Eight Days in Provence: A Moment of Sensualite [Hardcover]

Jennifer Huntley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2004

Set in the sensuous countryside of Provence, this travel memoir is a journey of the spirit, a love story with a pre-set ending. When Jennifer Huntley meets James, he calls her Jenny, a new name with its own sweet innocence and daring. As it has for so many artists, the stronger sun of Provence softens Jennifer’s heart. For eight days a love affair grows, nurtured by the evocative tastes, smells and sights in this romantic landscape. Both lovers know that in eight days they will part and their affair will end. What they do not know is that they have led parallel lives, and as personal secrets are revealed, their intimacy grows. This is a delightfully written story of universal truths and feelings, a "good-girl, bad-girl" journey of innermost thoughts told with honesty, passion and humor. Jennifer's selected photographs, each illuminated by a favorite quotation from Van Gogh, enhance the journey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...romance can happen when you least expect it. -- Julia Sokol, author of What Smart Women Know

A delightful, sexy read... -- Barbara Keesling, Ph.D. author of The Good Girls Guide to Bad Girl Sex

A sexy, delightful read... -- Barbara Keesling, PhD, author of The Good Girl's Guide to Bad Girl Sex

Eight Days in Provence...romance can happen when you least expect it. -- Julia Sokol, author of What Smart Women Know

I found Jennifer Huntley's prose style delightful. The story is a lovely journey. -- Barbara Chepaitis, author of Feeding Christine

Product Details

• Hardcover: 147 pages
• Publisher: Rosalie Ink Publications; 1ST edition (October 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097118691X
• ISBN-13: 978-0971186910
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,636,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intoxicating journey of self-renewal, October 7, 2004

By 

Cricket in the Corner (Virtual North Woods) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eight Days in Provence: A Moment of Sensualite (Hardcover)

Don't mess with women scorned; strong women who believe they're doing the right thing when they get married, have a child, and slip into a comfortable life role that unravels when divorce rewrites the script. When illusion falters, women of substance like the one voiced here by Huntley do the right thing for themselves. If this means pursuing other illusions, hey, at least this time their eyes are open. And looking for all kinds of long overdue treats.

Jennifer is no fool hungry for romance and hoping to be swept up in fantasy. The appetite is there, but passivity and resistance of typical romance heroines is refreshingly replaced by an assertive self-awakening. Her senses heightened by a need for sensual rebirth, she pursues hints and signals her willingness to play -- fully aware that whatever happens will be framed by the parameters of an eight-day sojourn away from real life.

In Provence she can be "Jenny," the traveler so sensitive to her environment that sights, smells, tastes, and sounds all take on a luscious texture that crosses the line between healing and decadence with just the right measure of daring comfort. Huntley's gift for description offers endless possibilities for almost merciless teasing; you may find yourself suddenly craving a call to your travel agent.

Now, add one charming, flirty travel guide and stir; the resulting heady concoction will deliver the pleasant buzz of a satisfying read. James gives Jenny no reason to believe their affair has potential outside the hothouse ethics of vacation behavior, despite the growing closeness that prompts him to share aspects of his private life with her. They do draw her in, mirroring some of her own priorities and vulnerabilities. A more naive woman might be tempted to abandon reason. But Jenny is in Provence to let go, and the risk of nourishing one's heart with this kind of freedom is having to break it as well.

This intimate, passionate first-person narrative begs to be packed along to the beach, sneaked into boring meetings, curled up with in your favorite me-time spot. Treat yourself to it and savor its provocative flavors.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars poetry and illusion!, September 5, 2005

By 

G. Cornez (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eight Days in Provence: A Moment of Sensualite (Hardcover)

I am captivated by Jennifer Huntley's talent for description; she totally mesmerized me with each flower and each feeling as she included me in her journey -- a journey far beyond Provence and romance. This is a journey of the spirit and the soul by an exquisite writer. I would travel with her anywhere.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insprational Journey, May 19, 2006

By 

Shannon Pelletier Swanson (FLorida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eight Days in Provence: A Moment of Sensualite (Hardcover)

I just finished reading Jennifer Huntley's "Eight Days in Provence", and I must admit, pacing myself was actually my biggest challenge, I just did not want to reach the end. The details were exquisite, like the breathtaking landscapes, "Red poppies, iridescent and translucent in morning sun, slashed across the fields every now and then." The delectable and not so delectable cuisine, "like black mud from the bottom of the salty sea." They were sprinkled throughout in all the right places. There were so many moments throughout the story when I felt as though I had been in those same situations, and I could really relate to the characters.

I loved the idea that although "Eight Days in Provence" was a true story, it had fairytale like, qualities that enabled me to be drawn into the experience. The point at which I truly appreciated Jennifer's writing was on the day that her travel group visited St.-Paul-de-Mausole, the asylum that Van Gogh had gone to recover; the place where he painted more than one hundred fifty paintings during that year. When "Jenny" stood at the window and "saw" what he saw, it was like reality seeing fantasy as reality. I fell in love with this book and wished for it to be "Years in Provence!"

I am an avid traveler and Jennifer brought to life again, the many James' I have encountered throughout my journeys. More importantly though, she helped me to see that they all have a place in my heart and will now, probably soon be characters in my books! Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing such an intimate encounter. It was delicious, as are most things French!