Tout Sweet: Hanging Up My High Heels for a New Life in France [Paperback]

Karen Wheeler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2011

In her mid-thirties, fashion editor Karen has it all: a handsome boyfriend, a fab flat in west London, and an array of gorgeus shoes. But when her boyfriend, Eric, leaves she makes an unexpected decision: to hang up her Manolos and wave good-bye to her glamorous city lifestyle to go it alone in a run-down house in rural Poitou-Charentes, central western France.

Tout Sweet is the perfect read for anyone who dreams of chucking away their BlackBerry in favor of real blackberrying and downshifting to a romantic, alluring locale where new friendships–and new loves–are just some of the treasures to be found amongst life's simple pleasures.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A charming chronicle of transforming her unloved and neglected maison into a real home and repairing her broken heart in the process." (Publishers Weekly 20110523)

About the Author

Karen Wheeler is a former fashion editor for the Mail on Sunday and current writer for the Financial Times 'How to Spend It' magazine and London's Daily Mail. Her work has appeared in the Evening Standard and You magazines, Sunday Times Style and numerous international publications. Visit Karen at www.toutsweet.net and Twitter @mimipompom1.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks (August 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402261187
• ISBN-13: 978-1402261183
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karen Wheeler is an award-winning fashion and beauty writer and former Fashion Editor of the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Born near Liverpool in the north of England, she studied Modern History at Kings College, London University and worked briefly at Sotheby's art auctioneers before embarking on a career in fashion journalism.

During her career she has interviewed many of fashion's top names including Tom Ford, Karl Lagerfeld, Giorgio Armani and Calvin Klein and has written on a regular basis for many national newspapers and supplements including the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, the Sunday Times Style, The Mail on Sunday and ES magazine. She is also a three times winner of the Jasmine Literary award for writing about fragrance.

She moved to France in August 2005 thanks to several random twists of fate, initially planning to stay for a year. Five years and two books later, she is still enjoying 'la vie rurale' and fortunately, most of her neighbours - many of whom feature in Tout Sweet and Toute Allure - are still speaking to her. She is currently working on her third book.

More information about the author can be found on her blog, www.toutsweet.net, which charts her everyday life in France and at www.karenwheeler.co.uk. She also writes a regular column for Living France magazine, in which she shares more tales from the Poitou-Charentes.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely ADORED this book! So charming and funny. July 16, 2009

By Christopher Yu

Format:Paperback

I just finished reading Tout Sweet in one sitting. The book only arrived yesterday morning in the post and I have now in one and a half days come to the last page. The story was so charming and enchanting. It was the perfect antidote to this terrible summer in London, being able to escape in my head to idyllic France and into the world of the author.

The characters were so funny and I felt myself warming to each and every one - I only hope we read more about them in her next book.

Far less clichéd than Peter Mayle and the like, this is THE `moving to France' story for me. And with the author's sprinkling of glamour - this is my favourite `feel-good' book of 2009!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tout is sweet! September 29, 2009

By Swissmiss

Format:Paperback

I read this in one day staying up after midnight last night reading it. A lot of the Brits moving to France books seem to be written by men who are very sarcastic and condescending about everything and everybody they encounter so this book was a breath of fresh air. I hope there is a sequel so we know what happens next - with pictures of the house!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent flow and good writing. November 16, 2009

By R. Stout

Format:Paperback

While this book is primarily geared for the ladies, I found it to be a well written book and enjoyed it a great deal. I have read many books on living in France, and this one was not a disappointment. Yes, the romantic parts were not exactly my cup of tea, but the storyline and the characters were well done, and I look forward to a follow up. Would definitely recommend.