Sometimes the Internet is a magical place. Recently I was contacted by someone out of the blue – this actually happens quite often, thanks to social media making it easy to get in touch with pretty much anyone – but this time, it was from someone with whom I have a lot in common! We both love France, the French language and French food, we’re both French teachers and we both own homes in France!
Giselle Bawnik is the Director of Say It In French Language School which she founded in 1993 in Portland, Oregon. She’s been teaching French for over twenty years and in 1991, bought a house in Monflanquin, France – about 90 minutes north-east of our home in Nérac. In this 13th century village, Giselle found herself experiencing an “unexpected magical and personal transformation as she realizes a lifelong dream of owning a house in France and begins a love affair with the town’s residents”, documented in the delightful My Little French Village, which Giselle kindly sent me a copy of and which I pretty much read in one sitting.
About the book:
MY LITTLE FRENCH VILLAGE tells the story of an American French teacher feeling frustrated and alienated while traveling in the country she loves until she buys a house in France and establishes a presence in a small French village population, 2000. During a time in her life, when she struggles with the loneliness of empty nest, she reaches out bravely to her neighbors. In the village, she learns to abandon her big city defenses and dance to the rhythm of the village people. Chance encounters turn into friendships, and all worries about being an outsider melt away with the warmth of the town’s people. The book’s cast of characters, be it the benevolent plumber, the sexy aqua gym instructor, a courageous female taxi driver, or the amazing woman, a former banker who lives alone with 39 goats is sure to bring a smile to readers everywhere and a few chuckles. MY LITTLE FRENCH VILLAGE offers readers a chance to live vicariously in a small French town where life is inherently good.
Honestly, if your summer doesn’t include a trip to France, this might just be the next best thing!
This is a short read – just over 100 pages – rather than a novel, it’s a collection of vignettes of life in Monflanquin so you can read a chapter at a time (but you most likely will read it in one sitting like I did!). It would be a wonderful accompaniment to your evening apéro – enjoy a chapter each evening for a few days and imagine you’re in France while you do!
Giselle paints a very accurate portrait of life in a small French village (Monflanquin is much smaller than Nérac but small French towns are still small French towns!) with a mixture of bemusement but also curiosity and a desire to truly understand life in and the people of this town. Her observations about French culture are spot on and sensitive, rather than question why things are different than back home (you know, when you really need the plumber and they just don’t phone back immediately) and get frustrated, Giselle is accepting of how things are done differently and finds great pleasure in the slower pace and different way life is lived in a medieval village.
This little read is truly a breath of fresh air and even though it’s a few years old (published 2015), it stands the test of time. I can guarantee that if you were to show up in Monflanquin tomorrow, you’d find Denise and Mazarine gossiping on the town bench still 😉 You’ll also be fascinated to read Giselle and her husband’s non-traditional path to purchasing a home in France (it’s actually a house shared between six owners, a really neat way to do things!).
If, like many people, you won’t be getting to France in person this year, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this book for some armchair travel. Warning: you might end up wanting to buy a house in France too (or, at the very least, rent Giselle’s place which you can do here). A delightful read!
Experience My Little French Village for yourself!
Buy My Little French Village on Amazon. You can also purchase the book from Giselle’s site.
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Disclosure: Giselle sent me a copy of the book for review. I was not asked to write about this book, not am I being compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and I only share products/ books I truly love and think readers will be interested in.
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MY BOOK! In the French kitchen with kids is out now! Click here for details and how to order!
These little books are often an indication that the everyday – the things we don’t think about too much – are often really very interesting when viewed through somebody else’s eyes. Nice post, Mardi.
100% – life in a small town in France does make you stop and smell the roses, so to speak!