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Provence A-Z (Abridged): A Francophile's Essential Handbook Audiobook
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(3.02) - 363 listener ratings
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An indispensable, richly informative, and always entertaining sourcebook on Provence by the writer who has made the region his own. Though organized from A to Z, this is hardly a conventional work of reference. It is rather a selection of those aspects of Provence that Peter Mayle in almost twenty years there has found to be the most interesting, curious, delicious, or downright fun. He writes about subjects as diverse as architecture, expatriates, scorpions, the Provençal character, legends, lavender, linguistic oddities, the origins of “La Marseillaise,” wild boars and Frenchwinds. And, of course, he writes about food and drink. Provence A—Z is a delight for Peter Mayle’s ever-growing audience and these unabridged selections are the perfect complement to any guidebook on Provence, or, for that matter, France.
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"A good book to expose one to French culture. I was especially attracted to the sections on food--the "Liste des 13 desserts" made me salivate. I like all the definitions of French phrases, but a pronunciation guide would be helpful. I also liked reading about historic personages like Nostradamus, and Alexandre Dumas who had such a passion for the melons of Cavaillon that he traded books for them. He made a gift to the town of all the volumes he had written in return for a dozen melons every year which were sent to him until his death in 1870. It's amazing the stuff you learn when you browse through an alphabet book."
— Nancy (4 out of 5 stars)
Provence A-Z Listener Reviews
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" Too much trivia - a series of essentially short encyclopedia entries about everything Provence. Maybe good bathroom reading. "
— Phil, 2/11/2014 -
" Another entertaining Peter Mayle book about the south of France. "
— Patty, 2/5/2014 -
" I got this in one of those Christmas exchange gifts. I did not buy it and it was wrapped when I picked it so I did not know what I was getting. Mayle writes winsomely and entertainingly, but I had almost no interest in Provence. I have never been to that part of France and have little desire to go to that area. So I had very little interest in the whole book. Apparently, Mayle has been able to make a living writing about Provence. This is his 11 book. If you like to read about Provence, then you may like this book. I was just very glad to finish it. "
— Richard, 1/30/2014 -
" If you have read most of mayle's other memoirs of Provence then you will have seen many of these essays in slightly different form. Still enjoyable but not really new work. "
— Melanie, 1/25/2014 -
" another very entertaining book by the famous author of books on life in contemporary Provence. Always a laugh and a smile listening to or reading these amusing 'asides' of human whimsy and behaviour abroad. "
— Sandy, 1/18/2014 -
" A thoroughly delightful read. As witty (or more) as all his other books. Guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. "
— Audrey, 1/18/2014 -
" Everything you ever wanted to know about Provence in alphabetical order. Written in Peter Mayle's usual style of humor mixed with good information. It's fun to read about places we have visited and customs we have experienced. "
— Carol, 1/16/2014 -
" Read this and thought... 'When are we leaving?' A true image of a region, I saw it all from my couch in this book. Great writing. "
— Victor, 1/8/2014 -
" After living in Provence for a short time even I could see that this book hit some of the aspects of Provencal life on the head. It could have had a little more personality, however. To be fair, though, I like books dripping with sarcasm and wit. "
— Shannon, 1/4/2014 -
" Read it a few pages at a time. I always love hearing about Provence from Mr. Mayle "
— Cecilia, 11/12/2013 -
" Its appeal was also its downfall: The little stories were often just a bit too little. I should have stuck with the abridgement. "
— Deb, 10/20/2013 -
" loved it! snippets of life in provence, alphabeticized! "
— Rebecca, 10/11/2013 -
" Great book! Almost an encyclopedia about Provence! "
— Muriel, 9/4/2013 -
" Currently reading this book, an alphabetical assortment of the littler-known charms and tales of the daily milieu of Provence. Really, i am trying to brush up on my witticisms for my trip to Southern France, Spain and Italy next summer. "
— Adrienne, 9/1/2013 -
" This is a wonderful read during a New England snowstorm. Sets the mind to wandering toward snails, olive oils and wine. "
— Marla, 8/27/2013 -
" Interesting little tidbits about Provence....Mayle's writing re: Provence continues to make me fantasize about living there! "
— Marianne, 7/5/2013 -
" His other books were better than this one. "
— Kathryn, 5/16/2013 -
" So much fun to read about Provence, always, if you like France and French food/culture this book is delight. Caution: it's not wise to read this book on an empty stomach. "
— Adam, 3/15/2013 -
" Great, eclectic selection of topics about Provence, ranging from Masses in honor of the truffle to a man-made bamboo forest. "
— Andy, 3/8/2013 -
" Still reading and a bit of a wade... Enough of the 'perhaps this or perhaps that'... good read though. "
— Teeswater, 2/26/2013 -
" This audio book was the perfect accompaniment to several projects I was working on. Without a story-line, it was easy to start and stop and brought back many pleasant memories of our trip to Provence. I'm ready to go again. "
— Colleen, 1/2/2013 -
" It's basically an encyclopedic rehashing of his Provence novels. "
— Cheryl, 7/15/2012 -
" A lighthearted alphabetical look at the things that make Provence so special.Makes for a great companion book to Peter Mayle's Provence series. Recommended for anyone who has read the Provence books , any Francophile or anyone who wants to visit this region. "
— Louis, 7/10/2012 -
" This is fun if you've enjoyed Mayle's other books on Provence. He has picked out a few Provencal objects or topics for each letter of the alphabet and given a little description or discussion of each one. It's interesting because he has picked out things that other writers don't tell about. "
— Jeanette, 12/8/2011 -
" A few good ideas about a vacation in Provence but most of the information is superflous unless you were really (and I mean really) interested in spending a lot of time in Provence. "
— Eric, 6/7/2011 -
" I started to listen to the audio and decided I really needed to see the French words in print so I am also getting a print copy to follow along. Not worth the time to read unless you are going to Provence. "
— Deb, 2/14/2011 -
" Another Mayle book - this is more of the same but still good stuff. "
— Wendy, 2/12/2011 -
" Read this during our trip to France (Burgundy and Provence) so it was quite interesting. I learned things about the area while we were there -- and found additional details/clarification of things our guides had talked about. A fun read. "
— Avary, 1/6/2011 -
" His other books were better than this one. "
— Kathryn, 12/26/2010 -
" Read this during our trip to France (Burgundy and Provence) so it was quite interesting. I learned things about the area while we were there -- and found additional details/clarification of things our guides had talked about. A fun read. "
— Avary, 9/19/2010 -
" This audio book was the perfect accompaniment to several projects I was working on. Without a story-line, it was easy to start and stop and brought back many pleasant memories of our trip to Provence. I'm ready to go again. "
— Colleen, 4/10/2010 -
" A lighthearted alphabetical look at the things that make Provence so special.Makes for a great companion book to Peter Mayle's Provence series. Recommended for anyone who has read the Provence books , any Francophile or anyone who wants to visit this region. "
— Louis, 2/21/2010 -
" Another Mayle book - this is more of the same but still good stuff. "
— Wendy, 1/19/2010 -
" Another entertaining Peter Mayle book about the south of France. "
— Patty, 1/8/2010 -
" Interesting little tidbits about Provence....Mayle's writing re: Provence continues to make me fantasize about living there! "
— Marianne, 12/28/2009 -
" another very entertaining book by the famous author of books on life in contemporary Provence. Always a laugh and a smile listening to or reading these amusing 'asides' of human whimsy and behaviour abroad. "
— Sandy, 12/4/2009 -
" I started to listen to the audio and decided I really needed to see the French words in print so I am also getting a print copy to follow along. Not worth the time to read unless you are going to Provence. "
— Deb, 11/10/2009 -
" Its appeal was also its downfall: The little stories were often just a bit too little. I should have stuck with the abridgement. <br/> "
— Debbie, 7/24/2009 -
" After living in Provence for a short time even I could see that this book hit some of the aspects of Provencal life on the head. It could have had a little more personality, however. To be fair, though, I like books dripping with sarcasm and wit. "
— Shannon, 6/8/2008
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.