Review: Picnic in Provence

Several years ago, Elizabeth Bard documented her transition into the French culture in her first memoir, Lunch in Paris, which I loved.  When I found out she’s continued her story in Picnic in Provence, I was excited to read the book and, happily, was not disappointed.

Bard and her husband Gwendal, along with their infant son, visited Provence and fell in love with the area and decided to relocate there.   Their house needed a lot of work but they quickly fell into the slower pace of life in Provence.  Bard cooked with local ingredients and wrote while her husband ran his consulting company.  When he’s offered a chance for bigger and better things, they decided they can’t bear to leave Provence so he came up with the idea to open an ice cream shop.  Throughout the book, Bard writes of the fresh, local foods she gets and the dishes she creates with them and ends each chapter by sharing the recipes she writes about.

I thought Picnic in Provence was just as delightful as Lunch in Paris.  Bard shares the good and bad of adjusting to life in a different culture.  She’s learned the language, loves the food, and does all she can to absorb the culture but still feels like an outsider at times.  At other times, she feels she’s right where she belongs.  Having lived in France myself, I could totally relate to her feelings.  Bard writes with a lot of heart so I found Picnic in Provence hard to put down.  I thoroughly enjoy this book and I recommend it to Francophiles and those who like memoirs and/or foodie books.

I will link this up to Weekend Cooking which is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.

Review copy provided by Hachette Books. I am an Indiebound Affiliate.