Books - Peter Mayle's "A Good Year"

Let me start this post off by saying that I am in the middle of McCullough's book about building the Brooklyn Bridge, but I was at a good stopping point and I had noticed I was starting to have to slog through it a bit.

Sometimes, when I am reading a larger book, particularly a history of something (which inevitabely will drag somewhere), I often feel it is necessary to lay up half way or 3/4 of the way through and set it aside for a brief time, anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months.  It is customary during this time to choose lighter fare.

And so one day, as I slowly perused the shelves at the York County Library with my 6 year old daughter, whose own bag was full of mostly graphic novels and was imploring me to select a book of my own (but no romance novels, because Eww...) I pulled this book off the shelf.  Aside from the fact that it was made into a movie with Russel Crowe that did rather poorly I knew very little about it.  

The plot is pretty simple.  This dude, Mat Skinner, works at an investment firm in London.  He doesn't like his job much, and when one of the other members of the firm steals a deal out from under him he quits in a huff.  

But hey, guess what?  He's just inhereted a demi-chateau with acres of old vines from a deceased uncle in Southern France.  And guess what else?  He has a good buddy that just made partner at a real-estate firm and has more money than he knows what to do with - he loans Max the money necessary to pay his creditors and get the hell out of London to see if maybe there is a new life in France for him.  

So he goes to France.  And things go....pretty well.  I mean, the wine the chateau makes isn't very good, and the house needs a little work, but life in this little French town is so incredibly pleasant that those seem small cares.  Not even the appearance of the Uncle's illegitimite daughter from California can dampen his mood, even though she may have a claim to the property under the vaugeries of French law.  The fact that his life may all turn to shambles seem to be a minor inconvience in the sunshine of France combined with the delicious food, the good wine, and swaying hips of attractive females.  

And hey, guess what else?  There is one plot of vines on the property that makes excellent wine though in limited numbers, sold on the black market.  If Max can expose the buyers and get them to come to an agreement he might be able to sell it himself and make a tidy sum.  As these plans are worked out the daughter drops her claims to the house, preferring the arms of the real-estate agent (who happens to be visiting) and the promise of London.

The plot to expose the buyers doesn't go well, but it doesn't really matter.  They get off scott free but they are also out of the picture, so Max and company are free to sell their wine.  

So all's well that ends well.  The principal characters all end up in someone's bed, they have money and wine, and they are immensely happy.  

The End.  

It wasn't a bad book, though I am more of a beer man myself.  France fascinates me for some reason, though I know it has some serious problems.  The lack of real concnern, of real conflict, made this book pretty easy to put down even though it was well written, and my previously mentioned fascination with France made up for a slow plot and my incredulity over the incredible good luck of Mr. Skinner.  

That being said, Mr. Mayle may be another author for the one and done list, though perhaps some of his other books (he has written quite a few) are better.