Product Description

In 1988, Rosemary Bailey and her husband were travelling in the French Pyrenees when they fell in love with, and subsequently bought, a ruined medieval monastery, surrounded by peach orchards and snow-capped peaks. Traces of the monks were everywhere, in the frescoed 13th century chapel, the buried crypt, and the stone arches of the cloister. For the next few years the couple visited Corbiac whenever they could, until 1997, they took the plunge and moved from central London to rural France with their six-year-old son. Entirely reliant on their earnings as freelance writers, they put their Apple Macs in the room with the fewest leaks and sent Theo to the village school. With vision and determination they have restored the monastery to its former glory, testing their relationship and resolve to the limit, and finding unexpected inspiration in the place. This book is not just Rosemary Bailey's account of the challenges of life in a small mountain community, but also a celebration of the rugged beauty of French Catalonia, the pleasures of Catalan cooking, and an exploration of an alternative, often magical world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #97118 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-01
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Many of us share a daydream. In idle moments, we delight ourselves with the thought of leaving Britain's grey climate behind and making a go of it in some sultry foreign locale. And if we're really ambitious with our daydreams, we think about transforming some exotic ruin into a splendid place to live. Rosemary Bailey and her husband, however, did more than just daydream. The beguiling Life in a Postcard tells how the couple were travelling in the French Pyrenees in 1988 when they were smitten with a crumbling medieval monastery which they later bought. Surrounded by peach orchards and snow-capped peaks, the area was rich with traces of the long-vanished monks: the sunken crypt, the stone arches of the cloister, the frescoes in the 13th-century chapel. Whenever they could, the couple visited Corbiac over the next few years, until they finally summoned the courage to relocate from urban London to rural France with their young son. With only the earnings from their freelance writing careers to support them, they performed the Herculean task of restoring the monastery to its former glory.

Reading this utterly unputdownable account, it's easy to share the dream that drove the couple. But this isn't just aspirational wish-fulfilment; Bailey is mercilessly frank about the considerable strain put on their relationship, as well as the various horrors of living in a leaky, run-down property. But despite all that, the enjoyment of Life in a Postcard comes from our sharing this vivid evocation of the beauty of French Catalonia (with its famous cooking), and the tempting possibilities that (with the kind of determination that Bailey and her husband possessed) we too could be living a life like theirs. And if we can't, this book is a highly diverting substitute. --Barry Forshaw

Time Out
More diverse than the usual British transplant to that ideal place...Sweet book'

France in Print
Enchantingly told...I just couldn't put it down'

Customer Reviews

INSIGHTFUL & INCISIVE - A STUNNING READ
I would give it 10 stars if I could. I bought it with some cynicism. I enjoy the genre but was not interested in yet another book about French delicacies, lavender, scenery and climate. Rosemary has struck a brilliant balance in Life in a Postcard. There is something for everyone. It is a frank account of the challenges in setting up a home away from home in a country that is riddled with hurdles and difficulties that few of us will come across on casual visits.
Rosemary writes beautifully about her beloved monastery, about the trials and tribulations of bringing up a child largely on her own and doing her best to ensure that he is well integrated and happy in his new environment. For all their qualities the “Driving over Lemons” of this world lack the depth of historical knowledge, insightfulness and incisiveness that you will find in “Life in a Postcard”. I cannot recommend it enough.

The best book I've ever read about the French Pyrenees
A really evocative and well-written book. The author not only draws us into the daily frustrations and joys of buying a dream home abroad - in this case a ruined medieval monastery - but paints a fascinating picture of rural village life in French Catalonia, a community that is multi-cultural in the extreme, with ex-pats, many of them hippies, from all European countries living in surprising harmony.

Move over Peter Mayle et al - this book deserves to be a bestseller.

Yet another....!
I bought this book with high hopes, having read some of the reviews, but was disappointed. The author writes well about some of the scenery and culture of the region, but if I had wanted a history lesson I would have bought a history book! The passages where the thoughts/feelings of monks were imagined were just embarrassing padding. I would have welcomed far more detail about the building, the region, timescales, costings, and future plans. I'm a sucker for any book about France/Spain/Italy, but this was a real disappointment, hence my first ever review for Amazon! I think Peter Mayle's crown is safe.