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French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and Corkscrew Audiobook
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(3.01) - 4,049 listener ratings
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A delightful, delicious, and best-selling account of the gustatory pleasures to be found throughout France, from the beloved author of A Year in Provence. The French celebrate food and drink more than any other people, and Peter Mayle shows us just how contagious their enthusiasm can be. We visit the Foire aux Escargots. We attend a truly French marathon, where the beverage of choice is Château Lafite-Rothschild rather than Gatorade. We search out the most pungent cheese in France, and eavesdrop on a heated debate on the perfect way to prepare an omelet. We even attend a Catholic mass in the village of Richerenches, a sacred event at which thanks are given for the aromatic, mysterious, and breathtakingly expensive black truffle. With Mayle as our charming guide, we come away satisfied (if a little hungry), and with a sudden desire to book a flight to France at once.
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"I am preparing for a trip to France in late summer. So I am reading and re-reading books to get me in the mood! I read Peter Mayle years ago and enjoyed the books thouroughly. The second time around it remains jaunty and fun and oh so French!"
— Melissa (4 out of 5 stars)
French Lessons Listener Reviews
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" Hysterically funny. A series of contemplations, loosely food related. I could read this over and over. "
— Sheila, 2/16/2014 -
" If you are going to France, you MUST buy this book. It's hilarious and gives you such a great perspective on the French people and their food. "
— Kristin, 2/8/2014 -
" A book any gastronome will love. Each chapter details a food or wine festival that the author visited in France. From truffles to cheeses and frogs, the stories will make you laugh and your stomach growl. "
— Rich, 1/24/2014 -
" A collection of essays on various festivals, all food related, in France. As usual, Mayle's style is breezy and humorous. A pleasant read. "
— Nancy, 1/24/2014 -
" Loved this book and the three others in the series. "
— pythonbootjwp, 1/21/2014 -
" I didn't think it was as good as Mayle's previous books set in France (A Year in Provence, etc.), but anyone interested in French food and food culture will find this an interesting read, if somewhat lacking in the panache of the earlier installments. "
— Emily, 1/19/2014 -
" I want to visit him in France! "
— Lynn, 1/16/2014 -
" Interestingly yummy! "
— Jamie, 1/14/2014 -
" The British ex-pat's look at various food festivals of France. Mmm, French food. This book made me *so* hungry; if I drank wine, I'm sure it would've made me thirsty as well. As it is, I desperately want to go on vacation now. Vive la France! "
— Drianne, 1/6/2014 -
" Recommended because of my culinary interests. I remember waking up one day while reading this book. I was dreaming about eating breakfast. There was course after course being served, one with each time my snooze button went off. "
— Joe, 12/28/2013 -
" Considering how much I enjoyed A Year in Provence, I sort of expected to like this one a bit more. It wasn't bad, how can anything related to food and drinks be bad?, but there were (boring) moments when I wanted to put it down and be done with it. "
— Lavinia, 12/18/2013 -
" Started more promising than it continued. Not a bad pass-time but nothing spectacular. "
— Rossitsa, 12/13/2013 -
" Not as good as A Year in Provence or Toujours Provence, but still an amusing book. Devout Mayle readers may recognize many of the stories from his other books. "
— Isobel, 12/6/2013 -
" When I can't go to France, I read this. "
— Catherine, 10/20/2013 -
" Mildly interesting essays on how the French celebrate food and wine through various festivals. Interesting if you're a French foodie, only so-so as a travel essay. "
— Phil, 10/18/2013 -
" loved a year in provence - this was great as well. "
— Kristy, 9/25/2013 -
" I have read this two times now and enjoyed it as much the second time as the first. "
— Kristin, 8/24/2013 -
" awesome. i MUST get to france..... "
— Lizette, 7/17/2013 -
" Listened to this on audio. A delight. Simon Jones was great and I laughed out loud many times. "
— C2015, 6/24/2013 -
" A perfectly enjoyable read...great observation put into great writing! "
— Natalia, 6/12/2013 -
" A great read. I'm ready to enjoy all of the food and wine in the South of France! "
— Kevin, 2/5/2013 -
" The last Peter Mayle book I read wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed it. I got about halfway through this one, left it in a friend's car and was without it for a week... and didn't miss it. Ah, well. "
— Carla, 3/12/2012 -
" I'm ready for another trip to France after reading this book. "
— Tracy, 1/15/2012 -
" French festivals and fine eating experiences are written up with humor and taste. This book makes me long to visit France and munch my way across the countryside! "
— EngIIrockz, 11/17/2011 -
" I have enjoyed his novel, and his stories about his life in Provence, but this one not so much. "
— Kaaren, 9/9/2011 -
" Interesting, but not the thing to read when you're hungry; you'll get drool all over. Unfortunately, when we were in France, we didn't try any of the crazy food he wrote about. Although I did have some amazing lavendar icecream. "
— Coral, 7/26/2011 -
" Picked this easy to read book at the airport in Nice. Just a fun "no brainer" book on Peter Mayle's further adventures and love of France. "
— J., 7/17/2011 -
" Great book, quite funny and very descriptive of the food, the places and the people. Well worth the read and makes me want to travel to France to enjoy the festivals spoken of in the book. "
— Kelly, 4/17/2011 -
" A collection of essays on various festivals, all food related, in France. As usual, Mayle's style is breezy and humorous. A pleasant read. "
— Nancy, 4/7/2011 -
" A great read. I'm ready to enjoy all of the food and wine in the South of France! "
— Kevin, 3/29/2011 -
" Peter Mayle is a fantastic author...love his writing style! His works always make me hungry for some fine French cuisine. This book wasn't ask fantastic as his A Year In Provence, but it had some witty stories :) "
— Tina, 3/16/2011 -
" Read for book club. I SO want to go back to Europe. I think I even want to try snails and frogs legs! "
— Hope, 2/1/2011 -
" I didn't think it was as good as Mayle's previous books set in France (A Year in Provence, etc.), but anyone interested in French food and food culture will find this an interesting read, if somewhat lacking in the panache of the earlier installments. "
— Emily, 1/20/2011 -
" Peter Mayle is a genius. He is one of my all time favorite authors. The only problem is that I am reading about France instead of being in France. "
— Lynnette, 12/26/2010 -
" I'm ready for another trip to France after reading this book. "
— Tracy, 10/23/2010 -
" I really enjoy Peter Mayle's books because he cracks me up. "
— Lisa, 10/17/2010 -
" Mildly interesting essays on how the French celebrate food and wine through various festivals. Interesting if you're a French foodie, only so-so as a travel essay. <br/> "
— Phil, 9/8/2010 -
" Not my favorite foodie book ever but did get me excited about visiting France again. And perhaps trying escargot. Loose vignettes that are charming individually but didn't really cohere into a whole story. Consequently was not exactly a page turner. "
— Rani, 8/19/2010 -
" loved a year in provence - this was great as well. "
— Kristy, 7/20/2010
About Peter Mayle
Peter Mayle (1939–2018), British-born author of several novels and books of nonfiction, spent fifteen years in the advertising business before escaping in 1975 to write books, including several New York Times bestsellers. The British Books Awards named him author of the year in 1992, and he was a recipient of the Légion d’Honneur award from the French government for his cultural contributions. His work has been translated into seventeen languages, and he has contributed to a variety of newspapers and magazines. His A Year in Provence was produced as a television series starring John Thaw and screened in 1993. The novel A Good Year was the basis for the 2006 film of the same name directed by Ridley Scott and starring actors Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard.
About Simon Jones
Simon Jones is an English actor and award-winning audiobook narrator. Besides winning many AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration, he has won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, including for top prize of Audiobook of the Year. He was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine and as “Narrator of the Year” in 2005 by Publishers Weekly. As an actor, he has been featured in numerous Broadway productions and has appeared in the films The Devil’s Own, Twelve Monkeys, For Love or Money, Green Card, Brazil, Monty Python’s Meaning of Life, and Miracle on 34th Street remake. His television appearances include a role in The Cosby Mysteries and Murder She Wrote. He studied at Cambridge University and the legendary Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club.