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| A Summer in Gascony: Discovering the Other South of France | 
 enlarge | Author: Martin Calder
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
Buy Used: £2.48
You Save: £7.51 (75%)
New (27) Collectible (1) from £4.63
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 32374
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 1857885066
Dewey Decimal Number: 914.4730484
EAN: 9781857885064
ASIN: 1857885066
Publication Date: March 20, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
For anyone that has spent time abroad..... July 7, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
How this book transported me to the times of my first solo forays to a foreign land. Every new discovery that Martin describes brought back the giddy excitement of learning to live life through another culture. I am quite sure that anyone that has spent time in a foreign country will enjoy this read. The gentle introduction to Gascon history and the unfolding commentary on Martin's acceptance by the locals enchanted me and left me yearning for the emotion of those carefree days as a languages student abroad. The tender narrative of Martin's blossoming friendship with Anja made my heart swell and wish myself back in the days of learning love beneath the French sun.
I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book, but can honestly say that I was very pleasantly surprised and wholeheartedly recommend this book.
Beautifully written... May 11, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Im normally one for reading history books about kings, politicians and intrigue. I brush past the travel section of the library without a second thought - I won't go to many of the places on the shelves so why should I care. However by pure chance this book caught my eye and thankfully I took it off the shelf to flick through the first few pages.
This is a beautifully crafted story and so well written you could easily forget that you are reading about somebody else's story and not your own. The author vividly recalls the people, the sights, the smells and the emotions. I read a sizeable portion of this book during a very warm day in May and I could easily imagine I was in Gascony (albeit the illusion was ruined by the occasional passing Glaswegian accent).
Its a credit to the author that when you begin to reach the end of the book and he is saying goodbye to people like Jacques-Henri, Madame 'Parle-Beaucoup' and Monsiuer Fustignac - you can almost imagine you are there saying goodbye with him (to the extent that you have a lump in your throat). But one of the most bitter sweet scenes is the farewell to his summer love - Anja. Its at that point the magic of summer begins to fade. he says himself later that his summer in Gascony was like a 'golden capsual'. He then boards a ship back to Britain and you do get the sense that while he is going back to his old life - he is not going back to it the same person.
A nice touch is the final chapter of the book when he returns to Gascony about 20 years later (apprx). I would say this is a weaker part of the book as he could have had a bit more detail about what happened to Jacques-Henri (it isnt that clear if Jacques-Henri has died or done a runner!!!).
Please read this book - its not just about a summer in Gascony. Its about taking a journey and arriving back where you started, but seeing the world anew.
We agree with the Californian visitors to the Auberge: 'Just what we'd been looking for' May 4, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Martin's story sympathetically lifts the lid on the Comminges in Gascony and its proud people. A easy read with bite size historic facts which suggest 'the Gascons seem to feel closer in some ways to England than they do to northern France'.
The setting for 'A Summer in Gascony' is Peguilhan, between Boulogne-sur-Gesse and L'Isle-en-Dodon.
Martin describes the local vegetables, the herbs and even how he learnt to slaughter sheep 'that were a little bigger than lambs, but still not fully grown' and gained Jacques-Henri's true respect.
He discovers 'a world far removed from the trappings of modern tourism'. His story describes an ever changing landscape of actively maintained farmland where people make time for each other.
Martin is certainly relieved when Madame Parle-Beaucoup defends him after 'two old regulars propped up the end of the bar' upon discovering Martin is English ask 'are you a 'ooligan?'.
After touring France for a couple of weeks a pair of Californian visitors found 'this place just by accident' and admit they'd found 'just what we'd been looking for'.
Here Martin gives us an insight to a special place 'hidden quietly away in southeast Gascony' between the folds of gently undulating hills and a backdrop of majestic mountains.
A Summer in Gascony is a really good read - just what we'd been looking for.
Gascony surprise May 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A Summer in Gascony is a well crafted book, by someone who knows Gascony, having lived and worked with a Gascon family. I was fascinated to read about the close relationship between England and Gascony from the medieval wine trade to the Duke of Wellington going hunting with his hounds through the local countryside. A very enjoyable read. I look forward to your next book Martin.
The wonder of youth April 13, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This took me back many years to those long forgotten balmy days of summer. I soon felt drawn into Martin's new circle of friends and the farm life in Gascony, wishing I could meet these people (especially Mme Parle-Beaucoup,) and try some of those gastronomic delights. Adding a few new French words to my rusty vocabulary and dipping into the history of the region, this was a story with the feel good factor, leaving me with the urge to see Gascony for myself. Loved it!
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