An Englishman à la Campagne: Life in Deepest France

by Michael Sadler

How do you plant leeks in cement-hard French soil, impress Gallic neighbours with your non-existent gardening credentials, and survive a seven-hour celebratory communion lunch? An Englishman à la Campagne is a wonderfully warm and witty follow-up to the author's account of his first year living in Paris. Now broadening his affectionate embrace to include the myriad facets of the French countryside, Sadler makes you laugh, makes you think, and makes you love the place.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Dorina Danila · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte ușoară, amuzantă, care m-a binedispus și m-a făcut de câteva ori să râd în hohote.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really being a fan of France and all that is French, I enjoyed this book simply because of the way the author wrote it. It is very humourous, in a clever, witty and wry kind of way. Naturally, there was a fair bit of the French language used in this book, and it got a bit frustrating, as there was often no translation supplied.

[Taryn Fryer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the sense of humour a little bit on the nose and also very cliched. I'm afraid this is going straight to the charity bin.

[Emma Rosen · Rating 1 out of 5]

A bit dull. You need to be able to speak French to read it (I do, but thought I'd mention it). A few colloquial words that would now be considered slurs.

[Alex Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Sadler's writing about a lone Englishman in France has received praise from sources ranging from Peter Mayle (whose own work seems to me to infinitely surpass Sadler's) to one of the Monty Python troop to King Charles III (when he was Prince of Wales). My own reaction must then be in the minority. "Punch" refers to Sadler's anecdotes as "charming, witty" but I found them to be riddled with heavy-handed whimsy and cutesiness, devoid of much entertainment value. In addition, Sadler's tendency to slobber after any attractive Frenchwoman whom he meets seems creepy rather than humorous.

[Ruprecht · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately Michael Sadler died suddenly, late 2022. Didn't particularly enjoy this book.
I thought the author wrote in a condescending manner about fellow English who helped him. Then there were the French paysans who accepted him into their community, in return they're at the receiving end of a supercilious, mocking Englishman. Furthermore, some of his behaviours/attitudes are significantly predatory and would not go unquestioned in the 21st Century.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book from the start, I laughed out loud on many occasions, his clever sharp characterization and self depreciating humour kept me amazed and entertained, wonderful stories from the most rural of areas, just so funny. Read it and enjoy.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some books are so bad that I chuck them in the box of paper we use to light the fire, to ensure they are never inflicted on anyone else. This is one of those.

[Sorin · Rating 3 out of 5]

O carte draguta ce merita citita dimineata, pe terasa din spatele casei, cu un croissant cu unt si o cafea sau seara alaturi de un pahar de vin rosu si branza maturata.

[Lynn Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gently humorous true story of a middle-aged man trying to be independent of his wife and travel through France for a summer.

[Kacper · Rating 4 out of 5]

chyba wiem gdzie pojade na najblizsze wakacje... lekka, prosta i przyjemna !