Once upon a Villa

Adventures on the French Riviera

In this wise, warm-hearted, witty, and LOL hilariously funny true account, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Kaplan tells what it’s like when he, his wife, and two-year-old son decided to chuck it all and live the fantasy in a villa by the sea in that extraordinary corner of the world–part international café society, part billionaires’ playground, part provincial France–that is the French Riviera.

Whether it’s matching wits with French bureaucracy, searching for the perfect bouillabaisse, encounters with con men, eccentric ex-pats, and Monaco’s royal family, partying with the international set on Onassis’ yacht, playing chess with a philosophical police chief, or adventures and friendships with the rich and famous and the presumably standoffish French, Once Upon a Villa will transport you to a fascinating and shrewdly-observed world that you will savor like your first-morning bite of pain au chocolate.

So pour yourself a glass of wine, open the book, and Santé!

©2024 Andrew Kaplan (P)2024 Andrew Kaplan

Captures the time beautifully

This wonderful family adventure in the South of France is funny, sweet, and full of love. Such a great light story filled with detail of the beautiful locations that captures the feeling of the time.