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C'est Modnifique!: Adventures of an English Grump in Rural France
After six years in the idyllic Loire Valley, comedian Ian Moore, his family and his ever-expanding menagerie are beginning to feel like they’re on the cusp of the peace and tranquillity they hoped for when they moved from dreary Crawley to la belle France. Their grand project, a writing school called Les Champs Créatifs, is finally complete – only, nobody’s signed up. Natalie and the boys must contend with the ever-colourful locals, including a Sicilian faith healer, threatening hunters and the ‘Christmas Pudding Man’, and Ian must test his mod mettle against two new additions to the animal family – a pair of disappearing goats. With stresses, strains and animal poo mounting up la famille Moore have their work cut out – but they’re determined to give it their best shot!
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 27, 2014
29 people are currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Ian Moore
13 books318 followersBest-Selling author Ian Moore is also a stand-up comedian and conference host in the UK, and husband, father of three boys, farmhand, chutney-maker and Basil Fawlty impersonator in France. Since doing less stand-up, he's stopped taking himself so seriously.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 23, 2016
The highest praise I can give this book is that is of the same high standard as the first one. These books give a genuinely fascinating perspective on French life with none of the lazy stereotypes that you often get when discussing our European brethren. Funny, insightful, charming - highly recommended.
June 1, 2023
A jolly jape of a read. I enjoy reading about people’s lives settling in France and this came with good humour and dry wit.
An nice easy read/listen - Ian Moore reads the audiobook so puts over all the intonation intended in the writing.
An nice easy read/listen - Ian Moore reads the audiobook so puts over all the intonation intended in the writing.
October 10, 2023
An English stand-up comic decamps to the Loire with his family. It's amusing but what kept me reading was detailed info about living in France which you don't get from similar books. Found it very interesting. (Not that I'm planning to move there anytime soon.)
August 10, 2014
It was a relief to find this book to be as good as the first. The writing style is catchy and humorous, but there are some very sensitively written subjects too, which give a sense of the writer's range. I hope to catch one of his stand up gigs at some point, and also hope for book 3 in the not too distant future.
February 4, 2025
Excellent!
By the time of this, the second book in the series, Ian and his wife Natalie have been living in France for 7 years. They have three sons. Samuel moved out there with them, and Maurice and Thérence were born in France.
Ian is a well-known stand-up comedian. Although the plan had been initially to just do gigs in the UK at the weekend, then back to France, he was becoming more and more known, around the world, not just in the UK. Money was good..... but he was seeing less and less of his family, and their home in France.
They have plans, and have made renovations for their intended activities to make some income in France.
But there were to be setbacks. In the other book, where everything is comedy, this is more like a memoir, we're seeing his real feelings, he's not covering it all up with laughs. I enjoyed this one even more than his previous book. This one was more like a moving abroad memoir in that it was chronological (whereas the first wasn't-that tended to be chapters about certain subjects related). Anyway there's more about France, French way of life, and the family's lives in France in this book than his last one.
Some darker times in here, so the worrying was here, he opened up more, the emotions came through his writing, rather than just turning everything into comedy, which was sort of what his other book was like. I enjoyed this even better. There's still plenty of humour in here too though-I think this is funnier than the first book.
A fabulous read all the way through.
By the time of this, the second book in the series, Ian and his wife Natalie have been living in France for 7 years. They have three sons. Samuel moved out there with them, and Maurice and Thérence were born in France.
Ian is a well-known stand-up comedian. Although the plan had been initially to just do gigs in the UK at the weekend, then back to France, he was becoming more and more known, around the world, not just in the UK. Money was good..... but he was seeing less and less of his family, and their home in France.
They have plans, and have made renovations for their intended activities to make some income in France.
But there were to be setbacks. In the other book, where everything is comedy, this is more like a memoir, we're seeing his real feelings, he's not covering it all up with laughs. I enjoyed this one even more than his previous book. This one was more like a moving abroad memoir in that it was chronological (whereas the first wasn't-that tended to be chapters about certain subjects related). Anyway there's more about France, French way of life, and the family's lives in France in this book than his last one.
Some darker times in here, so the worrying was here, he opened up more, the emotions came through his writing, rather than just turning everything into comedy, which was sort of what his other book was like. I enjoyed this even better. There's still plenty of humour in here too though-I think this is funnier than the first book.
A fabulous read all the way through.
March 22, 2025
Excellent!
By the time of this, the second book in the series, Ian and his wife Natalie have been living in France for 7 years. They have three sons. Samuel moved out there with them, and Maurice and Thérence were born in France.
Ian is a well-known stand-up comedian. Although the plan had been initially to just do gigs in the UK at the weekend, then back to France, he was becoming more and more known, around the world, not just in the UK. Money was good..... but he was seeing less and less of his family, and their home in France.
They have plans, and have made renovations for their intended activities to make some income in France.
But there were to be setbacks. In the other book, where everything is comedy, this is more like a memoir, we're seeing his real feelings, he's not covering it all up with laughs. I enjoyed this one even more than his previous book. This one was more like a moving abroad memoir in that it was chronological (whereas the first wasn't-that tended to be chapters about certain subjects related). Anyway there's more about France, French way of life, and the family's lives in France in this book than his last one.
Some darker times in here, so the worrying was here, he opened up more, the emotions came through his writing, rather than just turning everything into comedy, which was sort of what his other book was like. I enjoyed this even better. There's still plenty of humour in here too though-I think this is funnier than the first book.
A fabulous read all the way through.
By the time of this, the second book in the series, Ian and his wife Natalie have been living in France for 7 years. They have three sons. Samuel moved out there with them, and Maurice and Thérence were born in France.
Ian is a well-known stand-up comedian. Although the plan had been initially to just do gigs in the UK at the weekend, then back to France, he was becoming more and more known, around the world, not just in the UK. Money was good..... but he was seeing less and less of his family, and their home in France.
They have plans, and have made renovations for their intended activities to make some income in France.
But there were to be setbacks. In the other book, where everything is comedy, this is more like a memoir, we're seeing his real feelings, he's not covering it all up with laughs. I enjoyed this one even more than his previous book. This one was more like a moving abroad memoir in that it was chronological (whereas the first wasn't-that tended to be chapters about certain subjects related). Anyway there's more about France, French way of life, and the family's lives in France in this book than his last one.
Some darker times in here, so the worrying was here, he opened up more, the emotions came through his writing, rather than just turning everything into comedy, which was sort of what his other book was like. I enjoyed this even better. There's still plenty of humour in here too though-I think this is funnier than the first book.
A fabulous read all the way through.
June 5, 2025
An interesting take on an English family living "The Good Life" in the Loire Valley in France... it contains the usual mishaps - the mis-communication with the locals, the embarrassing mix-ups and quarrels.. but it also contains the good things about French Life and the food, the wine, the weather etc.. really makes you think about getting out of the dreary life one can feel like in the UK..
There was also lots and lots and lots of writing about the constant having to travel back to the UK to earn some money and the mishaps with the animals and this, for me, started to get a bit grating and a bit samey towards the end (hence the one star loss)..
Other than that, it was a very easy and amusing read that often left me dreaming on living a different life abroad.. and that's what, i think, the book is delivering in bucket loads..
Thanks to NetGalley and Summersdale for the chance to read this ARC
There was also lots and lots and lots of writing about the constant having to travel back to the UK to earn some money and the mishaps with the animals and this, for me, started to get a bit grating and a bit samey towards the end (hence the one star loss)..
Other than that, it was a very easy and amusing read that often left me dreaming on living a different life abroad.. and that's what, i think, the book is delivering in bucket loads..
Thanks to NetGalley and Summersdale for the chance to read this ARC
July 6, 2025
DNF. This was perfectly reasonable – just not for me. Way back when, Ian Moore had two books of his light-hearted memoirs out, about his life as someone juggling both stand-up work in Britain and globally and a menagerie of kids and animals on a farm in France. They had titles punning on the guy being a Mod, but those have been dropped, much like most other memories of them existing. This is the second book then – the first was re-presented as "Vive le Chaos" – and I might have stuck with this more firmly had I had that one to read first. I hadn't, so with this being a lot older than I thought, with this being fixated on the animals, and the whole "it might have been funny had you actually been there" feel – it wasn't what I was looking for. Certainly, too, there is a strong sense that all this was very avoidable chaos, further making me less disposed to spend the day witnessing it all second-hand.
July 18, 2025
Husband, father, goat wrangler
—
You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Yes, then multiply that by about a thousand, add more men—well, a half-French wife and children—mice, dogs, cats, hens, any other animal wandering by that looks like it’s in need of a home, and you might have some sense of Moore’s life in rural France, which he still hankers for when he’s forced to tour the world’s expat communities doing stand-up in order to keep the whole kit, kaboodle, kith, kin and menagerie (sorry, ran out of k alliterations) in food, utilities and running water.
You might already know Moore from his stand-up or even from his cosy crime fiction, but here you get to meet the man: as grumpy as any Englishman in France has any right to be, but with a family that loves him and will gang up against him if an opportunity presents itself. Part two of his memoirs of life as an expat part-time stand-up and full-time harried husband and father. Recommended.
—
You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? Yes, then multiply that by about a thousand, add more men—well, a half-French wife and children—mice, dogs, cats, hens, any other animal wandering by that looks like it’s in need of a home, and you might have some sense of Moore’s life in rural France, which he still hankers for when he’s forced to tour the world’s expat communities doing stand-up in order to keep the whole kit, kaboodle, kith, kin and menagerie (sorry, ran out of k alliterations) in food, utilities and running water.
You might already know Moore from his stand-up or even from his cosy crime fiction, but here you get to meet the man: as grumpy as any Englishman in France has any right to be, but with a family that loves him and will gang up against him if an opportunity presents itself. Part two of his memoirs of life as an expat part-time stand-up and full-time harried husband and father. Recommended.
May 12, 2025
I think I see a lot of myself in Ian Moore: the tendency to see flaws in organisation, the irritation when obvious things are not done, the just being a general grump… and so, when someone who thinks like you, pokes fun at a troubling situation and by extension at themselves, they are also in effect, poking fun at the reader, or me at any rate, which saves me the trouble.
This really works for me and I have enjoyed his gently humorous expounding of the author’s tribulations, I just wish I had come to this series of memoirs in the ‘right’ order and started with the first one, rather than the second. But that is only a minor quibble (c’est la vie, you might say) as although the reader may have acquired more of an understanding of the setup by starting at the beginning, it really doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of what is found in this book. Tres bien!
This really works for me and I have enjoyed his gently humorous expounding of the author’s tribulations, I just wish I had come to this series of memoirs in the ‘right’ order and started with the first one, rather than the second. But that is only a minor quibble (c’est la vie, you might say) as although the reader may have acquired more of an understanding of the setup by starting at the beginning, it really doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of what is found in this book. Tres bien!
April 12, 2025
This is a very funny book about Ian Moore and his family life in rural France. It covers an unspecified length of time, his commuting to the UK and other countries for work. We hear about the animals the family have adopted and how much Junior, one of their horses, appears to hate Ian and treats him with the highest level of distain that it can muster.
How his children and his wife gang up on him when they want to adopt more animals and his fears of performing in French.
It's very readable and I loved it.
How his children and his wife gang up on him when they want to adopt more animals and his fears of performing in French.
It's very readable and I loved it.
June 7, 2025
Another episode in the life of a mod abroad - and yet although some of the material was familiar, I nonetheless enjoyed reading this book.
I found this one a little sadder than the first, yet the pathos had a certain realism which worked. However, there were plenty of amusing anecdotes to balance it out.
If the intention was to make the reader feel as though he knew the characters, human and animal, it worked.
I found this one a little sadder than the first, yet the pathos had a certain realism which worked. However, there were plenty of amusing anecdotes to balance it out.
If the intention was to make the reader feel as though he knew the characters, human and animal, it worked.
July 29, 2025
A light read and one that’s easy to dip in and out of. I rather enjoyed the shenanigans of their menagerie and had an excellent visual image of Ian Moore chasing his goats etc. Will now look into Vive le chaos!
November 8, 2021
These books are so hilarious, plus makes me jealous as love the area he moved to.
June 7, 2023
Ian Moore continues where he left off in A La Mod. I was highly entertained by his grumpy take on everything: his menagerie, French schooling, life as a stand-up comedian, health issues…Pity about the sad ending though. I felt it was overly drawn out. (Perhaps writing about the sad event was a form of catharsis?) Still hope a third book will materialize soon!
February 5, 2025
Brilliant and so funny. I love every minute. I'm so glad I found it on libby.
November 5, 2025
I thought it would a interesting story and literally it just goes , “I don’t want an animal.” Then they get another animal.
February 22, 2016
I am a sucker for books about people who leave the rat race behind to live the good life in France (I think it's called "Provence porn", or something like that, and it's being blamed for ruining all the good places left to live in the region). I won't apologize for my fondness for the genre.
And I won't apologize for this, either. This book is so poorly edited that reading it is like being asked by the author to be a first reader, and give one's opinion. Well, that opinion is as follows:
FIND YOURSELF A DECENT EDITOR OR YOUR BOOK WILL BE PUBLISHED AND READ LIKE A FIRST DRAFT WITH COMMA SPLICES GALORE AND AN OVERABUNDANCE OF PUNCTUATION IN SOME PLACES AND A DEARTH OF SAME IN OTHERS AND IT WILL BE SO AWFUL AS TO DISTRACT PEOPLE FROM THE CONTENT AND I KNOW THIS IS A HORRIFIC RUN-ON SENTENCE AND I DON'T GIVE A CRAP.
This book might be good, but there are so many sentence fragments and run-ons that you keep having to go back and start the phrase over again, because the rhythm of the prose is ruined by the lack of punctuation or its overuse. It's impossible to say the problem is one or the other because they're both rampant.
One star and it's not entirely the author's fault.The editor should be sacked.
And I won't apologize for this, either. This book is so poorly edited that reading it is like being asked by the author to be a first reader, and give one's opinion. Well, that opinion is as follows:
FIND YOURSELF A DECENT EDITOR OR YOUR BOOK WILL BE PUBLISHED AND READ LIKE A FIRST DRAFT WITH COMMA SPLICES GALORE AND AN OVERABUNDANCE OF PUNCTUATION IN SOME PLACES AND A DEARTH OF SAME IN OTHERS AND IT WILL BE SO AWFUL AS TO DISTRACT PEOPLE FROM THE CONTENT AND I KNOW THIS IS A HORRIFIC RUN-ON SENTENCE AND I DON'T GIVE A CRAP.
This book might be good, but there are so many sentence fragments and run-ons that you keep having to go back and start the phrase over again, because the rhythm of the prose is ruined by the lack of punctuation or its overuse. It's impossible to say the problem is one or the other because they're both rampant.
One star and it's not entirely the author's fault.The editor should be sacked.
January 15, 2016
I haven't read any previous works by this authour but I fell in love with his style of writing and wit right from the off. It was a really enjoyable read and while there was plenty of laughs to be had, there was also a few sensitive moments too.
July 14, 2015
Excellent second book,well written,plenty of laugh out loud moments.
April 28, 2015
A fun holiday read
December 23, 2019
See my review of his first book, A La Mod.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews