"French Ties" & "At My French Table"

I have so enjoyed these two books. Melburnians Peter and Jane Webster took their four children to live in France in 2004. The first book of the series which came out in 2008, “At My French Table” tells the adventures they have settling into their corner of Normandy in an honest to god Chateau they buy – magnificent is all I can say. I often wonder how these people in books afford to do these things, especially with four children!! Jane works towards getting to know the area that they have chosen to live in with eventual goal of starting a cooking school for visitors to really experience local food and life. I loved the descriptions of cleaning the chateau (there was no shortage of hard, hard work) and the gradual realisation that this is the life they want to live.

The second book “French Ties”(2012) continues their journey – by now they are experience chateau dwellers and more confident with how their dream will shape up in the future. I particularly liked the conflicts they experienced about living between two worlds as they do not live in France for the whole year. Their life sounds (and looks) idyllic and I was green with envy. I know you only see the finished product in these books – the vases of stunning roses, the shining floors of the chateau, the smiling children etc but it just all looks very appealing. Very Moreish!!

I look forward to the next installment and of course, will keep dreaming about paying them a visit. I did look on their website as I may be over in Europe next year – nothing on there about when their classes are etc. Their website was a wee bit too much focused on style rather than ease of use and I found the scrolling pictures a bit distracting but hey, can I really say I found French pictures THAT distracting???

"Summers in France" - Kathryn M Ireland

Well, you know I love a good book about people buying a house in France and living the good life but this one got off side with me in about 5 minutes (did read it to the end though!!) - its like an indulgence book with an obviously wealthy woman buying a fabulous big rambling old farmhouse near Toulouse - from the apology at the front to her kids about forcing them to spend their holidays in France every summer to "how tos" for catering for 20 at a time, it was just a bit too obvious that Kathryn was not short of a penny and had the beautiful people staying with her. I think I like my books about France to be more about people that have really made a sacrifice to live their dream or taken a gamble. Kathryn did not appeal to me ("at the end of every summer my accountant told me how much I had spent on entertaining at my French house and I just did not care").
Its most unusual for me NOT to enjoy a picture book about this topic but sorry, it just did not appeal.