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French Lessons
- Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew
- Narrated by: Simon Jones
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 05-03-01
- Language: English
- Publisher: Random House AudioBooks
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $21.27
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Ray Walker had a secure career in finance until a wine-tasting vacation ignited a passion that he couldn't stifle. Ray neglected his work, spending hours poring over ancient French winemaking texts, learning the techniques and the language, and daydreaming about vineyards. After Ray experienced his first taste of wine from Burgundy, he could wait no longer. He quit his job and went to France to start a winery - with little money, a limited command of French, and virtually no winemaking experience.
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Publisher's Summary
We visit the Foire aux Escargots at Martigny-les-Bains - a whole weekend devoted to the lowly but revered snail. We observe the Marathon du Médoc, where runners passing through the great vineyards of Bordeaux refresh themselves en route with tastings of red wine (including ChĊteau Lafite-Rothschild!). There is a memorable bouillabaisse in a beachside restaurant on the Côte d'Azur. And we go on a search for the perfect chicken that takes us to a fair in Bourg-en-Bresse.
There is a Catholic mass in the village of Richerenches, a scared event at which thanks are given for the aromatic, mysterious, and breathtakingly expensive black truffle. We learn which is the most pungent cheese in France (it's in Normandy), witness a debate on the secret of the perfect omelette, and pick up a few luscious recipes along the way. There is even an appreciation and celebration of an essential tool for any serious food-lover in France - the Michelin Guide.
Here we have all the glory and pleasure of the French table in the most satisfying audiobook yet from the toujours delightfully entertaining Peter Mayle.
Critic Reviews
"Simon Jones performs Mayle's firsthand account with absolute assurance and skill." (AudioFile)
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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4 out of 5 stars
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4 Stars28
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Diane
- 02-13-05
Delightful
What fun. This book sent be reaching for my travel planner and wishing I too could enjoy all the local festivals and food fairs deep in the French countryside. Peter Mayle writes with wit and joy as usual and lives the life I dream of. A great look into the little known side of the France I love and the food I crave. Mayle makes the simple life the French enjoy one to be craved. Tres Bon!!
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Diana
- New York, NY, USA
- 01-11-05
French Lessons
This book was hilarious! I recommend it for people who love (French) food and wine -- and I dare say it -- French and France. Better yet for those who have spent some time amongst the Brits and can appreciate the narrator. Superb! This was my first book with Audible and I was completely hooked. Enjoy.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Lisa
- ROSWELL, GA, United States
- 10-02-10
Hilarious!
This is one of the funniest books I have ever encountered. Peter Mayle writes with such humour, and Simon Jones brings it to life in his uniques animated fashion. Fabulous!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen T. Coomes
- Louisville, Ky.
- 05-23-15
One of the books about food ever written.
I have listened to this book 6 times, and it is still fun, fresh, educational and hilarious. Peter Mayle's writing is excellent, his wit crackling, and his research more than diligent. Narrator Simon Jones is absolutely excellent. I wish he narrated Mayle's other books. As a professional food writer myself, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dana
- MANZANITA, OR, United States
- 05-01-13
A delightful romp through French food and wine
I just finished up listening to this delightful tale of food and wine. The narrator was wonderful and the author had me hooked, knife, spoon and fork. The book is autobiography of Peter Mayle and his experiences with the French and their obsession; food and wine. His wit is sharp as cheese and had me giggling like a school girl with a first glass of wine. It was lighthearted and food filled. Perfect. No villains, no murder, no scandalous rendezvouses, unless you count the encounter with frog's legs. The only trouble with this book, is that it ended way too soon! I'm popping over to get another one of his books. Cheers!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- Durham, NC, USA
- 05-31-06
Wonderful!
This is a wonderful book! I highly recommend listening. The naration brings you into the story and you feel like you are participating in the events. It is an enlightening account of France and the French people by someone who is not French, but who has fallen in love with France and its citizens. I bought this after returning from a trip to Paris, which was the greatest trip I've ever taken, and reading this book afterwards has made me fall deeply in love with France. I cannot wait to go back!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Bridget
- 12-15-09
Appetizing Read
I do not enjoy travel and have a terribly untutored palate, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I love listening to descriptions of people enjoying food and wine, and Peter Mayle conveys his enjoyment and manages to include me at the table. I, like Mr. Jenkins, never eat anything I can't pronounce, but Mr. Mayle broadens my horizons and allows me the second-hand experience of far-away things without leaving home. The narrator was excellent, surpassed only by Mayle himself. This is a wonderful listen for a slow day on the porch or in the garden.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Suzanne E Graham
- 08-06-18
Delightful book for light summer listening
I just loved A Year In Provence and have read all books by Peter Mayle. This is not great literature, but just a delightful visit to southern France.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Bill Staley
- Santa Monica, CA USA
- 07-16-18
French excess
Unlike the Aix books, this one is about a series of festivals of food and wine. There were some long lunchs in the earlier books, but this is all long lunches and few stories or characters. Narrator Simon Jones thinks he is Bond - James Bond. A bit too arch. Not a great combination. It seems dated in 2018. It might be best to hear a chapter at a time, with some time between them. Maybe these were written as magazine articles, which would have been perfect -- with a month or two between each chapter. Listening to it straight through when commuting, it looses its luster pretty fast. Peter Mayle is still a great author and the narrator is clear and varies his pitch well. It's just that massive amounts of fine food and wine at one sitting after another is not an attractive subject in 2018 -- if it ever was.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Daniel Murray
- 03-31-18
Delightful.
A retired man enjoying food and wine and camaraderie in France amidst a mix of foibles: What could be more delicious to listen to on my way to and from work?
Additionally, Simon Jones narrates the whole romp with aplomb and panache.