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The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted: A Novel [Paperback]

Bridget Asher
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 29, 2011
“Every good love story has another love hiding within it.”
 
Brokenhearted and still mourning the loss of her husband, Heidi travels with Abbott, her obsessive-compulsive seven-year-old son, and Charlotte, her jaded sixteen-year-old niece, to the small village of Puyloubier in the south of France, where a crumbling stone house may be responsible for mending hearts since before World War II.

There, Charlotte confesses a shocking secret, and Heidi learns the truth about her mother’s “lost summer” when Heidi was a child. As three generations collide with one another, with the neighbor who seems to know all of their family skeletons, and with an enigmatic Frenchman, Heidi, Charlotte, and Abbot journey through love, loss, and healing amid the vineyards, warm winds and delicious food of Provence. Can the magic of the house heal Heidi’s heart, too?

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Heidi is still reeling from the death of her husband, Henry, two years earlier. Heidi can�t bring herself to return to the bakery she and Henry ran, and her son, Abbott, is consumed with grief, which is manifesting itself through his obsessive-compulsive behavior. Heidi�s mother believes she knows the perfect cure and sends them, along with Heidi�s gloomy and sullen 16-year-old niece Charlotte, hiding her own secrets and miseries, to their family home in Provence, where Heidi hasn�t been since she was 13. The house has been in Heidi�s family for generations and has long been viewed as a living, breathing force that brings miracles. Heidi is initially tasked with the repairs and upgrades to the house, but it, along with her elderly neighbor and her neighbor�s son, starts to repair Heidi and Abbott and Charlotte and bring them closer together to form a new family unit. A tearjerker of a novel for both foodies and fans of tightly knit family stories. --Hilary Hatton

Review

"Fans of Under the Tuscan Sun will adore this impossibly romantic read."—People magazine

“Unabashedly romantic and unafraid of melancholy, Asher’s book is a real charmer about a Provencal house that casts spells over the lovelorn.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
"Readers who enjoy...Lolly Winston’s Good Grief and Jane Green’s The Beach House or travel-induced transformation books like Frances Mayes’s Under the Tuscan Sun and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love will find common themes in Asher’s engaging third novel...and become quickly invested in the lives of the deftly drawn characters."—Library Journal

"A beautiful, tender book about love and loss that will touch your heart...Verdict: five-star weepie."--Herald Sun (AU)

"Like a dip in a cool pool, Bridget Asher’s The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted is a refreshing escape."--Campus Circle

“An enchantment of a book, woven out of Bridget Asher’s tenderness toward her characters, her love of the French countryside, and a gentle faith in possibilities. It held me spellbound from the first word to the last, when I put it aside with a sigh of both regret and deepest satisfaction….I madly, madly, madly loved this book!
—BARBARA O’NEAL, author of How to Bake a Perfect Life

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted will have you canceling dinner plans, staying up all hours and flat-out ignoring your family, just so you can keep reading...An absorbing, beautifully written tale about life, death, love, food, and the magic of new possibilities.”
—J. COURTNEY SULLIVAN, author of Commencement and Maine

"[A] great read...This book was difficult to put down."--The Pilot (NC)

"Will touch readers long after the last page is read. The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted would make an excellent book discussion pick or a perfect choice for a book to read during spring break."--Rundpinne

"I found myself racing through this novel, gulping it down and immersing myself in its comforting words. Julianna Baggott writes from the heart. Her prose is deeply felt and honest. I loved her descriptions of the French countryside, her understanding of her characters, and the way she was able to merge the stories of multiple characters into a cohesive and compelling novel."--Caribousmom

"An amazing story...The characters drew me into a world of love, tenderness and melancholy in such a way that when I finished the story, I kept looking for more...I don’t think that I will ever think about life, love and one’s heritage the same way again."—Night Owl Reviews

"Perfect for curling up with on a rainy night or savoring with a cup of tea beside you."—Northside (Australia)

"A thoroughly delightful, emotionally satisfying story...[Asher] skillfully evokes the emotions her characters are feeling in her readers...[including] quite possibly one of the most romantic scenes ever committed to the printed page...The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted gets my highest recommendation. It is easily one of the best books I have read so far in 2011."--Colloquium

"Love and its sweet secrets bloom gloriously in The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted. Bridget Asher offers up a sumptuous exploration of how grief, love, and joy, when stirred just right, ferry us home to the people and places we most cherish. Asher’s novel brims with wisdom and laughter, teaching us anew that hope resides in unexpected places: a charred box of beloved recipes, a troubled child’s earthy wisdom, an ailing house in need of an artful hand, a mother who listens to a silent mountain, and a kiss that unlocks the puzzle of what forever truly means.”
—CONNIE MAY FOWLER, author of How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly and Before Women Had Wings

“I enjoyed The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted so much—it's well written, beautifully characterized, extremely atmospheric and at times very touching—an enchanting and compelling tale.
—ISABEL WOLFF, author of A Vintage Affair

"Bridget Asher has exceeded [Peter Mayle and Frances Mayes]...Blend[s] true romance with...astute observation."—Free Lance-Star

"A story full of hope, promise, and the love one feels for someone even after they are gone. It’s about families finding each other, about secrets being told, and about coming home again...A tender-hearted love story."--Lori's Reading Corner

"Home, hearth and heartbreak are the keynotes of Asher's latest. She delicately weaves a tale of love and loss with undying devotion to family and the secrets they keep...Beautiful."--Romantic Times

"Quickly has you saying ooh la la...perfect for that beach read."--Ellen Firer, director, Merrick Library

"Every now and again, a book just grabs you and won’t let go. You pop open the cover and start to read, getting more excited with each written word. And you can’t stop reading. (Not for anything! Not even reality TV--or anyone--even the husbands.) Which is exactly what happened when we read The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted. It's the perfect blend of romance, humor and love."--Chick Lit is Not Dead

"A tearjerker of a novel for both foodies and fans of tightly knit family stories."—Booklist

"Charming and full of hope. For me, this novel is what I class a comfort read. I started it and was immediately taken by the story and just couldn't put it down."--Peeking Between the Pages

"An easy and enjoyable read, perfect for those dreary winter days when scenes of a Provencal summer are most welcome."--Indaily

"Engaging and hard to resist...If you like stories about characters that change and triumph with flawed but ultimately strong female characters, this is for you!"--Fresh Fiction

"The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted is a charming and sweet novel, full of wonderful characters and an amazing setting. It’s perfect escapist fare, great for a quiet and cozy afternoon when a reader wants to be transported to somewhere else entirely." --S. Krishna's Books

Product Details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam (March 29, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385343914
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385343916
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A tender-hearted love story March 29, 2011
Format:Paperback
Heidi has a gift for making beautiful pieces of art in her bakery. She is a well-known, talented pastry chef. But she has lost her desire to create. Along with her car keys, lids to the toothpaste and jelly, friends, checkbooks - and the most important thing in her life, her husband. It's been two years since Henry died in a car accident, and Heidi still hasn't found her way back to the land of the living. She's not sure if she ever will, or even if she wants to. But she knows that she needs to, if not for herself, than for her son Abbott. A little boy who loves to hear "Henry stories", worries a great deal about his mom, and has developed some OCD tendencies in the wake of his father's death.

Up until her teens, Heidi would spend each summer at her family home in Provence, along with her mother and sister. There they would laugh, play with the boys next door, enjoy the simple life, and hear the stories of the home. They heard of the magic wonders that occur in this beautiful spot, the love that is found, and the miraculous healing of the heart. They hear of the great fire that literally stopped at their doorstep, and of their great grandparents, who could never have children - that is until they visited this beloved spot and were then blessed with the family they dreamed of, yet had given up on. Then one summer, Heidi's mom went to Provence alone, needing time to sort through some personal issues of her own and hoping the magic healing powers of the house will soothe her aching heart.

Despite the joy of her sister's wedding, Heidi still cannot get passed her grief. She tries to put her pain aside to celebrate with her sister, but arriving late for the bridesmaid's toast doesn't help matters. However, she does feel useful when helping to deal with Charlotte, her sister's soon-to-be step-daughter. A sixteen-year-old young woman struggling with being a teen, her father getting remarried, finding her own identity, and keeping a secret of her own. When a fire occurs at the Provence house Heidi's mother is beside herself. That house means so much to her. But not as much as her daughter and grandson's happiness. So along with Heidi's sister, they concoct a plan for Heidi, Abbott, and Charlotte to go to France to oversee the renovations from the fire, and to maybe find some of the magic that the house possesses.

Heidi arrives in Provence and immediately gets off to a rocky start. Not only is their rental car broken into and all their possessions stolen, but then it breaks down. Julien, the son of their neighbor and one of the boys Heidi played with as a child comes to their rescue. There definitely seems to be an attraction between the two, but both are dealing with tremendous amounts of pain, and neither one is looking for love. Can either one move past their hurt and move on with their lives, experiencing love, friendship, tears, and laughter for the first time in a long time? Will the secrets that are revealed bring this family closer or tear them apart? Will anyone experience the magic this house presumes to possess?

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted is a story full o f hope, promise, and the love one feels for someone even after they are gone. It's about families finding each other, about secrets being told, and about coming home again. It's a story about believing in oneself, hope for the future, coming together, and dealing with the past. The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted is a tender-hearted love story that tackles moving on from grief and opening up to love again.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars A bit of a struggle to get through August 11, 2011
By M. Robb
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well-written but the story was incredibly depressing for the first half of the book - and then it was just incredibly predictable. I would not recommend this unless the reader enjoys a really slowly-paced story with very little meat to it.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Not literature or even a good summer read June 21, 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Unfortunately, I had to force myself to keep reading this book from the first chapter. It has a highly predictable and transparent plot with a heroine (??) who I found to be needy, irritating and completely unrealistic. I kept thinking "it will get better soon" but it never did! There was nothing "foodie" in the whole book except a discussion about some dessert pastries -- no recipes or even vague directions. No woman who had the independence and initiative that our heroine (Heidi -- what a name!!) is said to have had before her husband's death would allow herself to wallow in such complete self pity and helplessness two years later. Her constant mourning and inability to deal with reality is deeply harming her and her business but most tragic of all she is deeply harming her young son who almost becomes the parent in the family. Her mother sends her to an old family home in Provence and of course everything is magically better except for the reader who has had to endure a long slog through stereotyped plot and characters to get to the completely expected finish. I wish I hadn't wasted my time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Story
Anything to do with France, I seem to lose myself...but this really is a charming story. A great book to read between all those heavy tomes. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Avid Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars My first Kindle book. Loved it:)
Took it to Jamaica while on vacation. Perfect!! Having been to France, but not Provence, I LOVED reading about the French country-side. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lori
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Cure Needed Here
Heidi is grieving, grieving, grieving and totally unable to move forward with her life. I almost put the book down because she was so totally. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Nekkosan
5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant writing, nicely done!
The book explores a young woman who is a widow and the different aspects of grieving and ultimately finding peace and love. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Persianprincess
3.0 out of 5 stars At least they ate well....
Sometimes predictable is good. So, if you're in the mood for a book about nice people in bad situations who find their way through the bad times and you want to shed a few tears... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Flush Barrett-Browning
3.0 out of 5 stars Brokenhearted--over and over again!
the second half was great but the first half went on too long. We get it---she's brokenhearted!Over and over again!
Published 15 months ago by Patsy
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
The reason I liked this book first of all because I enjoy anything that is French-related. I brought this book on vacation, and read it at the pool everyday. Read more
Published 15 months ago by francine
4.0 out of 5 stars sweet
I thought this book was very sweet. I agree with others that you don't see the plot unfolding and you have to take a leap of faith in some areas, but it's a sweet book that I... Read more
Published 18 months ago by E. Fried
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Enjoyable
I was enchanted by this novel. Bridget Asher's insightful characterizations are vivid, their emotions raw and real. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Jane Hoppe, author
4.0 out of 5 stars Magical
A beautiful book that reminds me of Under the Tuscan Sun because a house is an important character. In this book, the house appears to be enchanted. Love happens there. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Gayle G. Lin
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