Perfume from Provence - Lady Fortescue

Advantages: Great observation, gentle humour, enjoyable anecdotes
Disadvantages: A little old-fashioned in places

Lady Winifred Fortescue and her rather older husband John move to Provence in the early 1930s, to escape Britain between the wars. This book opens with a delightful chapter describing the building work which they had done on a house they bought in the days when sterling was a strong currency. The workmen are a mixture of French and Italian: hot-tempered and yet loyal, hard-working and yet taking lengthy breaks for every possible reason. Inevitably ...
...arrives long before the house is ready. All the workmen help in the various crises that arise, such as a large olive branch blocking the path, and a wall being knocked down by the huge delivery van. When, at last, the roof is on the house, the entire work-force has a celebration meal with wine and biscuits, music and dancing. 'Perfume from Provence' is a semi-autobiographical account told in the first person by Lady Fortescue. It covers different ... Read review