Encore Provence

A victim of his own success, Mayle was imprudent enough to write A Year in Provence without changing names of neighbours and villages, bringing him what eventually became an unmanageable number of unannounced guests. After fleeing to the US for 4 years, they returned to France, choosing a new home and village but staying firmly in Provence.

Encore Provence is the collection of essays from the years following his self-imposed exile and this time he was smart enough to change the names to protect the innocent (or privacy-inclined).

I enjoyed the first two books, but I think I liked this one a bit better. I found more of the essays enjoyable and informative: rather than merely making me wish I lived in a gorgeous, centuries old - but show more recently updated - farmhouse in Provence, these essays also taught me a few things and gave me food for thought.

Now I really want to go truffle hunting. show less

Given that encore means "again" and toujours means "forever" I understandably mistook this book to be the second in the series, rather than the third, and so I read them out of order.

I think no one will be terribly surprised that this is a watered-down version of A Year in Provence. It is less a memoir and more a collection of essays. I was hoping for more sketches of village characters and anecdotes about gardening, food, and local color. There are some of those, but mostly this reads like a travel magazine assignment or a series of blog posts.

I was put off by an oddly sexist outburst in the middle of an otherwise inoffensive chapter on corkscrews and knives in which Mayle starts effectively thinking out loud on the page about show more whatever in the world a laaaaaady need with a knife?

What would she do with an accessory knife? Emergency manicures? Opening love letters? Puncturing a gentleman's reputation?

(I could almost hear him saying, in a sort of Cary Grant voice, while typing, "A lady with a knife? Pfft! Preposterous!" Of course, in this fantasy a female costar -- preferably playing the role of his editor -- smacks him up the backside of the head.) For the record, Mr. Mayle, women use knives for the same things men do, which in this day and age is restricted mainly to opening packages.

Outside of that silly, out-of-character bit of anachronistic misogyny, the book is pleasant enough. It's especially good reading before you go to bed -- not because it's necessarily soporific, but because it is soothing. show less

ë udhëtimin e tij më të këndshëm drejt mrekullive të jetës provençale, Peter Mayle kthehet në Francë dhe lë pas shqetësimet për kolesterolin, blerjet me telefon, verërat kaliforniane dhe probleme të tjera që e kishin ndjekur pas një kohe të gjatë larg vendit.

Në Encore Provence, Mayle na ofron një vështrim pas perdes së sekreteve të tregtisë së tartufit, një mësim nga bota e parfumerisë mbi hollësitë e aromave, një eksplorim të efekteve gjenetike të 2 000 viteve të foie gras-it, si edhe një mister vrasjeje në një qytet të vogël që lexohet si trillimi më i mirë letrar. Po këtu gjejmë edhe këshillat më të fundit të Mayle-it se ku mund të gjenden mjalti, djathi apo chambre d’hôte më i show more mirë që ofron rajoni. Lirik, i mprehtë dhe i shkëlqyer në detaje, Encore Provence na sjell një vend ku aroma e trumzës në fusha apo madhështia e një dreke të shtruar pa ngut janë jo më pak se frymëzuese. show less

Mayle’s descriptions of food and people resonate with joy of living and sardonic humor. Wonderful reading!

Book on CD read by David Case.

Subtitle: New Adventures in the South of France

Gosh but I love Peter Mayle’s memoirs of his move to and life in Provence! I read them all ages ago, and decided to revisit all his writing since his passing.

This is the third in the series and he write with his usual humor. He takes a little time in this one to give some practical advice on the best things to buy at the market, the best local wines, the different cheeses and olive oils, the passion for boules, the joy of locally sourced honey (and from different seasons), and, of course, truffles. He also talks about the endless bureaucratic hoops that must be jumped through in order to find and then purchase and renovate your own Provence paradise. And he show more spends an entire chapter on the uniqueness of Marseilles.

David Case does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. I have no clue if his French is pronounced properly (or with a Provencal accent), but he kept me entertained with his impressions of waiters, real estate agents, and farmers. show less

A selection of anecdotes about life as an expat in Provence. Some of the themes are familiar from his earlier books, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. A perfect lazy holiday read – light and entertaining.

Mayle is a wonderful storyteller. He makes the warmth of the region come alive.southern France is different from its northern brother and Mayle articulates it eith humor. A definite. Recommend