A castle in the backyard : the dream of a house in France.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Draine, Betsy, 1945-

Contributor:

Hinden, Michael.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vacation homes--France--Dordogne.

Vacation homes.

Dordogne (France)--Social life and customs.

Dordogne (France).

Draine, Betsy, 1945---Homes and haunts--France--Dordogne.

Draine, Betsy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 302 pages) : maps

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wis. : University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.

Summary:

This is one of those rare books that rates as a genuine discovery. About 3 years ago Mike Hinden and Betsy Draine mentioned that they were thinking of writing a travel memoir about their summers in their house in southern France. Though neither had attempted this kind of book before I encouraged them to try it, and we discussed various approaches. Last fall the first draft of the memoir materialized, and exceeded any vague expectations I had. The tone was assured, the narrative compelling, and the intangible quality of the best travel books--romantic but never schmaltzy, purely personal but also observant enough to capture the feel of a place--was already obvious. I suggested ways in which the memoir could be strengthened and three months later a very polished revised draft came in. The two outside reviews confirm my feelings. This is a a natural travel memoir that should attract the audience that has made "Under A Tuscan Sun" and Peter Mayle's books so popular, because it does what those books do: it feeds into our vicarious dreams of living in a parallel, more perfect universe, and it helps recreate another world. As an addtion to our already strong autobiography list, and as a strong foundation to our growing list in food and travel books, this joint memoir also makes eminent sense.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

I. House Hunting

1. A Change of Plans

2. The Fall of a Hundred Stars

3. A Castle in the Backyard

II. Dordogne Days

4. We Arrive with a Key

5. Dordogne Days

6. Neighbors

7. Madame Boucher

8. La Grande Randonne

9. Perigord Terroir

10. Monsieur Cro-Magnon

III. The Battle of Castelnaud

11. Closings

12. The Battle of Castelnaud

13. Exile and Return

Epilogue

Afterword

For Further Reading.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9786612424212

9781282424210

1282424211

9780299179434

0299179435

OCLC:

560687024