A Year in Provence
گزارش تخلف
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
May 1, 1990
The author describes his first 12 months in Provence, after he and his wife have abandoned England for an 18th-century farmhouse in the Luberon Mountains. Throwing themselves into the life of this rural region, they master the local customs, gain partial understanding of their neighbors' patois, overcome the frustrations of French bureaucracy, and learn to deal with workmen who operate on the idiosyncratic Provencal sense of time. In nimble prose, Mayle, columnist for GQ , captures the humorous aspects of visits to markets, vineyards and goat races, and hunting for mushrooms. Even donating blood is an occasion for fun. The Provencal cuisine is Mayle's leitmotif, however. He opens with an account of a memorable New Year's lunch, ends with an appreciation of an impromptu Christmas dinner, and describes just about every meal eaten during the months in between. His adventures, gastronomic and otherwise, are thoroughly entertaining. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Mayle tells the story of his first year living in Provence, a time in which he and his wife come to know the place, the locals, and the wonderful food and wine, while having their house remodeled. With charm, skill, and amusement, Mayle narrates in a pleasant voice, calm and excited by turns. While he does speak some French herein, in the local accent, most of the French is rendered in accented English, a tactic that, for once, works. The production's sole annoying feature (besides making listeners hungry while listening to all the wonderful dining) is a lack of pauses to indicate changes in time frame, scene, or subject, an oversight that brings the listener up short again and again. This problem makes the slightly rushed abridgment seem jerkier than need be. W.M. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
دیدگاه کاربران