Read for the Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge.
This book made me hungry. The descriptions of the food that the author and his wife were eating in their jaunts around the Luberon reminded me once again of how much I’d like to visit France.
I also enjoyed the descriptions of the local color, and read with appreciation the local’s attitude toward the hoards that descend upon them in the summer (we know a bit about that up here in Maine).
The recurring story of the contractors was also a delight. Despite the fact that these contractors were clearly working on a Provencal schedule, I detected a certain similarity to stories of contractors I’ve heard from friends here. It’s reassuring to see that some things never change, no matter where you go.
In fact, I think the beauty of this book is that it describes a region from a home perspective (even if it is fairly new), instead of the perspective of someone from away who will go away again, which is the norm for most travel writing. And it’s this hominess that makes me want to visit this place.
Lovely book.