Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58210 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Synopsis
How often have you eaten a mushroom that you picked yourself that morning? Or sat on a boat opening and eating oysters as you lift them from the sea? Or partaken of a seven course feast of game to celebrate the success of the chasse? When Patricia Atkinson - bestselling author of "The Ripening Sun" - first moved to France, her intention was simply to establish a vineyard. Over the years, however, she found herself becoming integrated into a way of life that, had she stayed in England, she would hardly have believed existed. Grounded in the rhythms of the land and the seasons, daily life in Patricia's south-western corner of France is dictated by a series of rituals and celebrations that we have long lost in our supermarket age. "La Belle Saison" is Patricia's eulogy to this way of life: a testament to the timelessness of the beautiful French countryside, the bounty of the land, and the generous-hearted French neighbours who showed Patricia that a simple life has many rewards. In France, every season is 'la belle saison', offering up its gifts to those willing to appreciate and look after the land.

From the Publisher
A beautiful book celebrating rural life in France and the simple luxuries of good food, wine and friendship, by the author of the bestselling The Ripening Sun.

From the Back Cover
How often have you eaten a mushroom that you picked yourself that morning? Or sat on a boat opening and eating oysters as you lift them from the sea? Or partaken of a seven course feast of game to celebrate the success of the chasse?

When Patricia Atkinson - bestselling author of The Ripening Sun - first moved to France, her intention was simply to establish a vineyard. Over the years, however, she found herself becoming integrated into a way of life that, had she stayed in England, she would hardly have believed existed. Grounded in the rhythms of the land and the seasons, daily life in Patricia’s south-western corner of France is dictated by a series of rituals and celebrations that we have long lost in our supermarket age.

La Belle Saison is Patricia’s eulogy to this way of life: a testament to the timelessness of the beautiful French countryside, the bounty of the land, and the generous-hearted French neighbours who showed Patricia that a simple life has many rewards. In France, every season is ‘la belle saison’, offering up its gifts to those willing to appreciate and look after the land.
Prasie for The Ripening Sun:

'This is the genuine article - written with real charm and passion for life, the land and everything that lives on it' Joanne Harris

‘This is a heroic story, beautifully written, like smelling the grapes. It is immensely humane and funny too’ Jilly Cooper

‘The most striking story of la vrai vie rustique francaise since Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence’ Malcolm Gluck, Guardian

‘Remarkable… an extraordinarily affecting read’ Carla McKay, Daily Mail

Customer Reviews

This woman is a real heroine
I have followed Patricia Atkinson's career with open-mouthed admiration ever since I first saw her on Channel 4's "A French affair" in 1994. When her first book appeared, I pounced, eager to get the background of the TV story, and also to find out what had happened to her. "The ripening sun" is riveting stuff, and you will be struck dumb with admiration for the courage, persistence, and sheer bloody hard work that she has put in to making such a success of her vineyard.
"La belle saison" is as enjoyable in its way, but this time the subject is French country life in her particular corner of the Dordogne, rather than specifically her own story. However, interwoven with the anecdotes and adventures are snippets from her personal life, and, as in the first book, they are laced with personal tragedy.
She writes with great affection for her surroundings and the people, and despite the fact that she seems (to me!) to be typically English, I can never picture her returning to England to live - her total immersion into the local life and integration into the culture is a model for any of us who dream of moving to France.
My only slight gripe is that she always writes in the present tense, which sometimes is a (very) minor irritation, but it will not spoil your enjoyment of the book.

La belle saison - un beau livre!
Being a big fan of her first book, "The Ripening Sun", I rushed to buy Patricia Atkinson's second book "La Belle Saison".

While her first book is about struggle and hardship to get her business off the ground, Patricia's second book takes a look at all the good things around her; cheese, hunting, truffles and fishing, among others; for which she had no time during the earlier years. But this is also the book of a woman who had to work hard to survive, who, grimly determined to make something of her life in France, just kept going, never looking back and, in the process, inevitably, did leave something precious of herself behind.

How do you handle success - and yourself - now you have achieved the impossible: creating a thriving vineyard and your own highly acclaimed brand in the very competitive wine business? All this as a woman in a French male dominated environment, and English to boot!

How do you face a certain feeling of loneliness and emptiness once you and your wines have become world famous; "you now have all you ever wanted, haven't you?" How do you find yourself back after all these years of abnegation. The answer comes to her, slowly, over time, and remains with Patricia despite trials which would have severely dented other, less resilient people.

This is not a literary masterpiece, she didn't have time to write one. Patricia is in a hurry to live a life as full as possible. This is an warm and fun book, sometimes sad, written in a straightforward manner by (and this you will feel strongly when reading the book) an honest, warm, fun loving, and passionate person who dares to go to the very limit of her many talents instead of playing it "safe". And in the process, she makes a success out of it. This really is the message of the book.

Just Belle
Are you fed up with the stereotype 'provence' book:
I bought/built a house and here is how wonderful it is/I am???

This is different.

Just go and read it.
A real joy.