Customer Reviews

C'est La Folie

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"C'est la Folie" is the story of a Daily Telegraph literary critic/ journalist who threw up his life in the concrete jungle of South London, to take up the challenge of becoming something different, no longer commuting to an office in the City, but with his own hands and spirit, opening up new frontiers for him in a totally new scenario, in a small village in the West of France.

Michael Wright leads us through all stages of his transformation, from the longed-for re-location of his piano and airplane, the painfully slow renovation of his house, from his acquisition of Martha, Mildred, Mary (his hens) to the Breton sheep, all which he transported with the aid of a friend, in his car, to his little though rather primitive haven of La Folie.

Michael introduces us to his local friends, and the acceptance of him after the standard six months, is proven by them even accepting a meal à l'anglaise - a great mark of respect by the Gallic gastronomes.

He relates the occasional tragedies, when one of his young sheep passes away after illness, when Silent Mary the hen, also leaves away. But also more hilarious events such as with his macho cockerels, or his cross-country race to catch Gaston, the little Breton ram who wants to make amorous advances to much too large white and woolly sheep.

And when we finally leave Michael surrounded by his power tools, his cat on his knees, regarding his sheep and the beautiful region of France he has chosen, our initial sadness turns to joy, when we hear that we will meet him again - in his next book.

The book is structured in numerous short stories, told more or less chronologically, each a gem in itself, but they cross-link to the whole picture of his experiences in this beautiful country.
This is a must read for all of us who in our humdrum lives, dream of something else.

C'est La Folie

As a Francophile lucky enough to live in France I loved Michael Wright's book for a multitude of reasons. Through my own experience of owning a rural French property and of keeping animals I empathized with Michael's adventures whilst enjoying a sense of sheer escapism in sharing in them. His writing is excellent and kept me turning the pages well into the night as not only did I want to know what happened next but I found it so funny I was laughing out loud! Michael uses brilliantly unique similes and writes with a quirky self-deprecating humour. He is so honest about his tragedies as well as his triumphs that one almost feels 'a fly on the wall' witnessing his daily toil in his quest to live the rewarding life of a Limousin paysan. His sincere appreciation for all that is so good about France and the French makes him an unpaid ambassador for Les Anglais (some of whom are embarrassing 'Rosbifs'). Besides bravely flying small planes he's also an accomplished pianist and organist - and there cannot be many lapsed Anglicans now living in France who support their rural commune by playing the organ for masses in their local church!
C'est La Folie has a wonderful completeness as Michael's story comes full circle which is always a satisfying end for any reader - except that I closed it sad to have finished and now I cannot wait to read his sequel which is being written at the moment. So 'Bon Courage' Michael! To know more about La Folie, Michael, and his menagerie of animals and pets see his excellent website www.lafolie.co.uk

I found myself reading slowly so it wouldn't be over. I love this book.

I have fallen in love with France, and have dreamed for quite some time about buying a house there. Unless I win the lottery it will never happen. In the meantime I have read just about every book available on the topic, and this is by far the best!!

Michael Wright's style is fun, captivating, and I was sad when I finished C'est La Folie. I wanted more....

C'est la Folie was a non stop page turner of priceless and vast entertainment yet very informative proportions!
Michael, you have done what I and many others passionately aspire to. Your delightfully descriptive passages, brimming with tales of your courageous and at times hilarious lessons in bravery as well as the joyful experiences from the birth of the lambs and chicks to finally bringing your beloved piano and Luscombe home to France, have inspired me to leave no stone unturned in my personal quest of moving to France to learn to be brave (amongst many other things), too.
I was alongside you as you painted your shutters and wacked that viper twisted around your basin taps, I shed a tear when you had to bury Emil and rejoiced when the first chick pecked his/her way into this world.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful life and for inadvertantly encouraging me to find mine. I look forward to the next labour of love that will be forthcoming from your pen. In the meantime I continue to follow the goings on at La Folie in your column in the Telegraph.

I just finished the book last night. I truly loved it and found it very entertaining. I love Michael Wright's style of writing. This book is a must for those who love travelling and exploring different places.

C'est La Folie is a book to savor; well written and overflowing with warmth and keen observations on life. Michael Wright's writing appeals to the head and the heart...not in a sappy way, but with a light touch. His descriptions of his new life at La Folie and Jolibois (the town) are extraordinary---he transported me there each time I opened the book. I felt like I was a visitor, meeting the people in the town, flying in his vintage Luscombe, walking in his fields or enjoying a glass of wine with him. His writing is alive, letting us share his adventure of moving to rural France from London and it made me want to be his friend. The amazing part is his humility in all this---in the first chapter he shares his childhood desire to be a hero. I wanted him to be a hero too, just because he was so decent.(not to mention that he is a great writer)

I read his second book first, beginning with Je T'aime a La Folie. A friend sent it to me as it was not available in the United States. From the very beginning, I was charmed and read the book slowly, just to enjoy it. It tells the story of a year at La Folie and described the changing seasons with clarity and poignant stories of his animals, his friends and a woman that he loves--- all the ingredients for a great read. The stories and the characters are so human with just the right amount of quirks to make them lovable. I was sorry to finish it, but had a list of people to pass it to.

I passed the book on and then had two options---either to travel across the Atlantic to visit La Folie or find the first first book. (The author sure seems like a nice guy, but he might not have wanted me to show up on his front door step.) Fortunately for him, there was a seller on Amazon who had a copy of the book. I've read several books about Americans or Brits moving to France or to Italy and sharing the story of their new lives. This tops them all!

Superb - Peter Mayle for grown ups.
Whilst there are endless books about moving to France this one is truly moving dealing with the joys, pitfalls & sheer courage of one mans attempt to find a more fulfilling way of life. If you are seriously thinking of living in France this book will fill you with both apprehension & an immediate desire to follow in Michael Wrights footsteps. Michael went looking for his hero & I found mine.

First, a disclaimer: I haven't seen the book version of Michael Wright's dispatches from rural France. But I have been reading his column avidly in the online Expat Telegraph since he decided a couple of years ago to move from England to an out-of-the-way village in the heart of the Limousin. His self-deprecating style and gentle humor drape lightly over a solid framework: his insights into the joys and frustrations of rural existence and the complexities of adjusting to a new way of life in a foreign country are both keenly observed and deftly written. As a fellow pilot I also appreciate his occasional detours to the local airfield, explaining for a general audience the magical allure of messing about in small planes.

Here's how Michael Wright begins his tale: "My plan was a simple one. I wanted to go and live in France with a cat and an aeroplane. My London life had become too comfortable, and I wanted an adventure. I wanted sheep, manly power-tools and the challenge of living entirely alone in a foreign land."

This book is bound to be a delightfully satisfying read for any native English speaker who's ever visited 'La France profonde', as well as for those who have dreamed of chucking their urban existence for a bit of land, an old farmhouse, a few sheep and some neurotic chickens.

Imaginary diary of a wage-slave that yearns for the "real" France (on a private income) while commuting on the underground. If you like sentimental clichés you'll love this book.