NATIONAL BESTSELLERTaking up where his beloved A Year in Provence leaves off, Peter Mayle offers us another funny, beautifully (and deliciously) evocative book about life in Provence. With tales only one who lives there could know—of finding gold coins while digging in the garden, of indulging in sumptuous feasts at truck stops—and with characters introduced with great affection and wit—the gendarme fallen from grace, the summer visitors ever trying the patience of even the most genial Provençaux, the straightforward dog "Boy"—Toujours Provence is a heart-warming portrait of a place where, if you can't quite "get away from it all," you can surely have a very good time trying.
Toujours Provence (Vintage Departures)
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
British author Mayle shares his adventures in France's Midi in an enchanting book that stayed on PW 's hardcover bestseller list for 19 weeks. His new book, Acquired Tastes , will be published by Bantam in May.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
For fans of his A Year in Provence ( LJ 4/1/90; "Best Books of 1990," LJ 1/91), Mayle is back with more amusing tales of "la vie en rose" in the south of France. Writing with affectionate humor, he recounts such adventures as sneaking through British customs with a suitcase full of expensive truffles and digging for gold coins in his backyard with his wily and greedy neighbor. He encounters truly French eccentrics like Regis, the athlete gourmet who wears a track suit to enjoy his meals, and the ambitious Monsieur Salques, the choirmaster of the singing toads of St. Panteleon who plans to celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution with an amphibian rendition of the "Marseillaise." Describing a memorable 50th-birthday picnic that ends in a sudden rainstorm, Mayle conjures up hilarious images in vivid prose: "Showing through a pair of once-white, once-opaque trousers, red-lettered knickers wished us all Merry Xmas." Recommended for all travel collections.
- Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
Now this is a book to take in the car! Mayle returns to Provence and, unconfined by his self-imposed chronological organization of A Year in Provence, which went month-by-month, produces a delightful, anecdotal account of life in his adopted country. We get to hear about singing frogs, an attempt to train a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig to hunt truffles, as well as various wine-tasting festivities, and particularly a special party for Mayle's birthday that changes his mind about picnics once and for all.
It's a delightful book, great for listening to in the car and almost certainly an entertaining light read.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Annie M.
Format:Paperback
I knew we were in trouble when Mayle's sequel to his delightful "Year in Provence" opened with vignettes on constipation and suppositories. Oh, Mayle's fresh and breezy style is here, and he still has an eye for small but telling details, but this is mainly a retread of the same ground he worked in the much more cohesive "Year in Provence." We are told, yet again, about annoying guests, fraud in the truffle trade, and the arrogance of outsiders who are invading Provence and turning it into a playground for the rich, which is rich coming from a man who has plenty of money to finance his enviable lifestyle and quests to discover the origins of pastis!
All that said, Mayle has a talent for evoking place, and his descriptions of memorable meals will leave you salivating. But you can get all that, in better form, in A Year in Provence.
All that said, Mayle has a talent for evoking place, and his descriptions of memorable meals will leave you salivating. But you can get all that, in better form, in A Year in Provence.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like Provence, Mayle continues to charm with further adventures from the land of food, wine, and sunshine. If you haven't read "A Year In Provence", I'd suggest starting with that as many of the "characters" he introduced make return visits here. Less structural than his first book, these chapters come off as varied meditations on random events that occur day to day; A birthday picnic, a new found pet,the search for gold in his backyard, and of course the various gastromical pleasures to be found throughout the region. I didn't find it quite as good as the first book, but still he has a way of making you feel like you're sitting down with an old friend.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I did not enjoy this book as much as others from Mayle, including A Dog's Life and Hotel Pastis. A year in Provence was also better. This one did not flow well and it seemed like I read many chapters that could have come from different books. Read his other books first.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Toujours Provence is Peter Mayle's delightful continuation of his bestselling memoir, A Year in Provence. In this "sequel," so to speak, we become privy to he and his wife's further adventures in their subsequent years in Provence. Perhaps moreso in this book than in A Year in Provence, we begin to see how the Mayles are becoming much less English and more Provencal in their lifestyles. Full of little joys in each chapter, more truffles, dogs, annoying tourists and/or visitors, singing toads, buried treasure, and delectable food and wine, this memoir is certain to suit those who enjoyed A Year in Provence!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book is charming, funny and heartwarming. I have never read A Year In Provence, but I recomend you do--most people who have read both say you should. It also helps to know some French.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Joan Reeves
Format:Paperback
Slowly, I'm working my way through Peter Mayle's books though these books could more rightly be described as his love letters to Provence.
Toujours Provence begins where his first book A Year In Provence ended. Now a seasoned resident of this region of France, he broadens his view to give us an affectionate portrait of the French in all their regional peculiarities.
At once amusing and educational, this book gives the reader the sense of what it would be like to see France as a resident, not a tourist.
I know I've entertained daydreams of living in France of Italy, at least for a summer. Mayle's books make me want to act upon that fantasy.
This book is my perfect choice for bedtime reading. Not because it's boring and makes me sleepy. Not because it's easy to put down when sleep calls. Reading this book is a calm interlude in my busy life. Mayle has a droll humor and a flair for understatement of the incongruous situations that develop. I find myself smiling, and I can feel the stress melting away.
Toujours Provence, like its predecessor A Year In Provence, is the perfect armchair vacation.
Toujours Provence begins where his first book A Year In Provence ended. Now a seasoned resident of this region of France, he broadens his view to give us an affectionate portrait of the French in all their regional peculiarities.
At once amusing and educational, this book gives the reader the sense of what it would be like to see France as a resident, not a tourist.
I know I've entertained daydreams of living in France of Italy, at least for a summer. Mayle's books make me want to act upon that fantasy.
This book is my perfect choice for bedtime reading. Not because it's boring and makes me sleepy. Not because it's easy to put down when sleep calls. Reading this book is a calm interlude in my busy life. Mayle has a droll humor and a flair for understatement of the incongruous situations that develop. I find myself smiling, and I can feel the stress melting away.
Toujours Provence, like its predecessor A Year In Provence, is the perfect armchair vacation.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you've ventured through my reviews previous to this you know of my deep seated love and enthusiasm for Mr. Mayle's first novel " A Year In Provence". Being such a big fan I was more than slightly apprehensive when his second installment was released. I had prepared my self for a huge letdown!
Fortunately, once again, I was wrong. Don't misunderstand me...while I enjoy this book immensely it simply doesn't match up to his first novel. The "flow" of the first novel isn't there and some pieces feel as though they've been plastered together. That being said...WHO CARES!
Mr. Mayle's talent in story-telling is still with us and some of his chapters, such as hunting the elusive tuffle, attending a Pavorotti concert and digging up gold Naopoleon's in his own yard make for a wonderful adventure which I greatly enjoyed.
Overall, the book has the same cozy, warm feeling that his first novel so vividly captured and I now have my own hardbound copy as well. But, than again, I'm biased! I tend to enjoy his novel's due to their naivete,innocence and of course his tendencies to expand upon French culture. What's not to like?
So, if you enjoyed his first you will undoubtably like this as well. And if not....well, you wish to stay away. Overall, I think Peter Mayle has done us, and his bank account,a very big favor by letting us enjoy he and his wife's misadventure's in Provence and here's hopeing they'll be many more!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great add-on to Year
More wide-ranging than A Year in Provence and just as funny and insightful. Expands on some of the same characters as Year.
Published 9 days ago by Harold R. Somerset
5.0 out of 5 stars
Peter Mayle in Provence
Provence is one of France's many treasures. Mayle captured it 20 years ago in his series of books. Much Like Francis Hayes in Under the Tuscan Sun, etc, Mayle provides the inside... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Claire M Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
You did what I paid you for.
No problems. Ordered products, you fulfilled order and I got it. Thanks. Last review I will do, if it requires a certain number of words
Published 4 months ago by Crysams
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fun Read
I really enjoyed this book and it was especially good after having read A Year In Provence. Peter Mayle has such an entertaining way of writing. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Marianne Marion
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amusing and interesting. Could hardly put it down.
This was better than visiting Provencal. You get to meet quirky, colorful, interesting natives and learn about many points of interest in this beautiful region. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Tamara Zamora
5.0 out of 5 stars
Toujours Provence
I assume that I am reviewing the contents of the book, not the timeliness with which was sent. The book was very good but not quite as funny as his first book on Provence. JB
Published 23 months ago by Jonie Witner
4.0 out of 5 stars
Toujours Provence
This book is part of the delightful series about living in Provence by Peter Mayle. He relates his experiences of living as an immigrant with insight and humor. Read more
Published on December 2, 2010 by Dr. Cooper Bungstave
5.0 out of 5 stars
Toujours Provence
Peter Mayle, his wife, Jennie, and their three dogs are English living in Provence. In this book, Mayle shares his experiences and appreciation for this land and its people. Read more
Published on November 20, 2010 by Sandra Brazier
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying Intermediate to Advanced Reading.
Toujour Provence is very much similar to A Year in Provence but with new random tales of life in Southern France. Read more
Published on September 16, 2010 by jin chu
5.0 out of 5 stars
Toujours Provence
Great read will make you smile, well worthy of a read by anyone traveling France, received promptly and in great condition.
Published on November 17, 2009 by Mrs. Patricia Devereux
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