Why this book: I was preparing to do an 8 day bike tour through Provence, beginning in Avignon, and I was looking for something light to read that would give me a different perspective on the region I was biking through, and provide me with a perspective that I would not get from the seat of a bicycle. 

Summary in 3 sentences:  Throughout much of his youth and working life, Peter Mayle had a dream of moving to and living in Provence,  which after achieving a certain degree of affluence, he finally was able to fulfill in middle age.  His writing about Provence and the adventures he experienced living there defined the last third of his life and this was his final book. This book is a compilation of short chapters sharing different experiences and insights the he as an expatriate Englishman gained over a quarter of a century living in Provence.  Mayle has had a love affair with Provence and this book, through its many short stories and vignettes, is an admiring look at a place and region he loved. 

My impressions:  A fun, light read in the easy going, almost poetic and unpretentious style of Peter Mayle.  For me it did its job well – an enjoyable look behind-the-curtain at life and the culture of the people of this justifiably famous part of France. Provence is a very popular tourist destination for people from all over the world, in no small part due the many books Peter Mayle has written about it.   In addition to his delightful language and relentlessly positive attitude, for me an important part of the charm of this book is that he enjoys comparing what he has found and learned about Provence with his native England and the United States where he also had a home.

I have not read any of his other books about Provence (most famous, A Year in Provence, and Toujours Provence,) but one can’t help but like the man – his style is so upbeat, friendly, and respectful of his subjects, and he avoids strident or angry criticism of that to which he compares the joys of the life he has found in Provence.  He is certainly a connoisseur of the simple but comfortable and civilized life of the small town, the customs and traditions that have grown up over the millennia in Southern France.  This book and his others (I’m sure) share his joy at getting to know and savor life in the region. 

My 25 years in Provence was his last book, published the year he passed at the too-young age of 73. It is written in a very personal, first person style – he, Peter Mayle is telling stories to us, his readers, and reads like a series of short magazine articles in which each chapter shares his experiences and personal impressions on different aspects of life in Provence. 

Mayle offers us short chapters with titles such as: “The pulse of the village,” “Learning French, Inch by Inch,”  “La Politesse Française.”   He has other chapters which are simply personal stories which share some of the highlights of his life living in Provence.  For example, Mayle was awarded the Legion d’Honneur for the positive impact that his books have had on France and Provence.  His chapter “A Gift from Napoleon” not only shares with us what that award means and its origins, but how he found out that he’d been selected to receive it, and the charming aftermath.  His chapter “Dinner at the Èlysée Palace” shares what it was like being one of the 200 people invited in 2004 to a dinner hosted by the President of France (Jacques Chirac at the time) and Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between France and Great Britain.

The easy going, civilized, relaxed and comfort-loving life that Mayle describes is appealing to me – to a point. As an American, and some may say, a rather driven one, I couldn’t live that way for long.  I am also drawn to intense, unforgiving, and less comfortable endeavors to test myself, grow, and learn.  That side of life is not reflected in Mayle’s book, nor does it appear was he someone drawn to such challenges. I do enjoy the civilized life, but I believe it is enjoyed best in interludes,  and in contrast to more primal and challenging environments.  I can enjoy the 4 or 5 star Hotel that much more,  knowing intimately also how to live out of a rucksack, in a tent in the mountains, in the wind, rain, and cold, cooking my meals over a camp stove.

My 25 years in Provence was perfect for what I was looking for on this bike tour – a light and enjoyable book to read evenings and mornings, before cycling during the days in the environs of Avignon in Provence.  And I truly enjoyed Mayle’s writing – and would enjoy reading more of his books, not only for his light touch and poetic language but also to re-experience some of the joys I touched in my bike tour through Provence.  He also has written a couple of mystery/crime novels which also apparently reflect his joie de vivre and positive approach to the civilized and easy going lifestyle in Southern France and the Mediterranean.