Synopses & Reviews
Barber Guillaume Ladoucette has always enjoyed great success in his tiny village in southwestern France, catering to the tonsorial needs of Amour-sur-Belle's thirty-three inhabitants. But times have changed. His customers have grown older and balder. Suddenly there is no longer a call for Guillaume's particular services, and he is forced to make a drastic career change. Since love and companionship are necessary commodities at any age, he becomes Amour-sur-Belle's official matchmaker and intends to unite hearts as ably as he once cut hair. But alas, Guillaume is not nearly as accomplished an agent of amour, as the disastrous results of his initial attempts amply prove, especially when it comes to arranging his own romantic future.
For every reader who adored Chocolat, Julia Stuart's The Matchmaker of Périgord is a delectable, utterly enchanting, and sinfully satisfying delight.
Review
“Following these gentle folks on their blind dates and awkward reentries into the field of romance is a sweet and simple pleasure. Stuart…does manage to richly evoke the fecund sights and smells of rural France…[A] delightful, excursion to a kinder, gentler place.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“A warm, funny novel about life and love in rural France...Stuarts zesty narrative style is tailor-made for farce...Stuart injects her own brand of va-va-voom into this classic formula.” The Independent Extra (London)
Review
“This frothy debut, as enchanting as Joanne Harriss Chocolat, follows Guillaume Ladoucette, a barber in southwestern France.” More Magazine
Review
“Filled with enchanting settings and a brilliant attention to detail, Stuarts first novel is an enjoyable trip through the sweetness, sadness, and hilarity that love-and life-often brings.” Library Journal
Review
"Debut novelist Stuart infects Amour-sur-Belle's byzantine lore with whimsy...and sensual detail." Publishers Weekly
Review
“A hilarious romp off the beaten track. Love it to bits.” Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat and Gentlemen and Players
Review
“Debut novelist Stuart infects Amour-sur-Belles byzantine lore with whimsy…and sensual detail.” Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
"A hilarious romp." --Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat
The charming tale of a small French town in which the local barber, whose business is failing as his clients grow older and lose their hair, decides to become the town matchmaker
Barber Guillaume Ladoucette has always enjoyed great success in his tiny village in southwestern France, catering to the tonsorial needs of Amour-sur-Belle's thirty-three inhabitants. But times have changed. His customers have grown older--and balder. Suddenly there is no longer a call for Guillaume's particular services, and he is forced to make a drastic career change. Since love and companionship are necessary commodities at any age, he becomes the town's official matchmaker and intends to unite hearts as ably as he once cut hair. But alas, Guillaume is not nearly as accomplished an agent of amour, as the disastrous results of his initial attempts amply prove, especially when it comes to arranging his own romantic future.
For every reader who adored Chocolat, Julia Stuart's The Matchmaker of P rigord is a delectable, utterly enchanting, and sinfully satisfying delight.
About the Author
Julia Stuart is an award-winning journalist and lives in Bahrain. This is her first novel.