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Reviews
A Piano In The Pyrenees: The Ups and Downs of an Englishman in the French Mountains by Tony Hawks
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
5.0
Really liked this, wasn't so keen on Round Ireland with a fridge which might explain why it took me a few years t get to this one!
patti_pinguin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
moogen's review against another edition
3.0
I prefer Tony Hawks when his humour is laugh out loud rather than whimsical. Still a pleasant enough diversion.
dannywith's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
msamir's review against another edition
5.0
An absolute gem of a book, just like his other books like Hitchhiking Around Ireland with a Fridge.
pizzamcpin3ppl3's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
sarah42783's review
3.0
An fun, light read and an excellent holiday read indeed! I'd never heard of Tony Hawks before but can't wait to read his other books:)
thesimplepastor's review
3.0
pyreneesI've been meaning to review this one for a couple of weeks now. Tony Hawks has made the most of his varied career as an entertainer it seems from writing about it. I've certainly laughed now through three of them.
Hawks specialises in weird travel, after all Round Ireland with a Fridge, & Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, are hardly standard travel fare. This is life at is creative, unplanned and slightly chaotic edge.
In this case Hawks buys on a house in the south of France following a conversation about his purpose in life while down the pub with some of his middle-aged mates. It turns out neither to be a disaster nor especially dramatic but mildly amusing in the way you might expect when you get a clash of cultures and a bloke whose idea of planning is to get out of bed in the morning.
It's not as laugh out loud funny as Round Ireland with a Fridge (His attempts at buying a van is funny though). It gets a bit maudlin towards the end as Hawks finds love, but its entertaining and amusing, with a nice line in self-deprecation and a comics view on life, love and the French. Worth a read if you're on holiday, especially if you're in France and you don't want your brain to have to make much effort on anything.
Hawks specialises in weird travel, after all Round Ireland with a Fridge, & Playing the Moldovans at Tennis, are hardly standard travel fare. This is life at is creative, unplanned and slightly chaotic edge.
In this case Hawks buys on a house in the south of France following a conversation about his purpose in life while down the pub with some of his middle-aged mates. It turns out neither to be a disaster nor especially dramatic but mildly amusing in the way you might expect when you get a clash of cultures and a bloke whose idea of planning is to get out of bed in the morning.
It's not as laugh out loud funny as Round Ireland with a Fridge (His attempts at buying a van is funny though). It gets a bit maudlin towards the end as Hawks finds love, but its entertaining and amusing, with a nice line in self-deprecation and a comics view on life, love and the French. Worth a read if you're on holiday, especially if you're in France and you don't want your brain to have to make much effort on anything.
marcella's review
1.0
Mildly homophobic narrator with entrenched gender roles makes impulsive decisions and affords it all on his writer's salary.
lordofthemoon's review
4.0
The man who makes silly bets is back. But this book isn't about hitchhiking around Ireland with a fridge, playing the Moldovans at tennis or getting a hit song in Europe, it's about Hawks' problems when he bought a house in the French Pyrenees, and the piano that he took there.
My worst fears were averted when the titular piano got safely to the house in about chapter two or three, leaving the rest of the book to be about him settling into life in a tiny French village. This book sees a middle-aged, more contemplative Hawks, reflecting on his life and his friends, with the house being the focus that draws this out.
The first half is quite amusing but it's the second that had the more laugh out loud moments. Very different, but possibly his best book since [b:Round Ireland with a Fridge|23316|Round Ireland with a Fridge|Tony Hawks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167398968s/23316.jpg|1360829]. In saying that, the person who gave me the book said that it doesn't necessarily have re-readability, so I'll reserve final judgement and see if it makes me want to read it again.
My worst fears were averted when the titular piano got safely to the house in about chapter two or three, leaving the rest of the book to be about him settling into life in a tiny French village. This book sees a middle-aged, more contemplative Hawks, reflecting on his life and his friends, with the house being the focus that draws this out.
The first half is quite amusing but it's the second that had the more laugh out loud moments. Very different, but possibly his best book since [b:Round Ireland with a Fridge|23316|Round Ireland with a Fridge|Tony Hawks|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167398968s/23316.jpg|1360829]. In saying that, the person who gave me the book said that it doesn't necessarily have re-readability, so I'll reserve final judgement and see if it makes me want to read it again.
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