Quick read. Interesting story of the art world and the world of art forgers. Takes place in Paris and NYC. Enjoyable. ( )

An enjoyable summer read with one of Mayle's typical laid back protagonists who stumbles into a mystery, where fine food and wine become crucial to the outcome. ( )

Author Peter Mayle never pretends to be anything other than an entertainer (he was in advertising for years, after all) and that makes his books perfect when the only time you get to read is 30 minutes before you fall asleep.

I try to keep a cache of novels on my shelf that I call my veggie books, a category I find grows with each passing year, and a new (to me) Mayle always gets a place on that shelf. These are the books I read when I want to smile while reading.

There are loads of books on the market that purport to do just this, entertain without taxing the cognitive faculties too hard. But my other criteria is that such a book be well-written, a criteria far more difficult to attain. Peter Mayle does this very well, however. His prose has a nice spring to it. His sentences are economical and pointed. He draws a character in just a few words without the burden of superfluous physical description unless it's necessary to a character's character (if you will). Along the way, you get to vicariously enjoy another place on the planet (in the case of Mayle, it's always France) and chuckle over his clear-eyed and cynical view of the glossy-magazine industry.

So -- a good read, not too deep. A good choice for those times when the reality of what passes for mainstream media is just so awful that you need a good break from it. ( )

Chasing Cezanne by Peter Mayle is enjoyable for the same reasons his memoirs recounting his life living in Provence are so pleasurable to read: namely, his rich and colorful descriptions of this gorgeous area. Mr. Mayle is not as deft at spinning a smart and suspenseful mystery. He never quite manages to create that suspenseful charge that true mystery authors know how generate. However, I would definitely and without hesitation recommend Chasing Cezanne to everyone who counts themselves a fan of his Provence books. Mayle’s writing is fluid and descriptive. While reading this novel, I wished that I was sipping champagne in Paris or shopping for a baguette in Aix. He is truly without parallel in his ability to convey the essence of France. ( )

witty, light novel about art forgery by the “Year in Provence” author, great prose