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The French House: An American Family, a Ruined Maison, and the Village That Restored Them All
When life gives you lemons, make citron pressé
When Francophiles Don and Mindy Wallace received an offer for a house on a tiny French island, they jumped at the chance, buying it almost sight unseen. What they found when they arrived was a building in ruin, and it wasn't long before their lives resembled it. Plagued by emergency repairs, a stock market crash, and very exasperated French neighbors, the Wallace's could have accepted their fate. Instead, they embraced it. The French House is the delightfully amusing and picturesque memoir about a family who seized life, rose from the rubble, and built themselves a home away from home.
When Francophiles Don and Mindy Wallace received an offer for a house on a tiny French island, they jumped at the chance, buying it almost sight unseen. What they found when they arrived was a building in ruin, and it wasn't long before their lives resembled it. Plagued by emergency repairs, a stock market crash, and very exasperated French neighbors, the Wallace's could have accepted their fate. Instead, they embraced it. The French House is the delightfully amusing and picturesque memoir about a family who seized life, rose from the rubble, and built themselves a home away from home.
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
February 17, 2014
The title may later say The French House I am not sure as the title of my arc is different but this book was adorable. In between feeling envious of this family and relating (I have lived in Japan and England, yes even in the English speaking UK American's are often the village idiots) I laughed often. This cast of real life eccentric folk tickled me. I wanted to be there on that tiny French Island with the family and the locals. For those who haven't been abroad, as well as those who have, this novel is delightful. Sometimes dreams start in ruins, and it takes a lot of hard work and humility to see it to fruition. More than anything, this village and home is the soul of the novel. I particularly found dark humor about the deadly dangers in the idyllic setting, very similar to my time in Japan. Sometimes what you don't know can hurt you, particularly in a foreign country. Highly recommend.
June 15, 2014
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK if you want a quick read! This book must be savoured.
Don Wallace knows how to paint a picture; we see what he sees, smell the smells, experience the colours, feel the textures of the scene.
When I started to read this memoir, I was expecting something akin to A Year in Provence, which is ironic because we learn in the book, that’s exactly what Don’s mother expected. Mother Wallace was disappointed, I’m not!
Don and wife Mindy find Belle Ile, an island off the coast of France, after some good and bad times travelling Europe. For them it is love at first sight. Returning to their illegal sub let New York apartment, Belle Ile becomes an obsession. When they learn there is a house for sale they jump in feet first, much to their families’ horror and disbelief. Turning the wreck into a home takes much time, many laughs and just plain doggedness; all of it good and bad is shared with the reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed The French House, it is a totally fulfilling read. There are laugh out loud moments, delightful portraits of the local “characters”, moments when the Wallace dream seems doomed, humourous looks at relationships and so much more. Don Wallace is from California and his wife Mindy Pennybacker is from Hawaii, both are surfing tragics. To the horror and amazement of the French, they go to the wild side of the island Côte Sauvage, and both body and board surf.
For someone who had a passing acquaintance with Belle Ile from the paintings of Claude Monet and John Peter Russell, this memoir gave me a whole different perspective into France; Belle Ile is not sophisticated Paris, but it has a wonderful enticing charm of its own. The people aren’t elegant, but have a character all their own. The French House is far from grand, more a poor man’s folly than a rich man’s plaything, but it holds magic, a magic evident even to the reader.
Because the electronic ARC books I receive via NetGalley have a use by date, this is one I intend to purchase because I want to savour The French House and Belle Ile again.
This review and an excerpt are published at www.startsatsixty.com.au/books by kind permission of the author and publisher, thanks Don Wallace and Liz from Sourcebooks.
Don Wallace knows how to paint a picture; we see what he sees, smell the smells, experience the colours, feel the textures of the scene.
When I started to read this memoir, I was expecting something akin to A Year in Provence, which is ironic because we learn in the book, that’s exactly what Don’s mother expected. Mother Wallace was disappointed, I’m not!
Don and wife Mindy find Belle Ile, an island off the coast of France, after some good and bad times travelling Europe. For them it is love at first sight. Returning to their illegal sub let New York apartment, Belle Ile becomes an obsession. When they learn there is a house for sale they jump in feet first, much to their families’ horror and disbelief. Turning the wreck into a home takes much time, many laughs and just plain doggedness; all of it good and bad is shared with the reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed The French House, it is a totally fulfilling read. There are laugh out loud moments, delightful portraits of the local “characters”, moments when the Wallace dream seems doomed, humourous looks at relationships and so much more. Don Wallace is from California and his wife Mindy Pennybacker is from Hawaii, both are surfing tragics. To the horror and amazement of the French, they go to the wild side of the island Côte Sauvage, and both body and board surf.
For someone who had a passing acquaintance with Belle Ile from the paintings of Claude Monet and John Peter Russell, this memoir gave me a whole different perspective into France; Belle Ile is not sophisticated Paris, but it has a wonderful enticing charm of its own. The people aren’t elegant, but have a character all their own. The French House is far from grand, more a poor man’s folly than a rich man’s plaything, but it holds magic, a magic evident even to the reader.
Because the electronic ARC books I receive via NetGalley have a use by date, this is one I intend to purchase because I want to savour The French House and Belle Ile again.
This review and an excerpt are published at www.startsatsixty.com.au/books by kind permission of the author and publisher, thanks Don Wallace and Liz from Sourcebooks.
September 24, 2015
Meh. I wanted to love this book. And I probably should have loved it, but for some reason I did not. It has a great premise, a true story of a NYC family who buys a wreck of a home on a small remote island in France. The book follows their journey for not only restoring the house, but assimilating into a very different community and culture. I enjoyed their journey, their experiences, but I never really connected with them. I did love the locals with all their weird ways and small town "rules". For me it just wasn't a compelling read, I put it down with the intent of never going back to it, and then picked it up many many times because I really wanted to finish it. I'm not sorry I read it, but it just didn't do it for me.
June 4, 2022
I've had this book on my goodreads want to read list for many years. Something kept drawing me to it even though I usually don't enjoy male authors for these kinds of books. Finally, I gave in and read it. The very few comments on the book's back cover should have been a clue. But, Meryl Streep said it was an amusing read and you have to believe her. However, I did not find it so. Reading about someone's poor decision making, bad knocks of life, and misfortune does not amuse me. True, the author is self-deprecating, which usually is fun, but I just ended up feeling sorry for these people and their struggles. Many of the stories, anecdotes, and humor are geared toward men and other references are made to specific localities. For instance, talking about spear fishing and surfing went right over my head, mostly because I'm not in an area where those are options. I'm sure that anyone from an island or coastline would be able to relate and would really enjoy this book. It's just not for me.
July 25, 2017
An amusing writer bordering on snarky but the locale of this small island off the coast of France was enchanting and the perseverance to own an old abandoned house there was admirable; the book became just a bit tedious half way through so I ended up skimming.
September 7, 2014
I am such a Francophile that when I picked this book up I was so entranced by its title that I just grabbed it and ran, thinking it was a novel. Once I got home I realized it is a memoir and I was a little disappointed because I didn't want another Peter Mayle-esque book to read. I have read all of Peter Mayle's books about his life in Provence. I love Mayle. He is hilarious as only an Englishman can be. But, I wasn't in the mood for a copycat book. Wallace is not Mayle and he isn't trying to be, which one could construe is a good thing and that I enjoyed the book in a different way. But, one would be wrong. I enjoyed the concept of finding a ruin of a house on rural French island. I would personally kill for such luck. I liked hearing about the renovations, because I would kill to renovated such a find. However, I was left unrequited in my vicariousness. The descriptions of renovation are sparse. Wallace prefers to tell us how they had no money and still seemed to be able to pay the architect his fees three years later- just to make it ethically right. The main problem is that Wallace is kind of all over the map. One minute he's giving us instructions for opening the house (suggesting it's a vacation rental, which it turns out never to have been under the Wallace ownership, much to the chagrin of his American family and friends). Next, he's waxing on about surf waves on the Breton island's shores. The chronology is out of whack- at one point he says it "all started 30 years ago" and then a chapter later says "fifteen years ago" they were lured to the island by a mentor. I wish that he had more focus because I would have loved the book if it wasn't so disjointed. Wallace attempts to be funny and was once or twice funny but his stream of consciousness attempts at humor were lost on me. On a purely selfish note (in no way impacting my critique- ok maybe a little) is that at the end I found out that Gwened was not Gwened after all, that he had changed her name, and others, for probably right reasons. I was, nevertheless sad because I had created images of the people who inhabited this island and I felt required to wonder how real they were. I wish he'd said so up front. I would have taken it more in stride. Maybe a surfer would appreciate this book more than I did. I wanted more connectivity among the events of the past, as it actually turns out, 30 years.
September 17, 2014
I love books about an old house which when restored by a family in turn restores that family. A story in which the house almost encourages the family to understand what really is important in their lives. I am sure I am not the only one to dream of a little chalet in the French Alps or a welcoming cottage in Donegal. I was hoping The French House would be that kind of book. I was disappointed. I never fell in love with the family...I found them reckless and ...irresponsible. I never fully fell in love with the house either since it included absolutely no land... Just where the house stood...no room for even a septic tank...of course that would imply there was a bathroom or running water. The village and the neighbors were another story...charming town..charming people. The book, The French House, was not as endearing.
September 9, 2016
For starters, this is, hands down, the only surfing memoir of rural french living that I have ever read. Which means it looks, at first glance, like it fits neatly into a category of memoir I almost always enjoy (city Americans move to rural-food-loving country and learn lots about the importance of eating good food that makes you really hungry while reading)—but then it takes this wild leap, and there’s surfing. That’s when things switch up, and The French House becomes a story of the real rural France, still feeling the war, searching, like rural America, for a way to stay itself in the modern world, rather than a memoir of a changing family—although it’s that, too. As a result, the predictable evolution of the writer and the memoir into an appreciation for slow life and food is accompanied by this gritty sense of change, and characters that at first seem to have stepped from the pages of Peter Mayle reveal themselves as real people in a place that can’t stay paradise, and probably never really was.
December 1, 2014
Interestsing story, if a bit self-indulgent. These are surfers. 'Nough said. He should write a book about surfing. I wanted to hear more about their son, Rory and what he felt about his parent's choices. Rory just drops off the planet in the book, with no more than a few sketchy references. You leave the book with the impression that you have not heard the whole story surrounding this endeavor. Others who have read the book also agree that these folks don't know the meaning of the word "poor," and should not have gone on and on about just how desperate they were. It was offensive, actually. Just how did this adventure change their family? You never really find out.
July 29, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review and rated the book 4 out of 5 stars.
Want to visit France? If like me you want to visit, but it’s not in your budget, picking up a copy of Don Wallace’s The French House will temporarily scratch your itch. Filled with memories, anecdotes and his love for the villagers he has come to know, Mr. Wallace’s book gives us insight into the Gallic approach to life. An approach I find very appealing.
While most people wouldn’t purchase a home in a foreign country sight unseen, Don and Mindy Wallace, two free-spirited New Yorkers did just that. Moving their family to France, the Wallace’s find themselves neck deep with necessary repairs and renovations on a “ruin”, cash flow problems and interesting neighbors. Falling in love with a different way of life, and staying strong despite the challenges, they slowly transform their “ruin” into a home over several decades.
While Mr. Wallace provides plenty of amusing home repair situations, it’s the relationship his family forges with the local villagers on the island of Belle Ile that really make his story standout. Filled with descriptions of the French countryside, comparisons between life in America, mainland France and Belle Ile, along with discussions about the French food, made me long to become a guest in their home. Especially when told in Mr. Wallace’s easy to follow style.
Reminding us that not everything in life has to be done in a “rush”, the Wallace’s worked tirelessly to change their lives. And embraced what life brought them. While there were some sections that moved a little bit slowly, overall this is an enjoyable book and one I’m very happy I had the opportunity to read. While I may never get to visit France, I do feel as if I’ve gotten to know the French philosophy towards life a little bit better just by reading The French House.
Want to visit France? If like me you want to visit, but it’s not in your budget, picking up a copy of Don Wallace’s The French House will temporarily scratch your itch. Filled with memories, anecdotes and his love for the villagers he has come to know, Mr. Wallace’s book gives us insight into the Gallic approach to life. An approach I find very appealing.
While most people wouldn’t purchase a home in a foreign country sight unseen, Don and Mindy Wallace, two free-spirited New Yorkers did just that. Moving their family to France, the Wallace’s find themselves neck deep with necessary repairs and renovations on a “ruin”, cash flow problems and interesting neighbors. Falling in love with a different way of life, and staying strong despite the challenges, they slowly transform their “ruin” into a home over several decades.
While Mr. Wallace provides plenty of amusing home repair situations, it’s the relationship his family forges with the local villagers on the island of Belle Ile that really make his story standout. Filled with descriptions of the French countryside, comparisons between life in America, mainland France and Belle Ile, along with discussions about the French food, made me long to become a guest in their home. Especially when told in Mr. Wallace’s easy to follow style.
Reminding us that not everything in life has to be done in a “rush”, the Wallace’s worked tirelessly to change their lives. And embraced what life brought them. While there were some sections that moved a little bit slowly, overall this is an enjoyable book and one I’m very happy I had the opportunity to read. While I may never get to visit France, I do feel as if I’ve gotten to know the French philosophy towards life a little bit better just by reading The French House.
July 18, 2014
Oh how I wish that I too could own a house on an island in France. Mind you, I don't think I'd have managed with as much patience as the author and his family. I might have turned tail and ran at the sight of a near-wreck of a house, and the slow, almost glacial pace of renovations, and the intricacies of island-life. I don't mind cosily rundown, but a virtual ruin is a bit much.
As such, I was impressed by the fortitude of the author, the dedication among the difficulties, and their gradual immersion into the society on the island. Each interaction detailed was fascinating, from the woman who encourages them to buy the place and stays a fixture in their lives for years, to the children to whom they teach baseball. I felt immersed along with them, albeit from the comfort of my own sofa.
I don't know that I had a particular favourite part of the book, but as a whole, it was a perfect read for my lazy summer days at the cottage.
As such, I was impressed by the fortitude of the author, the dedication among the difficulties, and their gradual immersion into the society on the island. Each interaction detailed was fascinating, from the woman who encourages them to buy the place and stays a fixture in their lives for years, to the children to whom they teach baseball. I felt immersed along with them, albeit from the comfort of my own sofa.
I don't know that I had a particular favourite part of the book, but as a whole, it was a perfect read for my lazy summer days at the cottage.
August 21, 2014
Thank you to Goodreads Giveaway for giving me free copy of this book! Really, I give this book 3.5 stars. I thought it would be more light-hearted and funny, but the author and his wife are kind of hard to relate to. There really wasn't a story arc...it's just kind of a collection of rambling memories and stories. That said, the people that Don writes about (including his own family, but especially the Belle Ile locals) are enchanting and lovable. Of course, the French island and the house are really their own characters too. I thought it could be a shorter book, but for those who love reading prose and find it easy to get lost in quaint descriptions, this book will be a relaxing treat.
October 7, 2014
C'est magnifique! Tres intersante! I enjoyed the last part of the book most as this part dealt with the emotional love of Belle Ile and the appalling overbuilding of beautiful areas of the earth into cheaply built vacation homes without regard to history, preservation or common sense. We have visited many places that have been overrun by rich tourists so that locals can no longer afford to live there . Traditional and modest homes have been replaced by cheap fabrications to look good temporarily without regard to the future and along comes a line of fast food chains to replace local cafés and the world becomes cookie cutter and homogenized. Tres Trieste!!
November 17, 2014
Loved this book. It felt as if we were a part of Don and Mindy's life in the Breton village on the island at end end of the world. Quirky characters, the beauties of nature, the ups and downs of daily (and not so daily) life are shared with us, the lucky reader. The author did not bemoan the struggles of travel to such a remote spot, but rather jumped in to what needed to be done each time they returned. He did not wail (much) about the difficulty of restoring a ruin while living in it. And the surfing descriptions were beguiling. I'm not a surfer...but I am a traveler. This book makes me want to do some traveling myself!!
February 6, 2017
I feel so cultured after reading this! Loved the setting and sharing all their struggles. Makes me want to visit the island. I also got a little refresher of my high school French.
August 12, 2014
This was a fun read into the lives of people who took a risk and it paid off. I now am dreaming of my own "french house".
December 31, 2017
This book seemed to drag on. I found myself just skimming through to get through it. It wasnt at all what I expected from the description.
August 21, 2021
“In this book, as on Belle Île, I have followed the light of a glowworm on a country lane.” That prett much sums up this book - rambling and a bit vague. I had trouble following the timeline and the details, and the book was missing what I love about books like this - a real sense of place and characters.
During our book group discussion we realized that this family were not home people, not homebodies in any way, they were absent for the entire renovation, they didn’t really put anything of themselves or their own work into the house, they didn’t even care enough to notice or require a towel rail/hook - someone else staying in the “finished” house put one in, probably because they were sick of leaving towels on the floor.
These folks were traveling surfer/journalist/writers who got manipulated into buying an almost ruined house that they didn’t have the money for, and seemingly would never have the money for. The whole story about not getting a bill from Denny the Dreamer was odd and confusing and just plain wrong, especially when they took the money they had scrounged to pay him (which he refused) and spent half of it in Paris. Subcontractors need to get paid, and besides, you’re living in on the edge of destitution in NYC - don’t blow the money set aside for your house on clothes!
There weren’t any people in this book I really liked and was rooting for, except their little boy when he told his grandparents off. There were a few interesting scenes. It wasn’t unpleasant reading, just rather meandering and a bit pointless. I would like to read something really SET in Brittany, something that makes me want to be there right now.
During our book group discussion we realized that this family were not home people, not homebodies in any way, they were absent for the entire renovation, they didn’t really put anything of themselves or their own work into the house, they didn’t even care enough to notice or require a towel rail/hook - someone else staying in the “finished” house put one in, probably because they were sick of leaving towels on the floor.
These folks were traveling surfer/journalist/writers who got manipulated into buying an almost ruined house that they didn’t have the money for, and seemingly would never have the money for. The whole story about not getting a bill from Denny the Dreamer was odd and confusing and just plain wrong, especially when they took the money they had scrounged to pay him (which he refused) and spent half of it in Paris. Subcontractors need to get paid, and besides, you’re living in on the edge of destitution in NYC - don’t blow the money set aside for your house on clothes!
There weren’t any people in this book I really liked and was rooting for, except their little boy when he told his grandparents off. There were a few interesting scenes. It wasn’t unpleasant reading, just rather meandering and a bit pointless. I would like to read something really SET in Brittany, something that makes me want to be there right now.
March 30, 2020
Francophile that I am, I grabbed this book right off the shelves in our local public library. On the front cover, actress Meryl Streep is quoted as saying "A lovely, shimmering story.. The French House moves to a soulful, very funny rhythm on its own." I thought, "Mama Mia! this has got to be good!" And, in some ways, The French House was a good read for me (and it did remind me of the movie, Mama Mia!) Author Don Wallace and wife, Mindy, must be about the same ages as my husband and myself, having given birth to son Rory in/around 1985 which is when we had our first son. So, I could definitely relate to some of the issues and perspectives Wallace brings to life. However, the choices the Wallaces made in life are WAY different from mine: living in NYC, becoming writers, being surfers, buying a ruin of a house on an island off the coast of France, slowly fixing it up just a bit, and only living there 4 weeks each year for 30 plus years. Still, the different choices people make in their lives are interesting to contemplate. And I did enjoy picturing the island, its villages, and the real-life quirky characters who live there. I did laugh out loud a lot of times! I do have one lingering question: why did the editors let Don's errors in French grammar and spelling stay in the text? I understand that Don admits his French isn't the best, but still...?
June 1, 2017
Mindy and Don buy a house on Belle Ile, off the coast of Brittany, that needs to be repaired. Their families are not happy about it but they persevere. Life happens but the thought of the house and their chance to be there helps get them through the downs of life in America.
I enjoyed this book. I liked how we get a glimpse of life in the US for them (sometimes you have to read between the lines to know what has happened.) The thought of the house and the repair work being done gives them the strength to move past the disappointments of familial disapproval, job loss, and economic downturns. I love how they bring surfing to Belle Ile. I also like how they fit in as well as the thoughts they have when they think more like Americans than Bellilois while on the island. I loved the letter to the people who stay in their home when they are back in the US. It is great. I would love to have a dream like they did and to execute it. Loved this book.
I enjoyed this book. I liked how we get a glimpse of life in the US for them (sometimes you have to read between the lines to know what has happened.) The thought of the house and the repair work being done gives them the strength to move past the disappointments of familial disapproval, job loss, and economic downturns. I love how they bring surfing to Belle Ile. I also like how they fit in as well as the thoughts they have when they think more like Americans than Bellilois while on the island. I loved the letter to the people who stay in their home when they are back in the US. It is great. I would love to have a dream like they did and to execute it. Loved this book.
January 21, 2018
I confess that I love memoir, even when I have little in common with the writer. Wallace is, above all else, a writer who has created a detailed view of two American francophiles who fall in love with an island village off the coast of Bretagne. Within the scope of thirty years, the reader is introduced to the life of privation that is the result of purchasing a hovel in France, of making little or no money to support themselves and their son in New York City, of trying to capture in words the underpinnings of fresh and simple food. Challenges, such a bringing the first surfboards to the island, of Wallace failing to communicate in French with fluency unlike his talented wife), and seeking acceptance in a village wary of foreigners, abound. There is some humour in this book, but mostly it is an effort to grasp three decades of lives off the shores of the United States and to show the changes in the hearts of this family.
June 23, 2020
I found the main couple really hard to relate to. It may be because we are of different generations, but their sense of entitlement and the lack of awareness of the privilege to literally squat wherever they could (because of family connections) was hard to take. They are incredibly irresponsible throughout the book, but rarely take the blame for their actions!
I didn't realize until halfway through the book that they only ever planned to live in the house one month out of the year. There is a short bit of reflection at the very end about how perhaps they have contributed to the problem of the island losing it's sense of self.
I finished the book and gave it 3 stars because of the description of nature on the island and the cast of island characters (who try to reality check this couple throughout!).
I didn't realize until halfway through the book that they only ever planned to live in the house one month out of the year. There is a short bit of reflection at the very end about how perhaps they have contributed to the problem of the island losing it's sense of self.
I finished the book and gave it 3 stars because of the description of nature on the island and the cast of island characters (who try to reality check this couple throughout!).
May 5, 2022
This book was quite the surprise. I originally thought it was a novel about restoring a mansion in France. However, my husband was quick to point out that the title read "maison" not mansion. Well, shoot!
The French House tells the story of a nomadic couple living in Manhattan, struggling to make ends meet who happen to buy a delipidated home, sight unseen, on a small island south of France. It's their 15 year span of restoration, friendships built, and changes to the environment on the island and how it all impacted their lives and those around them.
As someone who is currently engaged in a restoration project, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the authors humor and style of writing.
The French House tells the story of a nomadic couple living in Manhattan, struggling to make ends meet who happen to buy a delipidated home, sight unseen, on a small island south of France. It's their 15 year span of restoration, friendships built, and changes to the environment on the island and how it all impacted their lives and those around them.
As someone who is currently engaged in a restoration project, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the authors humor and style of writing.
May 17, 2018
I had high hopes for this book because I love real life stories about quaint old homes and the struggle to make them your own, but this book turned out to be more about surfing than anything else. Sometimes it entertained, but mostly it was boring to read. It turned out that most of the neat stuff about renovating took place when this family was back in NYC. Then it was about their money woes and careers, as well as their quirky family. I kept saying to myself, but what about the house? I am glad to be onto to something more to my taste.
April 25, 2021
Don't let some of the reviews that say this is a surfing book put you off from reading it, it almost did for me.
I enjoyed this memoir very much and felt like I had visited this small island off the coast of France. I went on line to see more pictures of the places that are described so well and found it to be just as his words conveyed. This couple fell in love with the island and its residents and saw their wish to own a small piece of it slowly unfold while both struggling to survive as writers in New York raising their son.
I enjoyed this memoir very much and felt like I had visited this small island off the coast of France. I went on line to see more pictures of the places that are described so well and found it to be just as his words conveyed. This couple fell in love with the island and its residents and saw their wish to own a small piece of it slowly unfold while both struggling to survive as writers in New York raising their son.
June 24, 2024
What a magical book one that takes you on a journey of life both here in America and in France. There is love, growth, frustration, history, family, friends and more. For me the book confirmed my belief that you don’t have to be blood to be family, that sometimes friends are closer than family, all parents struggle with the same issues no matter what country they live in and if you really want something never stop believing or taking steps towards that belief. This is a refreshing book that I’ll read again.
January 8, 2017
Don and Mindy Wallace buy a home on a French island off the Brittany coast which is badly in need of repair--to put it mildly. This story is a memoir which describes their struggles and joys as they worked to make a home for themselves and their son. Portions of the book I really enjoyed; but too much of the time, I felt bored. It was as though the author felt a need to include every single recollection whether it was interesting or not.
February 27, 2018
I enjoyed almost all of this book. I wasn't crazy about his liberal slant and how he thinks Conservatives don't care about the environment (he says he wishes he were a conservative sometimes and just didn't care about the earth, instead of a liberal who feels guilt. Ugh.) I also wished they had gotten off their surfer bums and fixed up the house themselves, some of that got a little boring, let's surf! Our house is falling apart, but next year we can fix it!
May 31, 2018
This is a charming little memoir about the author's experiences of buying a run-down French house on the island of Belle Isle. It's exactly the kind of "travel" book I enjoy. From the tales of the Porsche-driving plumber, neighbors who drive over their rose bushes and accidentally giving their toddler an ample supply of hard apple cider (thinking it was non-alcoholic), Wallace's memoir is amusing and feeds my curiosity about what life on a French island might be like. 3 1/2 stars.
September 1, 2018
I enjoyed it so much, I started it, put it down and restarted after many months. This was sort of a slow burn book for me, nothing startling, jarring, exciting. Just a delightful read. I made me realize how we want to hold on and how change is inevitable, that slowing down is good and that life journey's take many forms and to many places. I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would, glad my mom gave it to me for my birthday!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews