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Provence A-Z: A Francophile's Essential Handbook (Vintage Departures) | 
 enlarge | Author: Peter Mayle
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $6.99
You Save: $7.96 (53%)
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 262333
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.2 x 0.6
ISBN: 1400095697
Dewey Decimal Number: 817
EAN: 9781400095698
ASIN: 1400095697
Publication Date: December 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The ultimate “dictionary” for lovers of Provence: Peter Mayle's personal selection of the foods, customs and words he finds most fascinating, curious, delicious, or just plain fun.
Though organized from A to Z, this is hardly a conventional work of reference. In more than 170 entries, Peter Mayle—bestselling author of A Year in Provence—writes about subjects as wide-ranging as architecture and zingue-zingue-zoun (in the local patois, a word meant to describe the sound of a violin). And, of course, he writes about food and drink: vin rose, truffles, olives, melons, bouillabaisse, the cheese that killed a Roman emperor, even a cure for indigestion.
Provence A-Z is a delight for Peter Mayle's ever-growing audience and the perfect complement to any guidebook on Provence, or, for that matter, France.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 PURE MAYLE = PURE PLEASURE, BUT..... January 1, 2009
Gail Cooke (TX, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Beware all who begin reading this: I'm totally incapable of writing an unbiased review of anything authored by Peter Mayle. I'm a dedicated Mayle-ite, unabashed, unrepentant, and completely under the spell of this witty, charming chronicler of his Provencal experiences.
Thus, it is with the greatest reluctance that my comments re Provence A - Z are less than laudatory. For me it is precisely what the title implies - an alphabetical listing of words with each followed by a brief definition, description or explanation.. Some of the included listings were of interest to me; others were received with my version of a Gallic shrug.
We begin with "Accent" and learn that French is not truly the language spoken in Provence as we might expect but what is spoken is "a rich, thick, pungent verbal stew, simmered in an accent filled with twanging consonants." The closing listing is "Zingue - Zingue - Zoun," which we are told is used to describe the sound of a violin.
Yes, there are frequent flashes of the Mayle humor throughout. But, for this reader, Provence A - Z is adulterated Mayle, and I much prefer him pure - straight, if you will, without soda or water simply because he is one of the world's premier raconteurs, an amiable travel guide, and blessed with an unerring eye for humor in the most improbable situations.
If you've not read Mayle, I encourage you to let your introduction be A Year In Provence or Encore Provence - both are pure Mayle, pure pleasure.
- Gail Cooke
Enriches the pleasure of being there December 19, 2008
Laura Ellis (Dothan, Alabama)
I took Peter Mayle's book Provence A-Z with me when I travelled through the region a few months ago, stopping at the places he seemed to highly recommend and rereading passages pertaining to what I saw. My trip was tremendously enhanced. But Mayle's great gift is the fun he has with the language, and the obvious pleasure he has writing about the area he loves.
I love Provence now, too. Thanks, Mr Mayle!
The Fantasy and Reality of Provence March 16, 2008
Rebecca Johnson (Washington State)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Peter Mayle's "Provence A-Z" is a collection of personal interests and discoveries. There are amusing stories of construction complexities, the celebration of truffles and humorous stories of wild pigs eating perfectly ripe melons. Peter invites you into his world and as he explains the reality of Provence he keeps the fantasy of the perfect vacation alive and well. Since I recently made my own tapenade it was interesting to see a new recipe. There is also an explanation of why tomatoes are known as pommes d'amour. There are stories of unique fruits and visions of hills that are home to two thousand types of butterfly. I loved the story of the new puppy and you can't help but smile when you think of all the adventures Peter has on a daily basis. Overall, this collection of writing makes winter days seem a bit warmer and it is perfect as a cozy read by the fire.
~The Rebecca Review
Once I spent a weekend in Provence
Peeter Mayle August 24, 2007
Mireille G. Mckell
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Peter Mayle's books about Provence are always wonderful, and this one does not disappoint!
Mireille McKell
"Provence4: A to Z April 2, 2007
William B. Sabey (York, PA, USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is a collection of short essays about the culture of Provence in alphabetical order. I think it is typical Mayle, intelligent, bright, and whimsical without being "cute". It's a writing you can sample in at odd times.
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