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In Foreign Fields: How Not To Move To France
Susie and Terry dream of living in France. The dream comes true, but not in the way they had imagined.
Yes, the countryside is spacious and peaceful. On summer nights the stars skim the rooftops, the owls hoot and the nightingales sing. Sunflowers smile from their fields. The wine is cheap and the baguettes are crusty. Very crusty indeed. The French neighbours are generous and gentle.
But then come the drug addicts, builders who cannot build, demanding compatriots, undercover cops and unwelcome guests. Susie begins to lose hope of attracting the fabled French philanderer and, far from appreciating their new home, all the animals do everything they can to make life as difficult as possible. With her house literally crumbling around her, the number of odd characters she manages to attract are matched by all sorts of creatures appearing from in and out of the woodwork. Terry almost dies, and Susie's resilience and good humour are tested to the limit.
Sometimes it feels more like taking part in a musical comedy than starting a new life in France.
As the date for Britain leaving the European Union draws close, and British living in European countries still have no idea what the future holds for them after Brexit, Susie looks back on the beginning of her life in the country she loves and has called home for 23 years.
Another warm, funny, engaging read from Susie Kelly.
This is a first digital, edition of Two Steps Backwards, first published by Bantam/Transworld as a UK paperback. This first worldwide edition is revised and updated and, for the first time, includes photographs.
Yes, the countryside is spacious and peaceful. On summer nights the stars skim the rooftops, the owls hoot and the nightingales sing. Sunflowers smile from their fields. The wine is cheap and the baguettes are crusty. Very crusty indeed. The French neighbours are generous and gentle.
But then come the drug addicts, builders who cannot build, demanding compatriots, undercover cops and unwelcome guests. Susie begins to lose hope of attracting the fabled French philanderer and, far from appreciating their new home, all the animals do everything they can to make life as difficult as possible. With her house literally crumbling around her, the number of odd characters she manages to attract are matched by all sorts of creatures appearing from in and out of the woodwork. Terry almost dies, and Susie's resilience and good humour are tested to the limit.
Sometimes it feels more like taking part in a musical comedy than starting a new life in France.
As the date for Britain leaving the European Union draws close, and British living in European countries still have no idea what the future holds for them after Brexit, Susie looks back on the beginning of her life in the country she loves and has called home for 23 years.
Another warm, funny, engaging read from Susie Kelly.
This is a first digital, edition of Two Steps Backwards, first published by Bantam/Transworld as a UK paperback. This first worldwide edition is revised and updated and, for the first time, includes photographs.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 3, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 12, 2018
Well having a sleepless night I picked up this book and didn’t put them down till I had finished. Having a friend who went through all of these experiences was like reading her journals . I loved it and will endeavour to read more of this authors book .. adding them to my tbr pile .. will definitely recommend as have many friends who would appreciate this book
December 28, 2018
As a firm fan of Susie Kelly’s books about her adventures and experiences of living in rural France, I couldn’t resist downloading this, her latest book, and I am so happy that I did.
In it I discovered how it is that Susie Kelly came to live in her house in the Poitou-Charente region of France. Throughout this wonderful book she shares her incredible adventures of this time, and I found myself laughing, sighing, and sometimes nearly crying, as I read them described in truly ‘fly on the wall’ style.
Like many others before and after them, Susie and her husband Terry set off armed with practical advice, hope and lots of information and tips on house buying in a foreign land. Needless to say, despite this, we all know the draw of the Estate Agent’s window, all those amazing properties, interesting, and sometimes slightly misleading descriptions, plus the financial restrictions which we all have. Susie and Terry were just the same and settled for, as my dad would say ‘a doer-upper.’
From the moment you open this book and start reading, Susie Kelly’s frank and humorous style of writing draws you in, and, as an expat myself, I have to say it really is a very honest look at the wide range of characters of people, both English and other nationalities which you encounter here. Through her amazingly descriptive writing she paints a vivid picture of the countryside and life around her in this beautiful region of France, and recounts honestly many of the situations she finds herself in, and the antics of her menagerie.
Whether you dream of moving to France, want to know what life here is really like, or just want to be a fly on the wall enjoying someone else’s experience, then this is the book for you.
In it I discovered how it is that Susie Kelly came to live in her house in the Poitou-Charente region of France. Throughout this wonderful book she shares her incredible adventures of this time, and I found myself laughing, sighing, and sometimes nearly crying, as I read them described in truly ‘fly on the wall’ style.
Like many others before and after them, Susie and her husband Terry set off armed with practical advice, hope and lots of information and tips on house buying in a foreign land. Needless to say, despite this, we all know the draw of the Estate Agent’s window, all those amazing properties, interesting, and sometimes slightly misleading descriptions, plus the financial restrictions which we all have. Susie and Terry were just the same and settled for, as my dad would say ‘a doer-upper.’
From the moment you open this book and start reading, Susie Kelly’s frank and humorous style of writing draws you in, and, as an expat myself, I have to say it really is a very honest look at the wide range of characters of people, both English and other nationalities which you encounter here. Through her amazingly descriptive writing she paints a vivid picture of the countryside and life around her in this beautiful region of France, and recounts honestly many of the situations she finds herself in, and the antics of her menagerie.
Whether you dream of moving to France, want to know what life here is really like, or just want to be a fly on the wall enjoying someone else’s experience, then this is the book for you.
January 10, 2019
An entertaining and enjoyable book. I love this book full of funny anecdotes and quirky people.
I laughed out loud from time to time and read it in one setting.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC
I laughed out loud from time to time and read it in one setting.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC
December 17, 2022
I’ve read several of Susie Kelly’s books before, so I was expecting to enjoy this and I’ve honestly loved every page. What strikes me most forcefully is how Susie goes with the flow so readily, and by doing so opens herself to a whole range of experiences most of us would miss. I enjoyed all the quirky characters she met in her early years in France from her kindly French neighbour and other colourful locals to the frustrating but well meaning Bill. I laughed out loud at some of the animals’ antics and adored the chicken stories. However, behind the amusing anecdotes, I was also aware of just how hard Susie and Terry worked to convert their dilapidated house into a home, providing most of the manual labour themselves. While some readers might not understand why and how she coped with the primitive living conditions, it was clear to me she had no choice as a result of the very difficult circumstances she and her husband found themselves in. Given the situation, she made the absolute best of it. Hats off, Susie Kelly. You’ve not only made me laugh, you’ve taught me plenty about both France and life. Your inner strength shines through your writing as does your love of nature and animals.
December 9, 2018
Quirky and observant, this is a jolly read full of anecdotes. Susie Kelly’s struggles to convert a derelict farmhouse, her collection of dogs, horses and birds, and the astonishing characters she encounters are highly entertaining. I got frustrated, however, because I look for a line of development in a book. Instead, this one jumps around in time and episodes. To me Chapter 11 felt like a true start, giving me the background of her emigration. I wish it and several following had been at the opening of the book. Maybe she felt she had to avoid a chronological ‘how (not) to’ and convince us first with snippets. That said, I certainly kept coming back to see what new impossible person or situation would occur. By the end it is like you’ve had several long, lively conversations (plus glasses of red wine and a lot of laughs) with a person relating ad hoc her first four years of settling in to rural France.
I received a copy of this gratis from the publisher with no obligation to read or review it.
I received a copy of this gratis from the publisher with no obligation to read or review it.
December 7, 2018
An entertaining read.
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir of Susie and husband Terrys move to rural France. It details the hardships they faced renovating their dilapidated farmhouse and out buildings, tells of their neighbours (some good, some not so good), and their jaunts around the surrounding areas. Very well written and entertaining.
I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir of Susie and husband Terrys move to rural France. It details the hardships they faced renovating their dilapidated farmhouse and out buildings, tells of their neighbours (some good, some not so good), and their jaunts around the surrounding areas. Very well written and entertaining.
December 12, 2018
This book is a laugh out loud romp through a honest story of moving to France and buying a house that is anything but the French dream on first looks (who needs water and electricity lol) but slowly through hard work and good humour our author turns it around into something magical. This book is funny and honest and very warm.
February 17, 2019
The irrepressible Susie Kelly is back again with her latest book that will keep fans laughing, groaning, putting their hands over their eyes, and cheering her on. ‘In Foreign Fields: How Not to Move to France’ was published in paperback in 2004 but has only just made its way into digital form. For those readers like myself who got to know the author through her later writing, it’s a chance to find out more about her move to France from the UK in 1995 with husband Terry and a travelling menagerie (horses/dogs/parrots) to the house of their dreams in Poitou-Charentes.
Anyone who has struggled with Susie and her blisters on her amazing slog from one side of France to the other, or followed with horrible fascination her travails with pharmaceutically-challenged builders and a nightmare cleaning lady in her efforts to become a B and B owner, will be delighted to meet up once more with what-you-see-is-what-you-get Susie. Confrontations with large snakes, bed-loving legions of mice, diarrhoea-ridden Great Danes, man-eating flies, barefaced scroungers, drug traffickers, medical crises and the storm of the century are managed with her usual aplomb and good humour. Even the daily routine of washing in a bucket and trekking to the Porta Potti in the goat shed can’t get her down. ‘Those were happy and relaxed times, some of the most enjoyable years of my life in France,’ she tells us.
The adventures themselves are a treat, as are the characters (animal and human) and the lyrical passages about nature and the countryside (‘I had seen the house shining in the dark, lit by the Milky Way hanging so low over the roof it felt as if I could touch it.’). But the icing on the cake is the author herself. Her personality shines through. Courageous, curious, forthright, facing set-backs head on, tolerant, keen to integrate in her new community and learn its history, she’s probably one of those people who would have felt at home on a covered wagon in the 19th century setting off across the lonely American prairie, stopping to scoop up injured Indians and abandoned baby gophers en route. Curl up and enjoy!
Anyone who has struggled with Susie and her blisters on her amazing slog from one side of France to the other, or followed with horrible fascination her travails with pharmaceutically-challenged builders and a nightmare cleaning lady in her efforts to become a B and B owner, will be delighted to meet up once more with what-you-see-is-what-you-get Susie. Confrontations with large snakes, bed-loving legions of mice, diarrhoea-ridden Great Danes, man-eating flies, barefaced scroungers, drug traffickers, medical crises and the storm of the century are managed with her usual aplomb and good humour. Even the daily routine of washing in a bucket and trekking to the Porta Potti in the goat shed can’t get her down. ‘Those were happy and relaxed times, some of the most enjoyable years of my life in France,’ she tells us.
The adventures themselves are a treat, as are the characters (animal and human) and the lyrical passages about nature and the countryside (‘I had seen the house shining in the dark, lit by the Milky Way hanging so low over the roof it felt as if I could touch it.’). But the icing on the cake is the author herself. Her personality shines through. Courageous, curious, forthright, facing set-backs head on, tolerant, keen to integrate in her new community and learn its history, she’s probably one of those people who would have felt at home on a covered wagon in the 19th century setting off across the lonely American prairie, stopping to scoop up injured Indians and abandoned baby gophers en route. Curl up and enjoy!
January 23, 2019
Written from the heart this is an honest account of the difficult times and situations she and husband Terry first encountered when they arrived in France over twenty years ago. However, it is perfectly balanced with plenty of humourous stories and love of France too. Susie, it seems, has a knack for attracting the sort of people most of us would shy away from, but at least this means we can be entertained when she recounts her many adventures. The comings and goings of her British neighbours, their menagerie of animals, the mad French woman she befriended at the vets, the students who arrived to work on her house – but seemed only to work their way through her hospitality; I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
The New Year is often a time for changes and challenges, so it is reassuringly comforting to balance this with slipping into something familiar, something that you just know from the outset will be a good fit and a great read. This was my cozy comfort blanket and perfect antidote to beat the winter blues. Susie has made some brave, but bonkers decisions, but I’m so glad she has, and has had the balls to share them with her readers. Keep writing Susie, please.
This book is a must read for anyone who thinks moving to rural France will mean enjoying a relaxing and quiet life.
The New Year is often a time for changes and challenges, so it is reassuringly comforting to balance this with slipping into something familiar, something that you just know from the outset will be a good fit and a great read. This was my cozy comfort blanket and perfect antidote to beat the winter blues. Susie has made some brave, but bonkers decisions, but I’m so glad she has, and has had the balls to share them with her readers. Keep writing Susie, please.
This book is a must read for anyone who thinks moving to rural France will mean enjoying a relaxing and quiet life.
February 4, 2019
In Foreign Fields: How Not To Move To France is a humorous travel memoir.
Susie had a life-long ambition to live in rural France, and when the recession of the 1990s took away everything that Susie and her husband Terry owned, they made the decision to leave England. With little money in their pocket they bought an eighteenth century farmhouse in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of France. The property had no sanitation, no water supply inside and a very limited source of electricity―but what it lacked in facilities, it made up for with peace and tranquillity. See here for full review https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-cTE
Susie had a life-long ambition to live in rural France, and when the recession of the 1990s took away everything that Susie and her husband Terry owned, they made the decision to leave England. With little money in their pocket they bought an eighteenth century farmhouse in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region of France. The property had no sanitation, no water supply inside and a very limited source of electricity―but what it lacked in facilities, it made up for with peace and tranquillity. See here for full review https://wp.me/p2Eu3u-cTE
December 3, 2018
I like how the author dives into French life - she ends up meeting a variety of people; some nice, some not so nice - as well as being placed in unpleasant as well as very frustrating circumstances at times. All this takes place while her and her husband start a new life in France - in-between all this, you also hear about the animals she cares for, as well as some of the house renovations they end up doing. I got an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 26, 2019
Delightful prequel to "Swallows & Robins"!
This has to be in my top 3 favorites of Susie Kelly's memoirs! I always wondered what it took for Susie and Terry to get their little holiday home in the SW of very rural France ready for holiday makers when they first came to purchase it. I don't think they make them any tougher than Susie.
In "In Foreign Fields" you find out to the extent they had to go through just to make it habitable for the two them to live in.
Shoddy workers, extreme weather and eccentric neighbors do not make it very easy in the beginning. There are also some lovely neighbors and friends that help them grind their way through the process. Not to mention all her lovely animals that keep her warm and on top of her toes during the times that Terry is back in England making a living.
Through it all you can tell just how happy Susie is in her little world with her wonderful descriptions of the little village and surrounding area.
All in all I had plenty of smiles and chuckles through this read. I highly recommend!
This has to be in my top 3 favorites of Susie Kelly's memoirs! I always wondered what it took for Susie and Terry to get their little holiday home in the SW of very rural France ready for holiday makers when they first came to purchase it. I don't think they make them any tougher than Susie.
In "In Foreign Fields" you find out to the extent they had to go through just to make it habitable for the two them to live in.
Shoddy workers, extreme weather and eccentric neighbors do not make it very easy in the beginning. There are also some lovely neighbors and friends that help them grind their way through the process. Not to mention all her lovely animals that keep her warm and on top of her toes during the times that Terry is back in England making a living.
Through it all you can tell just how happy Susie is in her little world with her wonderful descriptions of the little village and surrounding area.
All in all I had plenty of smiles and chuckles through this read. I highly recommend!
January 8, 2019
I have to admit to a penchant for this kind of book, so Susie had a captured audience from the start. The best of the type are those that marry both the romance that giving it all up for warmer, quieter or cheaper climes; with reality of said moves in terms of cost or unforeseen bureaucracy throw in some belly laughs and some colourful locals and you are onto a winner.
Susie Kelly has managed to write a book that satisfies on all counts.
Like Peter Mayle and Carol Drinkwater before her, Susie has now a firm place in the part of my heart devoted to France as a dream destination; were I ever to come into some hitherto unknown legacy of course.
She and Husband make brave (or maybe foolhardy) decision to buy a completely dilapidated property in a sleepy hamlet in the South of France to escape the bite of the British recession in the hope to get more effort from their Euro. Whilst Lee continues to earn a crust to fund the project, Susie picks up sticks and to all intents and purposes, camps in her own property for the first few months as everything from flood and infestation conspire against her idyllic French Dream.
The house itself is definitely a character in this tale and the amount that Susie shoulders is amazing as the risk of death by Hypothermia or drowning in a shallow stream pouring where streams really should not be forging a path; rear their ugly heads. That coupled with an awful health crisis bring the endeavour to within a hair’s breadth of disaster often.
It is a tossup as to what will finally push her over the edge into insanity, Her Ex Pat neighbour and his laissez faire attitude to property upkeep, that makes Steptoe and Son’s Yard look like a place or the ever-growing number of birds and animals that she acquires against her will and better judgement. The tales (or should that be tails?) of Geese, fowl and hens had me in fits of laughter.
The zanier elements of the book make for a fun read, but it is the stories and anecdotes of the older inhabitants of the locality that really lifted the book for me. The strength and tenacity of her neighbours and their resilience in surviving in times before proper sanitation and mechanisation of agriculture came to the area is inspiring and utterly compelling reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely seek out more of Susie’s work as her style of description and obvious affection for the people and place shine through throughout making it the perfect read for Francophiles still in dreary old Blighty.
Susie Kelly has managed to write a book that satisfies on all counts.
Like Peter Mayle and Carol Drinkwater before her, Susie has now a firm place in the part of my heart devoted to France as a dream destination; were I ever to come into some hitherto unknown legacy of course.
She and Husband make brave (or maybe foolhardy) decision to buy a completely dilapidated property in a sleepy hamlet in the South of France to escape the bite of the British recession in the hope to get more effort from their Euro. Whilst Lee continues to earn a crust to fund the project, Susie picks up sticks and to all intents and purposes, camps in her own property for the first few months as everything from flood and infestation conspire against her idyllic French Dream.
The house itself is definitely a character in this tale and the amount that Susie shoulders is amazing as the risk of death by Hypothermia or drowning in a shallow stream pouring where streams really should not be forging a path; rear their ugly heads. That coupled with an awful health crisis bring the endeavour to within a hair’s breadth of disaster often.
It is a tossup as to what will finally push her over the edge into insanity, Her Ex Pat neighbour and his laissez faire attitude to property upkeep, that makes Steptoe and Son’s Yard look like a place or the ever-growing number of birds and animals that she acquires against her will and better judgement. The tales (or should that be tails?) of Geese, fowl and hens had me in fits of laughter.
The zanier elements of the book make for a fun read, but it is the stories and anecdotes of the older inhabitants of the locality that really lifted the book for me. The strength and tenacity of her neighbours and their resilience in surviving in times before proper sanitation and mechanisation of agriculture came to the area is inspiring and utterly compelling reading.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely seek out more of Susie’s work as her style of description and obvious affection for the people and place shine through throughout making it the perfect read for Francophiles still in dreary old Blighty.
December 13, 2018
An easy to read and descriptive account of moving to France and the trials, tribulations and joys that ensued. Although our move to Spain went smoothly and to a property that needed no renovation there were many similarities to which we experienced. A well written entertaining book.
December 20, 2018
Moving to France
A frank, honest account of a move and new life in France. Very informative and entertaining! I recommend this book.
A frank, honest account of a move and new life in France. Very informative and entertaining! I recommend this book.
May 26, 2021
I found this an amazing story o a move of necessity. A successful business and comfortable life are shattered by the economic crisis leaving a couple bereft. Unable to move except to a small flat they decide to look to France. A country hamlet, a property needing a rebuild, a husband who returns to the UK to try and earn money while the wife makes do in the new home. This is a tale of acceptance and resilience by a woman with great inner strength, a wonderful sense of humour and an open heart. Her knowledge of the local lingo makes her popular among ex-pats who, despite having lived in the country for much longer, do not speak the language and use their new neighbour to sort out their never-ending problems. Her huge heart cannot say no, but this inevitably brings about problems. Then enters the crazy neighbour Bill and his wife Gloria. His mysterious comings and goings, and the utter chaos of his next door plot of land become part of Susie's everyday life. Thankfully, Susie loves animals and lives among hens, cockerels, ganders, tukeys, rats and mice. Her first winter, spent on a sofa in a barn, with no door except for a plastic sheeting leaves her no option but to weather the snow and freezing temperatures by bedding down with as many layers of clothers possible, plus socks, boots, coats, and blankets. She becomes accustoms to mice and rats creeping over her along with the presence of spiders and hornets. I love how she tells things as they are, and her descriptions of the nutty neighbours, strange ex-pats who appear to find their chosen country strange because it is different to the UK! We follow the life of Susie in all its true colours and cannot but admire her personality. She is a survivor and manages to enjoy life, despite all the difficulties she encounters along the way. I had to laugh out loud, so many times as she described her predicaments and the weird behaviour of the neighbours.
February 14, 2019
What starts out as your typical "I bought a ruin in France" book quickly evolves into a romp into the crazy people the author meets and has to deal with on a daily basis.
Sure, everyone wants to find that needle in the haystack old ruin in France/Italy/Spain, and easily restore it to a beautiful estate, where one can sit and watch the sunsets while drinking incredible wine. The author did too, except she bought what, on a good day, probably should have been condemned. And then, with the financial crisis, quickly found herself out of money.
Choosing to stay in France with the home, while her husband returned to England to work, she valiantly attempts to put the home together. Dealing with unscrupulous agents and construction workers almost makes her give up. BUT...then you throw in the hodge-podge of ridiculously crazy neighbors (mostly also expats), and you really have a odd story to tell!
I don't know how the author survived the experience. I hope that now she has found it worthwhile. I know that it makes me hesitant to try this myself.
Sure, everyone wants to find that needle in the haystack old ruin in France/Italy/Spain, and easily restore it to a beautiful estate, where one can sit and watch the sunsets while drinking incredible wine. The author did too, except she bought what, on a good day, probably should have been condemned. And then, with the financial crisis, quickly found herself out of money.
Choosing to stay in France with the home, while her husband returned to England to work, she valiantly attempts to put the home together. Dealing with unscrupulous agents and construction workers almost makes her give up. BUT...then you throw in the hodge-podge of ridiculously crazy neighbors (mostly also expats), and you really have a odd story to tell!
I don't know how the author survived the experience. I hope that now she has found it worthwhile. I know that it makes me hesitant to try this myself.
July 15, 2019
This book should be used as a manual for what not to do if you move to France. Don't choose a house that is falling apart and where your bed is accessed via a ricketty ladder. Don't move next to a property that looks like the local tip. Don't expect the wildlife to stay outside, don't believe the climate your real estate agent promises, or indeed assurances from the chicken sexer and above all, try not to befriend drug dealers. But, expect to improve your French vocabulary, make lifelong friends, grow plants at will and learn to survive and eventually thrive in a brand new country.
February 1, 2019
Wonderful!
I love her books and writing. Funny, serious, one feels to be there. Have nearly read all her works, now.
I love her books and writing. Funny, serious, one feels to be there. Have nearly read all her works, now.
June 2, 2019
I need to start this review by saying that I sometimes like reading a well-written memoir even if there is not as much content in it as one would expect out of a standard fiction novel. In this case, there is a lot of content but a few people may not see it the same way. Years ago, I recommended James Herriot books to a lot of people, very few of whom actually liked it as much as I did. This particular book reminded me of James Herriot and the place he called home.
Susie and her husband (mostly Susie was by herself) move to rural France because of strained financial circumstances. They buy a house and land which needed a lot of work to be comfortably habitable. Then her adventure begins. As her husband travels up and down to maintain a job in England, she spends a lot of time on her own navigating the routines of her new life and assorted neighbours and possible friends. There are a lot of animals and a few birds thrown into the mix, some of them came with her from England while others get added because of one reason or another. It is a slow and painful undertaking with some respite in between. Despite all of the hardships, the humour of the situations does not escape her(on almost all occasions). The narration is not always linear but it was easy to follow. I liked the author's style of narration and enjoyed the way she talked about her surroundings. Every aspect of living her life is tackled within those pages ranging from food to medical treatments. It is filled with details and anecdotes and if that sounds like something you would be interested in, I highly recommend reading it!
Susie and her husband (mostly Susie was by herself) move to rural France because of strained financial circumstances. They buy a house and land which needed a lot of work to be comfortably habitable. Then her adventure begins. As her husband travels up and down to maintain a job in England, she spends a lot of time on her own navigating the routines of her new life and assorted neighbours and possible friends. There are a lot of animals and a few birds thrown into the mix, some of them came with her from England while others get added because of one reason or another. It is a slow and painful undertaking with some respite in between. Despite all of the hardships, the humour of the situations does not escape her(on almost all occasions). The narration is not always linear but it was easy to follow. I liked the author's style of narration and enjoyed the way she talked about her surroundings. Every aspect of living her life is tackled within those pages ranging from food to medical treatments. It is filled with details and anecdotes and if that sounds like something you would be interested in, I highly recommend reading it!
December 19, 2018
(Paperback version) As with all the other Susie Kelly books I've read, this is quite a page-turner. Susie's style of writing is always likeable and easy-going, with plenty of dashes of humour throughout. How she survived those early years in France, I'll never know! Having lived there myself, much of this book reads so very true to life, conveying very well the lifestyle that awaits the new anglais ex-pat and the fun one can expect when dealing with authorities and pesky ex-pat visitors in need of assistance. This particular book is in a fairly large format with big, clear print which I much prefer over the Kindle, and includes a few b&w photos at the back. I really enjoyed Susie's two Kenyan books, whereas this reads more like Swallows & Robins, feeling more down-to-earth and familiar to me. Recommended reading for anyone thinking of buying a bargain ramshackled property 'à refraichir' and upping sticks to la Belle France. 4.25/5
February 11, 2019
The eye catching book cover promised a story filled with anecdotes of horses, dogs and parrots relocating to France - and didn't disappoint!
From the first to the last page, Susie's adventures with her menagerie of animals, renovating a crumbling farmhouse, encountering strange neighbours and outings in tinker belle the 2cv, are a delight to read, resulting in many laugh out loud moments!
This book offers an insight into the reality of moving to France, yet retains the dream of enjoying the ever changing French countryside, amazing night skies and the magic sounds of owls and nightingales.
I absolutely loved it!
From the first to the last page, Susie's adventures with her menagerie of animals, renovating a crumbling farmhouse, encountering strange neighbours and outings in tinker belle the 2cv, are a delight to read, resulting in many laugh out loud moments!
This book offers an insight into the reality of moving to France, yet retains the dream of enjoying the ever changing French countryside, amazing night skies and the magic sounds of owls and nightingales.
I absolutely loved it!
August 8, 2019
I love books like this, ex-pats move to foreign country. If I were younger, and no so set in my ways (I want conveniences!), I would loved to have move to Italy, Spain, or France myself. Even Germany, England...etc... I still enjoy reading about the brave souls who do it. So daunting and brave! Taking such risks and starting over in a new culture with a new language! I cringed and laughed my way through this book and vicariously imagined what Susie Kelly lived. Heart stopping, but so entertaining! For anyone who has ever thought of moving abroad, this one is for you! Kudos Susie!
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
August 18, 2022
What a wonderful and enjoyable read, thank you, Susie.
In an honest and down-to-earth way, Susie details the hardships faced when renovating their dilapidated farmhouse along with the rundown buildings, a task not for the faint-hearted. Lack of heating, electricity or a proper bathroom did not deter Susie and her husband, Terry, who due to their business hitting the decks and a severe lack of money, had to return to the UK to find work to support their new venture.
Determined to embrace the French way of life, they integrate themselves into the village and customs, very soon becoming friends with the villagers and working hard at learning the language.
In an honest and down-to-earth way, Susie details the hardships faced when renovating their dilapidated farmhouse along with the rundown buildings, a task not for the faint-hearted. Lack of heating, electricity or a proper bathroom did not deter Susie and her husband, Terry, who due to their business hitting the decks and a severe lack of money, had to return to the UK to find work to support their new venture.
Determined to embrace the French way of life, they integrate themselves into the village and customs, very soon becoming friends with the villagers and working hard at learning the language.
March 7, 2021
I do not know how so many crazy, scary, hilarious, dumbfounding, horrifying, and nerve wracking experiences can happen to a couple who decides to move from their home in England to a remote rural village in France and purchasing a dilapidated farmhouse that is literally falling apart. Throw in five dogs, two horses, assorted parrots, eccentric neighbors, living conditions that would have been BETTER in a tent, and Susie Kelly works her usual magic of drawing the reader into her life and making the book hard to put down!
April 2, 2019
Charming read
I love tales of expats, especially brits in Europe. Susie moves to rural France while her husband stays in England to earn a living. With a house full of dogs, horses and chickens, many of her stories revolve around her animals. Others revolve around the odd characters she befriends. Each chapter tells a ta!e making the book a collection of short stories tied together by time and place.
I love tales of expats, especially brits in Europe. Susie moves to rural France while her husband stays in England to earn a living. With a house full of dogs, horses and chickens, many of her stories revolve around her animals. Others revolve around the odd characters she befriends. Each chapter tells a ta!e making the book a collection of short stories tied together by time and place.
May 16, 2021
I always wondered why Susie went to live in France
As a big fan of the tv programme A Place in the Sun, I always wondered how people got on after they found their dream home. This book gives an insight into several expats lives. It would make a great TV series. It would certainly give A year in Provence a run for it's money. I have read several of Susie books and this is one of my favourites.
As a big fan of the tv programme A Place in the Sun, I always wondered how people got on after they found their dream home. This book gives an insight into several expats lives. It would make a great TV series. It would certainly give A year in Provence a run for it's money. I have read several of Susie books and this is one of my favourites.
February 18, 2019
Congratulations
On another wonderful book by Susie Kelly. I was amazed how she and her husband managed to turn a fallen down farm into their own oasis. The variety of personalities of friends and neighbors coupled with all the animals while juggling a major renovation will keep your interest throughout the book.
On another wonderful book by Susie Kelly. I was amazed how she and her husband managed to turn a fallen down farm into their own oasis. The variety of personalities of friends and neighbors coupled with all the animals while juggling a major renovation will keep your interest throughout the book.
July 11, 2019
Great book
Very interesting and entertaining book about a British couple living in France. I especially love her descriptions about the animals, very funny, almost Herriot-like in her style. I admire her courage in starting over in a new country and wish her and her husband well.
Very interesting and entertaining book about a British couple living in France. I especially love her descriptions about the animals, very funny, almost Herriot-like in her style. I admire her courage in starting over in a new country and wish her and her husband well.
February 8, 2020
I struggled to get through this book. At times it just seemed that there was no real storyline, just a bunch of very random anecdotes strung together. Plus, the author seemed like such a big pushover that at times I wished I could reach through the book shake her by the shoulders and tell her to stop handing out her phone number and letting people take advantage of her.
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