Four Seasons in a Day

Travel, Transitions and Letting Go of the Place We Call Home

De: Deborah L. Jacobs

Narrado por: Tavia Gilbert

Deborah Jacobs quit the job from hell, rented her house, and planned to Airbnb her way through France. This inspiring memoir chronicles her misadventures as she and her husband cook in quirky kitchens, struggle to speak French, and shop like locals in outdoor markets. With candor and optimism, Jacobs transports listeners from the grape harvest in the Loire Valley to an exuberant chile pepper festival in Basque Country and, ultimately, to Paris, where she witnesses history in the making. En route, she does the pintxo bar crawl in San Sebastián, Spain, develops an affinity for sheep's milk cheese, and cultivates new friendships. Four Seasons in a Day, an expression used to describe the changeable weather in the Pyrenees, also captures the author's extreme resilience. Her grit and determination in the face of every obstacle give us the courage to chart our own course, carve out a new life, and embrace the unexpected. This audiobook is performed by Tavia Gilbiert, the 2017 Audie Awards winner for best female narrator.

"This book is invaluable preparation for anyone thinking about long-term travel options." (Diane Cole, The Wall Street Journal)

"Swiftly paced, well plotted, and full of vivid descriptions of food and the various places the author visits. Readers of travel literature will have plenty of reasons to keep turning pages." (The BookLife Prize)

"There is a great deal to appreciate in Jacobs's account." (Publishers Weekly)

©2017 Deborah L. Jacobs (P)2017 Deborah L. Jacobs

Vivid Descriptions

Deborah, 58, quits a job she no longer enjoys and decides to rent out her home. She and her husband Ken decide to take a three-month trip through France. They decide to try Airbnb for their lodging. Deborah was originally a lawyer but has been working as a writer of business travel topics for various magazines. She decides to use her writing talent to write a book about their adventures in France.

Part of the book is a how to avoid problems, rent people’s homes with Airbnb and getting along with minimal French. But most of the book is a travelogue of their trip. I particularly enjoyed the section about their time in Basque country. I enjoyed the descriptions of the mountains, towns, people and cuisine. The author made a comment about buildings and businesses being there during the Peninsular War (1807-14). I would have enjoyed more information relating the Napoleon’s Peninsular War and how it affected that area.

The book is about eight hours long. Tavia Gilbert does a great job narrating the book. Gilbert is a voice-over artist and multi-award-winning audiobook narrator.