Archive for May, 2019

Celebrating Peter Mayle

May 30th, 2019

Peter Mayle has been delighting readers with his tales of expat life in the south of France since A Year in Provence was first published in 1989. Sadly, Peter passed away in 2018, but over the course of his life he wrote more than fifteen books, and thankfully for his legions of fans, his final book was published shortly after his death. As the San Francisco Chronicle explained, “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.”

My Twenty-five Years in Provence is a series of warm, nostalgic recollections from the twenty-five years Peter spent living in France, including lessons learned, culinary delights, and changes observed. It’s sure to appeal to existing fans, Francophiles, and armchair travelers alike, and to mark the release of the paperback edition we’re celebrating the life and works of the author that so many loved.

In addition to the list of titles about his life in Provence below, be sure to revisit some of our previous posts about Peter’s books, including this Armchair Adventurer, this Recipe by the Book, and this guide to hosting a Provençal evening with your reading group.

A Year in Provence

In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle explains what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a two-hundred-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote region of Luberon with his wife and two large dogs. He endures January’s frosty mistral as it comes howling down the Rhône Valley, discovers the secrets of goat racing through the middle of town, and delights in the glorious regional cuisine. A Year in Provence transports us into all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life and lets us live vicariously at a tempo governed by seasons, not by days.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book


Toujours Provence

Taking up where his beloved A Year in Provence leaves off, Peter Mayle offers us another funny, beautifully (and deliciously) evocative book about life in Provence. With tales only one who lives there could know and with characters introduced with great affection and wit, Toujours Provence is a heartwarming portrait of a place where, if you can’t quite “get away from it all,” you can surely have a very good time trying.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book


Encore Provence

In his most delightful foray into the wonders of Provençal life, Peter Mayle returns to France and puts behind him cholesterol worries, shopping by phone, California wines, and other concerns that plagued him after too much time away.

Read an excerpt | Get the reader’s guide | Buy the book

 

 


Provence A-Z

The ultimate “dictionary” for lovers of Provence, Peter Mayle’s personal selection of the foods, customs, and words he finds most fascinating, curious, delicious, or just plain fun.

Read an excerpt | Buy the book

 

 


My Twenty-five Years in Provence

From the moment Peter Mayle and his wife, Jennie, uprooted their lives in England and crossed the Channel permanently, they never looked back. In his final book, a celebration of twenty-five years of Provençal living—of lessons learned and changes observed—Mayle has crafted a lasting love letter to his adopted home, marked by his signature warmth, wit, and humor.

Read an excerpt | Buy the book