My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream (The Good Life France)

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Le Bonaparte brasserie glows with red warmth in the fall and winter and is a great place to eat right in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près. No, the routine is not repetitive, it’s delicious) Growing your vegetables directly on the land and eating them fresh, after picking them. As an American living in the South of France, about as far South as you can go, I found the similarities to the North amazing. Much of the book is humorous, detailing their learning the ins and outs of life in France, with dealing with French bureaucracy, French views on standing in lines or kissing versus hugging or on social etiquette in visiting people’s homes, and the ins and outs of rural life, from fixing up a very old farmhouse in poor shape to dealing with a septic system to growing a garden to managing their ever increasing menagerie on the property, including ducks, chickens, cats, dogs, and one sheep. French people truly value their culture, heritage and history – and the French language is a big part of that.

This is the true story of her rollercoaster ride, in many ways a love story, with her sharp observations on the very different way of life, culture, and etiquette of France. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. With her sharp insight after many years as an ex-pat in France and her engaging sense of humour, Marsh takes us on the bumpy road of highs and lows restoring a "truly awful" (her words) property in the north of France that captured her heart.

I’m always reading that French people can be aloof and standoffish but learning French has opened me up to a different understanding.

In these crusty chronicles we’ll explore the history of bread and especially the UNESCO-listed French baguette. I did like how the author didn’t overly romanticize the area, as while beautiful, it could be quite isolated, often had gray, overcast skies especially in fall and winter, and definitely got very cold in the winter; it definitely isn’t sunny, warm Provence.For the first year or so they just shut themselves off from the upper floor of the house, and did their cooking outside in the garden on the barbecue, hopping over from England and visiting the house on odd weekends.