by Peter Mayle
First published 1993
Burned out from London advertising, Peter Mayle risks everything by purchasing a dilapidated farmhouse in rural Provence. Battling local bureaucracies, renovation challenges, and cultural misunderstandings, he gradually transforms from stressed executive to integrated community member. His new neighbors—eccentric farmers, wine producers, and local characters—teach him the rhythms of provincial life far removed from corporate ambition. As seasons pass, Mayle discovers that true wealth isn't measured in spreadsheets but in sunlight, wine, conversation, and unexpected connections. A revelatory portrait of reinvention through immersion in a place utterly different from his former world.
Genres: biography, travel, memoir, non-fiction
Vibes: cozy, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Provence (France)
Hardcover · Scribner