House Among Vines

An old farmhouse, tucked away in one of the most rural corners of Aquitaine, had been used for holidays but, in the mid-1970s, it became the author's bolthole. The silence of the ancient house was both awesome and magical: it transformed her life. She helped her peasant farmer neighbours: Gascons, Bretons and Italian immigrants, like old Pepe Boniface who never learnt French, his tragic daughter-in-law Therese, Fernando the insatiable womanizer, Gaston the practical joker. She tangled with the testy village shopkeeper, helped deliver a calf, acquired a wonderful dog, five cats, countless rabbits and a neurotic ewe, and listened to village gossip in the lively ambience of Fanny's cafe. Christine's pool nearly wrecked one of the village weddings, while ageing Jack caused consternation among his friends. Comedy and Tragedy, mystery and drama are never far off in this superbly written account which abounds with gentle humour and compassion. A House Among Vines will delight all lovers of France: the deeply rural South-West is captured here, alive, intense and genuine. This is the real thing.