could not resist it. Even the title was similar to Wodehouse.

Unfortunately, while comic and filled with mistaken identities and misunderstood intentions, Mayle's touch with the material is quite different. I enjoyed the novel, but there's something missing to it, as if Mayle had all the ingredients at his fingertips, but didn't turn the temperature on the oven up high enough. There's no faulting his craftsmanship--the words flow smoothly enough, and nothing is so jarring as to ruin the plot--but the art seems forced, rather than organic.

Bennett is the Englishman who is desperate for anything, who finds himself hired by a fellow who simply wants him to live in the style to which Bennett has become accustomed, with the slight deviation of returning a different name than his own when asked. He goes to Monaco, using this man's credit cards, living in this man's apartment, basically enjoying the life of Riley. But there's trouble lurking, something to do with the truffle market and the Mafia. It's all grand fun, but Mayle never quite convinces the reader that his world is an innocuous one, and so the reader keeps expecting the worst to happen, rather than just another close shave.

Rereading the above, it sounds like I hated the novel, which I did not. In fact, I bought Hotel Pastis based on my impression of this book. I just had expected more from Mayle, and was letdown by my expectations, not by his actual book.

Anything Considered is written very well. Another great masterpiece from Peter Mayle. The idea of a poor Englishman on an adventure in France is riveting. All of the characters are well thought out and descriptions are wonderful. This is my first Peter Mayle book and I am hooked on his writing. It is different from the normal fiction that I read, but it is a very, very welcome change.

I ADORE Peter Mayle. My family and I have a house in the south of France close to Mayle's so I'm familiar with the locales in his books. His description couldn't be better, the characters are zany, and he offers little surprises in every plot. Philosophical tomes can be great at times, but when I need to relax I look for Peter Mayle. He never offers us less than a rollicking good time.

This was my first experience reading Peter Mayle, who is best known for nonfiction about Southern France, the setting for this novel. The title comes from an ad placed by English expatriate Bennett (who only uses his last name). Bennett finds himself short on money as his real estate business falters. A sybarite without any particular direction in life, he advertises for unusual employment, adding "anything considered but marriage." One of the replies to this ad is from Julian Poe, a rather sinister English aristocrat whose wealth comes from unspecified sources. Bennett is told all he has to do is live in Poe's apartment in Monaco. This will enable Poe to avoid French taxes and allow Bennett to live in luxury. Things quickly become complicated, of course. Poe is actually part of a scheme to produce truffles,a frightfully expensive but apparently delicious (but all but impossible to grow) fungus. The plot from here turns into an unlikely, tongue-in-cheek spy thriller. Bennett finds an assistant and ally in Anna, a beautiful and resourceful ex-soldier. The two are pursued by several competing gangs of criminals as well as the French police. There is never a fear that anything really bad will happen to the pair. In many ways, the plot is secondary to the lush descriptions of the countryside and the gourmet meals favored by Bennett. I enjoyed it with some reservations. This is the sort of light reading favored by the highbrow set. Mayle is obviously very much enamored of a slow-paced, leisurely life where no one works very hard and the countryside is the material for landscapes, or at least postcards. The town where Bennett lives, Saint Martin le Vieux, is a rich person's idealization of the simple but robust rustic life. The book is very readable and the plot, though deliberately improbable, unfolds smoothly. I enjoyed it, and those not afflicted with my modern urban cynicism will probably enjoy it even more.

A bit of mystery surrounding truffles, some intriguing characters, and the French Riviera mix up together in this Peter Mayle book about an Englishman who places a notice in the paper advertising his availability to do just about anything.

He soon gets a response from a mysterious millionaire, who is in need of some English speaking assistance.

I won't ruin the book by going any further, but this is a hard one to put down.

Into reading Booker stuff? Forget it. However, if you like an easy going read that does not demand , I can recommend this as one of the best Peter has crafted. I could not put it down and managed to hoover up all of it's pages in less than one beach-day. You will be able to see, hear, smell and touch France if they read it. If you can't afford to fly to France , buy this book and save some money!

"Be careful what you ask for." How many times have you heard that from your mother? Obviously the main character in "Anything Considered" did not hear it enough times--and he found it out the hard way.

I was just finishing a book the night before a flight to the west coast and picked up Peter Mayle's latest so that I would not be without diversion. Two flights and eight hours later, I found myself looking at the last page wanting more to read (but oh so happy to be getting off of the airplane).

"Anything Considered" could find itself in the local movie theatre near you very soon. The story is a three week look into the life of a not very well prepared guy who finds himself without a job or money to support his lifestyle. So he writes an classified ad in a local paper and selects an opportunity.

In less than a week, the character is living it up on the south of France and looking forward to a great summer - postponing the tough life decisions he has to make. What comes next surprizes him and pulls you in deeper. Intrigue, cross-border chases and a bit o'romance decorate a throughly enjoyable read.

Whether you are looking for beach or plane reading, this is the page turner for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which was my first introduction to Peter Mayle. It has caused me to go and purchase all of his other books...non-fiction as well. I think this would make a great movie, provided that the producers stuck to the manuscript.

... this title will indulge you richly. It was categorically cinematic - each page plays out like a scene in the mind's eye. Having just read some not-so-light novels, I was surprisingly just as interested in this light read, and rather enjoyed myself.