My Twenty-Five Years in Provence - (Vintage Departures) by Peter Mayle (Paperback)

About the Book

"The beloved author Peter Mayle, champion of all things Provence, here in a final volume of all new writing, offers vivid recollections from his twenty-five years in the South of France--lessons learned, culinary delights enjoyed, and changes observed. Twenty-five years ago, Peter Mayle and his wife, Jennie, were rained out of a planned two weeks on the Cote d'Azur. In search of sunlight, they set off for Aix-en-Provence; enchanted by the world and life they found there, they soon decided to uproot their lives in England and settle in Provence. They have never looked back. As Mayle tells us, a cup of cafe might now cost three euros--but that price still buys you a front-row seat to the charming and indelible parade of village life. After the coffee, you might drive to see a lavender field that has bloomed every year for centuries, or stroll through the ancient history that coexists alongside Marseille's metropolitan bustle. Modern life may have seeped into sleepy Provence, but its magic remains. With his signature warmth, wit, and humor--and twenty-five years of experience--Peter Mayle is a one-of-a-kind guide to the continuing appeal of Provence. This thoughtful, vivid exploration of life well-lived, a la Provence, will charm longtime fans and a new generation of readers alike"--

Book Synopsis

From the moment Peter Mayle and his wife, Jennie, uprooted their lives in England and crossed the Channel permanently, they never looked back. Here the beloved author of A Year in Provence pays tribute to the most endearing and enduring aspects of his life in France--the charming and indelible parade of village life, the sheer beauty, the ancient history. He celebrates the café and lists some of his favorites; identifies his favorite villages, restaurants, and open-air markets; and recounts his most memorable meals. A celebration of twenty-five years of Provençal living--of lessons learned and changes observed--with his final book Mayle has crafted a lasting love letter to his adopted home, marked by his signature warmth, wit, and humor.

Review Quotes

"Full of thoughtful reflections and trenchant observations. . . . It's wonderful to get to go on one more journey with [Mayle] and remember why we fell in love with him and his writing." --San Francisco Chronicle

"Idyllic." --USA Today

"A warm, nostalgia-soaked look at the place [Mayle] loved so dearly, packed with fond recollections of the pleasures of life in the region, from pastis to Pétanque." --Travel + Leisure

"[Mayle's] keen eye and wit are much on display." --The Philadelphia Inquirer

"[A] well-loved writer's contented recap of a life well lived. . . . Mayle set a new course for travel writing." --Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Delightfully quaint anecdotes from the years since Mayle and his wife, Jennie, escaped office life in New York and London in the 1980s for 'a simpler, sunnier life' in Provence. . . . Composed in a uniformly bright and jocular voice, this is a breezy valedictory note for a much admired writer." --Publishers Weekly

"A welcome, if bittersweet, victory lap. The book's final sentences are particularly resonant of a life well lived: 'I must go. Lunch is calling.'" --The New York Times Book Review

"Mayle takes readers back to the idyllic, slow-paced and occasionally befuddling world that [he] first wrote about in his best-selling memoir A Year in Provence. . . . [My Twenty-Five Years in Provence] treads delightfully familiar ground for fans who succumbed to the charms of Mayle's first book. The new volume transports readers to the South of France through the eyes of an Englishman who never ceases to marvel at the sunshine, fine food and sometimes inscrutable culture of his adopted turf." --Associated Press

"In this final memoir, Mayle returns to the beginning. . . . This is France, so of course food and wine play a large part in his writing. But while Mayle can pen a mouthwatering description of bouillabaisse, what has always drawn readers to his writing are his loving portraits of people, community and the Provençal way of life." --BookPage

"Mayle's mellowest book, touched by the tenderness of a writer summing himself up. . . . Even in moments of majesty, Mayle's puckish humor prevails." --The Wall Street Journal

"One of the most successful and influential memoirists of our era. . . . [Mayle's writings] not only inspired people to explore the French countryside, they encouraged travelers to explore the world differently." --Toronto Star

"Peter Mayle may have single-handedly created an American and British obsession with the French region of Provence when he published A Year in Provence in 1989. . . . [His] latest book . . . retains the charm of the original. His gentle humor and precise descriptions bring to life a region where time is relative and old ways persist." --The Providence Journal

"A warm, sentimental, vicarious glimpse into a life well lived." --Canadian Living

"[An] amusing, pleasantly written, and easily read book." --The New Criterion

"Confirmation that daydreams do come true. . . . Mayle had the gumption to do what many only daydream about: run away to a paradise." --Library Journal

About the Author

Peter Mayle wrote fifteen previous books. He was a proud recipient of the Légion d'Honneur from the French government for his cultural contributions. He died in January 2018.