Product Description
Novelist Nicholas Kilmer vividly describes his trials and adventures while shoring up an aging French farmhouse. He liberally seasons this deliciously spirited memoir with engaging wit, intriguing family history, and French lore. When the Kilmer family gathered in Normandy for a 1966 funeral, they were astonished to discover they had inherited the ruins of the country house once owned by American Impressionist Frederick Friesek. After 30 years of sporadic restoration attempts, Nicholas takes over the care of the crumbling building. Each day brings him fresh challengesfrom evicting a hysterical owl from the dining room to cautiously maneuvering over rotting boards as they threaten to plummet him to the floor below. Struggling with ancient plumbing and outmoded kitchens sends the author on a rocky, but fascinating journey into former times. Narrator John McDonough expertly captivates the rhythm of American and French cultures, past and present, as they both collide and affectionately mingle.
