Product Description

Living in France is a hands-on, practical guide for Britons who have bought a house in France, either for holiday use or as a permanent home. Written by a long-time French resident, it takes a nitty-gritty approach to what it is really like for a British ex-pat to live and work in France, looking squarely at both the pleasures and the difficulties. The book also contains anecdotes from the author along with case studies so that the reader may benefit from the personal experience of other Britons who have made the move to France.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28608 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Patricia Mansfield-Devine is a professional writer and journalist. She and her husband, writer and photographer Steve Mansfield-Devine bought a property in France in 1996 and moved there permanently in 1999, where they now live with a menagerie of animals. When not writing, they can be found restoring their medieval property and trying to create a garden out of a hectare of neglected orchard.

Customer Reviews

Essential knowledge
I wish I'd had this book when I moved to France. It covers everything you need to know without padding and all written in an entertaining, easy-to assimilate style. Where other books like this make you feel like you're ploughing through government tracts on tax laws, this one gives you critical information in a way that makes everything easy to understand and easy to act on. I read some sections for the fun of it.

Even though I've been living in France some years, the book still told me things I didn't know - and needed to know. I've got a feeling this is going to be a well-thumbed volume that will never leave my desk. Let's hope the publisher keeps it updated. Very highly recommended.

Recommended if you are considering a move to France
I read the usual books before moving to France and as many before me have found out they are full of facts that may be true but may not be useful. This book is based on research from real people, about the experiences you are likely to encounter, not an intellectual exercise in navigating the French bureacracy. Save yourself some trouble and for the cost of a couple of drinks buy this book if you are considering a move temporarily or permenantly to France.

Critical Advice Within!
This is a fine piece of work and it covers so much more than the basics you'd expect from any guide of this sort.

I speak with great experience of being an ex-pat in France. You 'need' to know the nitty gritty....believe me, it's no bed of roses when you're a fish out of water and you don't know where to swim.

This book isn't fluffy and superfluous, but it does have examples of everyday quirky happenings and anecdotes - it's also an entertaining read as well as being crucially informative.

It presents the facts well and leaves no pierre unturned and if you're thinking about moving your lock, stock and barrel over, not to mention your chickens and dogs, read this before you do anything else!

Tracey Smith
Author of The Book of Rubbish Ideas