Provence A-Z

A Francophile's Essential Handbook

By: Peter Mayle

Narrated by: John Lee

An indispensable, richly informative, and always entertaining sourcebook on Provence by the writer who has made the region his own.

Though organized from A to Z, this is hardly a conventional work of reference. It is rather a selection of those aspects of Provence that Peter Mayle in almost twenty years there has found to be the most interesting, curious, delicious, or downright fun.

He writes about subjects as diverse as architecture, expatriates, scorpions, the Provençal character, legends, lavender, linguistic oddities, the origins of “La Marseillaise,” wild boars and Frenchwinds. And, of course, he writes about food and drink.

Provence A—Z is a delight for Peter Mayle’s ever-growing audience and these unabridged selections are the perfect complement to any guidebook on Provence, or, for that matter, France.©2006 Escargot Productions, Ltd; (P)2006 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

“Mayle's affection for lavender fields and languid lunched continues unabated-and so does his influence.” —USA Today“Mayle's magpie dictionary yields amusing facts . . . and useful information. . . . You'll soon succumb to his road-tested charm.” —The New York Times Book Review“Whether he's smacking his lips in gustatory contentment or mock exasperation, Mayle's affection runneth over. . . . If there is anything charmless or depressing in all of Provence, its secret is safe with him.” —The Boston Globe“After nearly two decades of writing about the character and the characters of Provence, Mayle's love for this rich and colorful region is undiminished.” —The Christian Science Monitor

Very enjoyable and informative

I absolutely love all of Mayle’s books on Provence. This one was particularly informative for our upcoming trip there!

A review of all things "Provencale"

I have been a fan of Peter Mayle since my first listen to "French Lessons". This is an excellent and entertaining review of all things "provencale". Not for the faint of heart or casual tourist, this is deep journey, mostly on foot and often diverted. This feast leaves you both satisfied yet clamoring for more. What next?

I will listen to it again.

This is an alphabetical format for telling many stories of Provence. The stories cover all kinds of aspects of life, weather, food, history, etc. I loved it.

Charmingly Informative

Informative, witty, charming. I will listen many times, throughout the year.
A true
The French bits are spoken wonderfully.
Though, I particularly enjoyed the delightful stories of Peter Mayler's experiences.

Excellent fun

Very well-narrated, lots of fun.
We took this book on a road trip to Provence, and it was perfect.