Customer Reviews

Eight Days in Provence: A Moment of Sensualite

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

I loved this book. It is an enchanting glimpse into a week-long escape from reality, and is as much an atmospheric picture of the author's walking holiday in Provence as of her 'moment of sensualite'. Definitely a book for the cold winter evenings, when we all wish we could be in the south of France, enjoying the food, scenery and good company - especially the sort of good company Jennifer finds!

A slender and beautifully packaged true-life tale of a woman and her guide who fall for each other during a trip to Provence. "Eight Days in Provence" has a miniaturist perfection, in its evocative descriptions of this beautiful region of France, the growing infatuation of the protagonists, and their dreamlike assignations in gorgeous hotel rooms after perfect meals. As with other similar memoirs, this travel romance comes in the wake of betrayal and hurt, which seems to limit the participants in pursuing their affair out in the "real" world. Still, both James and "Jenny" win points for likeability and cause the reader to ponder "what if" they could continue their romance, or if they had could have met each other before meeting others who bruised their innocence.

I feel like it captures the dreams that all women wish could be fullfilled on vacation. Wonderful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parts of this book are very well written, indeed! Some of the author's descriptions of the Provencal countryside make you want to be there -- right now!! On the other hand, I felt as though there was more book than we got. Ms. Huntley's focus on her emotional state of mind and her interpersonal relationships struck me as unnecessary and, forgive me, boring. I still can't figure out why she didn't just bonk the guide to begin with, concentrate on her travelogue and leave the reader out of her emotional teeth-gnashing. Her writing is at its best when telling us of her daily trips into the countryside of Provence. I must admit that Provence tends to draw out the romanticist in most of us and, in many ways, I am sympathetic to her state of mind. She should spend more than eight days there and then write more about it.

I enjoyed the tour as I love Provence but I found alot of repetition like the picnic meals of tomatos with tapenade and the fact that she seemed oblivious that everyone knew what was going on. They're not to consort with the clients, hmm!

Good book but language a little flowery. Emerging love story intimate and I felt a little creepy, like a voyeur. Did make me want to go on this trip and take in all the scenes and food/wines. Read Peter Mayle and Frances Mayes instead. (Also see Under a Tuscan Sky to get visuals tho different from the book. Yum!)