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Monday, 21 July 2008 |
by Paul Williams
reviewed by Richard Manley
200p, €11+P&P from www.avagabondinfrance.com
All profits to the Parkinson’s Disease Society.
Paul was a housemaster at Winchester College and he
and his wife Rosie taught French and Spanish there.
His love of France does not stop him criticising the
deteriorating quality of local bakers’ bread, and the lack
of truly good family restaurants, particularly in the north.
But he rejoices in finding traditional examples. Even
when exhausted and fed up, there is a touch of affection
towards whatever left him feeling low, be it mad cows,
dangerous adolescents with a gun, overweight vamps…
This is not a ‘book of the road’, more a tale of lanes,
wild animals alive and dead (he has calculated the
average number of dead creatures per kilometre), people
and traditions, food and conversations overheard, of great
hospitality and occasionally the opposite. There is no
pretence at seeking an alternative way of life – Paul was
truly glad to get back to home comforts – but a reflection of the old adage that the journey is
more important than the arrival, and Paul’s journey includes its moments of self discovery.
The book is amusing and challenging, written with economy, precision and a gentle sense
of humour which is often self-deprecating. It turns up some quaint French comments and
includes several charming line drawings by Rosie. Strongly recommended.
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