Product Description

The final book in the Sunflower trilogy sees Ruth and her husband returning to Bel-Air de Grezelongue, their much-loved home in the Lot-et-Garonne region of South West France. In 1976 their dreams of purchasing a peaceful summer home came true when they spied this derelict farmhouse surrounded by fields and orchards, and saw what it could become. Renovating the primitive, rural house truly was a labour of love - and the love affair between house and owner has lasted over twenty-five years. Over the years there have been inevitable sadnesses, but also the joys of new grandchildren, anniversaries, village fetes, and splendid meals taken with their neighbours. And whilst the family have seen many changes during their time with the local farming community, the warm and welcoming atmosphere they first fell in love with has remained the same. Now they face their own personal tragedy, but through all their sorrows Bel-Air continues to be a place of healing, hope and happiness, as well as extraordinary beauty.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #208301 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
"'It has all the pleasures of an authentic love affair' The Times 'Exuberantly detailed... the author's great merit is that she makes us accept it on such enchanting terms.' Observer 'Readers who themselves have an affection for France should enjoy this book with its real taste of Aquitaine.' Oxford Times"

About the Author
Ruth Silvestre is a singer and actress, her most famous role being Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha at the Piccadilly Theatre. She has published many articles on France, and a number of children's books. Married with two adult sons, she and her husband divide their time between London and France.

Customer Reviews

The best - and saddest - yet
Ruth Silvestre's third book continues to describe France with warmth and love and very differently from other either over-cynical or patronising stories of how someone bought their house in the sun. This one, the last of a trilogy, finishes sadly but,if you've read the others (and you should!) then you'll see that the ending, sad but hopeful, is just what one would have expected from this lovely, real saga. I don't think anyone has been able to describe the real France as well as Ruth Silvestre: she sees it's faults as well as it's lovely,earthy values with wonderful clarity, is easy and enjoyable to read without being over-simplistic and leaves you hoping that this will not be the last book about Belair and Mike and Ruth....and the sons and grandchildren, theirs and those of all the neighbours in Lot and Garonne! Must buy!

The nicest of all
The 3 books in this trilogy are outstanding....possibly because Ruth's lovely nature shines through, she seems a very sweet woman. The lives of her family and neighbours are so sympathetically written, sometimes humourous and occasionally sad and the setting of the books is clearly portrayed.
[The nearest to these books is C'est la Folie by Michael Wright, another sweet natured person and very funny description of French living!]

buying a house in france
This belongs to a trilogy and was the third book. If you want a good travel writer she is it. Very enjoyable and her descriptions of the country and the food are amazing. I hope she writes another to follow on from this series.