Book Review: Picnic in Provence

Rosemary, Olive and Parmesan Sables

Picnic in Provence
Author: Elizabeth Bard

Picnic in Provence is the follow-up book to Lunch in Paris which did outstandingly well.  Her second book is definitely a winner too!

I loved reading this book!  Memoirs or biographies are not for everyone but this one was one that spoke to me in more ways than one. I picked it up from the library by chance as I saw it on display in the browsery. Sometimes you love a book when you read it at the right time in life and the timing of this book was perfect for me. 

Elizabeth had moved to Paris after meeting her husband and her second book chronicles three life changing moments: her move to Cereste, France (which is in the Provence region), her first three years as a new mom, and the opening of a new business in ice cream.  Similar to her first book (which I haven't read), she includes recipes.  So, along with descriptions of life in France, great recipes, the hardships of starting a new business, and the feelings of being a mom, I was interested in all of it.  If she had written this several years ago, I don't know if I would have appreciated her trials and joys as a mom.  But, I think I would have enjoyed the book nonetheless because of all the other aspects.

I started putting little slips of paper into the book to bookmark a recipe and found I had >10 recipes that interested me which is a lot! I can't say they are all unique as I found a similar titled one in another book of mine, but most seem relatively simple (important when you have a toddler), had ingredients that I liked, and a lot were unique in some way.  And it helps that she describes them in a way that makes you want to eat it NOW! 

What I loved...

- Her description of the places she has walked through and the people that have entered her life
- The recipes. I found good variety and as I mentioned, many that I would love to try. But, I've only tried two so far (they were pretty good) - when I have tried more, I'll likely update this space.
- I also really admire her openess about certain things, like how she had to work at being a mom.
- She wrote lines that resonated with me (below are some quotes).
- The difficulties they encountered moving from a big city to the countryside and also the difficulties of starting a new business (a true Labour of Love)
- Little bits of neat info, like how they went to harvest saffron.


What I'd love to see more of...

- I loved the amount of personal info, storytelling, info about the town and recipes offered.  Of course I could say I'd love to see more recipes and more about Cereste but then I'd be greedy! 



Spoiler Alert (well not exactly), here are some quotes from the book that I liked.  There are many more:

"The other day, Amandine let us in on a little secret: the village has a public fig tree. ... See, I wanted to say to my mom, we may not have the Metropolitan Opera, but we have a communal fig tree."

"Americans are used to instantaneous everything, including friendship. We get giddy, a little desperate. making a friend in France is like training a lion; you have to approach slowly, over time." - there is actually quite a bit of America vs France comparison.

"What I really enjoy about being in Cereste is the length of the days, the way time rolls out smoothly in front of us, like the gentle rise of the fields. Don't get me wrong - I'm still greedy, but now I am greedy for time. I crave it like big bowls of soupe d'epeautre padding my rib cage and warming my organs."

"When my mother wants to tell me she's proud of me (and, I'm lucky to say, this happens quuite often), she says: 'You're the best thing I've ever done.' "

"If I can launch a happy human being out into the world, as my mother launched me, it will be the best thing I've ever done, certainly the most important"

Talking about one of their friends Marion..."Listening to her talk about where we could find wild licorice root or the sweetest apricots was equivalent to having an imaginary map of Provence spread out on the table in front of us. Like churchill moving miniature warships, she could pinpoint the best producers for each fruit - sometimes right down to the tree."

"We had stumbled into an unlikely life. All the five-year plans in the world wouldn't have gotten us here. Yet it's exactly the right place to be."

Loved it and would recommend!