A year in Provence

Discussion questions

1) How well did Mayle's frequent trips to Provence as a tourist prepare him for the reality of residing there? What were some of the initial surprises he and his wife encountered?

To my mind, it is impossible to prepare oneself as a tourist for a future life as a prospective resident. When you decide to change your residence you want to realize their harboured dream and there is a huge gulf between a dream and its materialization.

Of course, Peter Mayle and his wife took French lessons but the spoken language in Luberon was quite different. They dreamed of mild winters instead of the gloomy and cold ones in England but the climate turned out to be so very cold and frosty that their pipes burst. They learnt about the existing long-term agreements concerning the agricultural use of land which come under discussion when the property is transferred.

When it comes to their cuisine, the French appear very proud sometimes even smug and conceited. Monsieur Bagnols, for instance, who described in a picturesque way that the English kill their lamb twice; once when it is slaughtered and once when it is cooked.
The weird forest inhabitant Antionne Massot pointed out that the French eat their haunted foxes as opposed to the Englishmen who were chasing after them for hours and then only cut off their tails.

The paperwork connected with the purchase of their house and their car that drove them nearly crazy. Peter Mayle and his wife had not only to present their birth certificates, their passports and their marriage certificate but also their electricity bills and telephone accounts.
(I am very sorry to tell you that the last point is become international practice. Based on the experience that on the one hand people are very creative when it comes to transfer their residence to get perquisites, but on the other hand they are very reluctant to pay the connected ordinary expenses).

2) How does the form of the book--a month-by-month journal--enhance the immediacy of Mayle's observations and draw the reader into his experiences? How do the changing seasons mirror Mayle's own adjustment to his new environment?

The monthly descriptions of Peter Mayle’s life, his experiences and his adventures simplifies to follow the thread of the story. It divides the occurrences of the book into ones that are typical for the respective month or season and ones that are personal and extraordinary. I am under the impression that Peter Mayle and his wife relished and treasured the new life from the very beginning. The regarded their new neighbours as warm hearted, sociable and reliable people and they tried and succeed to fit in.

Apart from enjoying sumptuous dinners and the local wine the Mayles got step by step acquainted with the behaviour of their neighbours as well as that of their craftsmen. For instance a purchase of a piece of furniture or a crate of wine was nothing that could be done within minutes. Such undertakings always required contemplating and discussing the subject over several pastis or glasses of wine. The final outcome was usually quite different from the originally intended one.

3) Mayle writes that neighbors take on an importance in the country that they don't have in the city [p. 6]. How do his relationships with Faustin, Massot, Menicucci, and the other local workmen reflect this? Does the fact that Mayle is a foreigner influence the way he is treated? How do the men working on his house endear themselves to Mayle, despite his continuing frustrations with their casual attitude about completing the job?

I have the impression that the inhabitants of Luberon were described as people who loved not only the soil they lived on, directly or indirectly, they had also a certain awe of their neighbours. I think Peter Mayle was treated like a native Luberon. He treated the local people with respect and in return he was treated likewise. Unlike his visitor Michael who behaved like a smug and conceited Englishman.

Peter Mayle became a partner to his neighbour Faustin. Faustin looked after Peter Mayle’s newly acquired land under the traditional system of metayage
The owner of the soil pays the capital costs of new wine socks and fertilizer and the farmer does the work of spraying cropping and pruning. I think the kind of welcome party including a five hour dinner served also as a means to guarantee a perfect takeover of this long existing agreement.

I believe that Peter Mayle was an advocate of supporting the local economy and therefore was getting along well with Monsieur Menecucci the local plumber and the other local craftsmen and in the end even with their wives.

4) Mayle notes there are "two areas of endeavor in which France leads the world-- bureaucracy and gastronomy" [p. 23]. What particular characteristics of the French does Mayle bring to light in stories about the bureaucracy involved in buying the house, a car, insurance, and other necessities?

The French appeared extremely suspicious concerning the transfer of durable goods to foreigners. The had to prove their existence, their identity, their dwelling and their actual living costs several times, which they experienced as a very time consuming business.

5) The influx of tourists begins in May and reaches a high point in August. How does his status as a resident affect Mayle's attitudes about friends and acquaintances who, as he himself once did, try to take in everything Provence has to offer during a short holiday? Does he learn things about himself and the life he has chosen by looking through the eyes of visitors? To what extent are his own perceptions influenced by his English upbringing?

As a permanent inhabitant Peter Mayle wants to live in rest and peace, being disturbed as little as possible by tourists. How annoying, when the bakery products were sold out or the local restaurants were overcrowded. He admitted that visitors are necessary for the economy but his understanding vanishes when the local craftsmen leave his building site in order to work for the second residence owner with a special surplus.

He pointed out several stereotypes concerning aliens: Germans are supposed to scatter their waste everywhere. Belgians were feared for their ruthless driving and English are said to be always suffering from diarrhoea. I do not find that his perception is affected by his English origin. Maybe he understands the intentions and manner of the visitors to the country better than his native acquaintances.

6) How does the Mayles' party for the workmen and their wives, as well as their own Christmas dinner at a local restaurant, put the events of the year into context and serve as a coda to the book as a whole?

They invited the workmen together with their wives so as to force the craftsmen indirectly to finish their incomplete jobs before Christmas. Mrs Mayle believed that the women would like to regard and compare their husbands’ work and this little trick worked perfectly. Everything was ready in time and together the celebrated a party with sumptuous meals and excellent wines. On Christmas day the current was cut off and so they called a nearby restaurant. There, all seats were taken but the owner offered them a small table in the kitchen which proved that they were entirely taken up into the local community.

My opinion
I like the book. It was not too difficult to read. The story is well structured and all characters are depicted in an endearing way. In Luberon seems to exist functioning neighbourhood assistance, problems are discussed and solutions are offered over a good meal and several pasties. For my taste, this is a very attractive procedure. Let’s move to France.