Books

Autumn Leave - A Season in France

Michele Guinness and her husband had always believed they would live in France one day - but were stunned nonetheless when a series of minor miracles made the dream of buying a house there a reality. Nothing, however, was straightforward.

Setting up a new home, living in a different culture (even if the French are our nearest neighbours), and adapting to rural life was much less idyllic and more stressful than they ever imagined. They soon found themselves embroiled in local feuding and potentially expensive legal wrangling, facing moral dilemmas about owning land and dealing with its more furry inhabitants, and coming to terms with a very different approach to life.

In this frank and funny account of their ups and downs, based on Michele's diary of her husband's three-month sabbatical spent in their new home, we meet a host of extraordinary characters as she pursues the truth behind some of the hamlet's tortuous relationships, and meets the beleaguered French church.

Coming to terms with the possibility of a more permanent move one day generates a late mid-life crisis, as Michele struggles to come to terms with giving up a fairly high-powered job, the meaning of a life's work in the light of retirement, the dubious joys of the aging process, and the mixed blessings of being married to a minister.

If anyone ever thought that a calling to France was all sunshine, croissants, fantastic cheeses and good wine, it is. But it's a great deal more besides.

‘A Year in Provence’ meets ‘Finding Sanctuary’. Fabulous insights into creating a new life and church - without being preachy. Excellent story-telling. You can almost smell the hot croissants, fresh baguettes, wonderful cheeses and good red wine - as well as feel the pain of a struggling Christian community and laugh and cry at the DIY attempts. Classic page-turning Guinness!”