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youkirmv's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
ecleirs23's review
5.0
A simple book. It has got easy pace. I wanted to start the new year with some happy read as well as waned to pick something, where I could find some parallels with my life. Well, couldn't find much though :D.
It's about the sudden changes, drastic changes in Max's life and how he (fate actually) sails him easily through turbulent times. All characters are likable and believable. The story is centered around Vineyard and Wine. That made me sift through my another favorite book Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris.
This has got loads of paragraphs about small town, bistro, eateries, various French delicacies, Sunshine, french eccentricities, back-and-forth-Englishman-Frenchman retorts, taste of wines and so on.
If yuh want to ease yourself and want a quick read go for it. It's perfect laid-back read :)
There's lovely movie based up on same novel, starring Russel Crowe. It's one of the most feel-good movies.
It's about the sudden changes, drastic changes in Max's life and how he (fate actually) sails him easily through turbulent times. All characters are likable and believable. The story is centered around Vineyard and Wine. That made me sift through my another favorite book Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris.
This has got loads of paragraphs about small town, bistro, eateries, various French delicacies, Sunshine, french eccentricities, back-and-forth-Englishman-Frenchman retorts, taste of wines and so on.
If yuh want to ease yourself and want a quick read go for it. It's perfect laid-back read :)
There's lovely movie based up on same novel, starring Russel Crowe. It's one of the most feel-good movies.
alexware's review
3.0
The usual Mayle fare, no great literary merit but just what I wanted during a stressful work week in January.
ltroge03's review
5.0
This book is WAY better than the movie...and quite different. It is a great one, and apparently some of his other books are even better Sam says.
sagethuja's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ehays84's review
4.0
I don't read many books like this, but I needed something easy on the ears so to speak, and hanging out in Provence when it's below 10 degrees around here was pretty nice. I knew what to expect, so I wasn't expecting a masterpiece, but I would say this was a charming piece of escapist literature, in all of its best connotations. It was well-written, if the characters were somewhat stereotypical. It was more than just a story about wine and Provence, and the plot (without doing spoilers) was compelling enough to give fuel to the read. I did watch the movie a long time ago, and enjoyed that, but I can't remember enough about the movie to compare them, really. Reading this book was a bit like sipping a glass of wine with some good cheese while watching a sunset on a back porch of a tumble down house in Provence. If that sounds like a good time to you, read on.
lucyatoz's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A Good Year by Peter Mayle is only just a good book! Max Skinner, recently resigned from his high-flying job in Finance, seriously in debt after being conned out of a big bonus by his boss, and finding the ideal opportunity to leave the big smoke behind for a small village in the South of France, after his Uncle dies, leaving him his 18th century house and vineyard along with a gruff employee, Roussel.
Some good, and not so good wine, some beautiful ladies, and one lady who is looking to con him again with the aid of a smooth talking wine seller! With a toff real estate agent who happens to be his former brother-in-law and an amateur wine connoisseur, and an American woman, who happens to work at a winery in California, the story ends up as a wine goose chase for all involved!
It was an entertaining story, with some humourous moments. Certainly not a full-bodied red wine, more like the house red!
Some good, and not so good wine, some beautiful ladies, and one lady who is looking to con him again with the aid of a smooth talking wine seller! With a toff real estate agent who happens to be his former brother-in-law and an amateur wine connoisseur, and an American woman, who happens to work at a winery in California, the story ends up as a wine goose chase for all involved!
It was an entertaining story, with some humourous moments. Certainly not a full-bodied red wine, more like the house red!
abrswf's review
4.0
What a fun listen. I downloaded the audible.com version, and very much enjoyed the narrator, John Lee, as well as the short interview with Peter Mayle at the end of the recording. Beware of laughing out loud as you listen, though!
kimatron's review
4.0
Nothing like the movie, but okay. I enjoyed the story and the characters. It's the first I've read by Mayle, but it seems to me that he and Ridley Scott had ideas about a story and then took them in completely different directions. I can say I like them both independently.