Anything Considered

Anything Considered by Peter Mayle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another Mayle book that was entertaining and a quick read.  A former business executive, Bennett, who has moved to southern France is swindled out if his life's fortune.  At the end of his financial rope, he places an add in the paper to find work and receives a proposition from a rich gentleman by the name of Julian Poe, who asks him to live the high life on his behalf in Monaco for the purposes of tax evasion and residence deception.  After one week of bliss, the mishandling of a metal suitcase with important information inside, causes the main character Bennett, to be thrown into a series of deceptive encounters in the attempts to get back the small case.  Partnering with a former military officer, Anna, they try to obtain the case and make a few dollars at the same time.  The best part of the book is seeing the smaller, remote French characters see more excitement in their village than there has ever been as the crime moves closer to the village in which Bennett lives.  Another enjoyable caper by Mayle!


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Chasing Cezanne

Chasing Cezanne by Peter Mayle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So far really good and a quick read.  Is the Cezanne missing?  If yes, why?  Taken into the heart of the art world.  Mayle impresses the reader with his knowledge of various fields once again.

Quick read that kept me busy while lying in bed ill with all by body parts aching.  A photographer accidentally sees a Cezanne being moved from the home of a wealthy client into a van, and with his attempts to solve the mystery of this strange scene, he interacts with varied characters, encounters he wrath of several rich and influential people, and travels through France, Britain and the USA.  A fun read, especially if you want to read more about the wonderful food and wines found in Southern France.  I need to have one of those eating trips through France!


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Confessions of a French Baker

Confessions of a French Baker: Breadmaking Secrets, Tips, and Recipes by Peter Mayle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For this read I going to my local (not French but as best as I can do in Winnipeg) baker to get some bread I can munch on while reading.  I love baking, I just have not baked a lot of bread.  More of a cookie, muffin, squares baker am I.

The introduction is a quick read and several of the recipes look delicious but I am in grad school in the heat of Manitoba.  To cook or to graduate?  Yep, another day, another time in my life I will have a home that smells of a French bakery.  For now, I shall return the book and head to the local french bakery to be a patisserie snob (I lived in Belgium as a pre-teen, I know my pastries).

Let me know of you try baking any of these delicious looking morsels and how it turned out.


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French Lessons: Adventures with knife, fork, and corkscrew

French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A wonderful light read by Peter Mayle who again entertains the reader with the festivals and holidays that he visits all over France.  From eating contests, to a running marathon with wine tastings along the route, to upper class semi-nude lunches, to the muddy and calming spa, Mayle's writing will put a spontaneous smile on your face, cause you to roll your eyes in disbelief, and generally love France and its inhabitants just a little bit more.  He also explains the Michelin Food Guide (yes, of the large rubber tires) that started in the 1920's rating restaurants and their food, services and ambience bestowing stars on the deserving.  Now a controversial publication in some culinary circles, many people still reach for it to peruse as the head to France for some travels, and Mayle takes the time to explain what this book means to the country and to its foodie citizens.

Give it a read and enjoy a writer who is able to present the quirks of a culture that loves many things and appears to celebrate them all.

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A Year in Provence

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I want to give this book 3.5 stars because I really enjoyed it as a selection of stories from an Englishman who has live in the USA then moved to Southern France, and offers the ready a wonderful medley of stories about the people, weather, construction, markets, wineries and neighbours he and his wife find during their first year in Provence.  This was such a good read that I have another three of his books on order from the library.  It is not a 4 start book, in my opinion, because this is a humorous tale but not a book from which I discovered a new history about a place or was captivated by details of a culture that was shocking or caused me a personal revelation.  Still a delightful and quick read that did make me want to rent a small cottage in Provence for at least a summer or two just to put his stories of oddities and eccentricities to my own cultural tests.  Since I do not have those funds at the moment, I will continue reading his books, smiling and laughing at his experiences and stories.  Perhaps I shall add some French Provence wine to the occasions just to increase the read's authenticity.  

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