Synopses & Reviews
Tim Reinhart enters a wondrous world the moment he buys a
farmhouse in rural France. Or, in his marvelous words, "From the
moment I saw this property, I had a bead on it. I can't completely explain
why, but I had an intense feeling of belonging."
Letters to his family back home sweep the reader up in Tim's
awakening to the pastoral French lifestyle. From the meals (a solemn,
semireligious rite) to the delightfully quirky neighbors, we share Tim's
ever-growing pleasures.
But his enchantment grows more complicated when his drawings—
and then Tim himself—catch the eye of Mademoiselle Benoir, a beautiful
woman twenty years his senior. Their decision to marry sets off a cluster
bomb, uncovering incendiary layers of emotional and cultural complexity
on both sides of the Atlantic, as his family tries to reason with him, her
family declares war, and the villagers choose sides. Will tradition triumph
over love?
Review
"An exuberant plunge into rural French life . . . a thoroughly satisfying and thoughtful story of love triumphant."
Review
A Book Sense Pick: "C'est magnifique!"
Review
A Summer Reading Recommendation from NPR's Morning Edition
Review
"'A Year in Provence' meets 'Le Mariage' in this epistolary first novel....Mademoiselle Benoir combines middle-aged romance with lots of day-to-day detail about life in rural France...a pleasant excursion. Catherine Deneuve would be a perfect Catherine; and for Tim, who else but Ashton Kutcher?" The New York Times Book Review
"The letters in Mademoiselle Benoir crackle as they describe a love story of depth and power . . . A lively, lovely novel." -- Jacquelyn Mitchard
A Book Sense Pick: "C'est magnifique!"
"An exuberant plunge into rural French life . . . a thoroughly satisfying and thoughtful story of love triumphant." Booklist, ALA
A Summer Reading Recommendation from NPR's Morning Edition
Synopsis
Abandoning his teaching career in New York to pursue his long-time dream of becoming an artist, Tim Reinhart purchases a farmhouse in rural France, where he is introduced to the pastoral French lifestyle, his quirky neighbors, and Mademoiselle Benoir, a beautiful, aristocratic woman twenty years his senior, with whom he falls in love. Reprint.
Synopsis
Tim Reinhart enters a wondrous world the moment he buys a
farmhouse in rural France. Or, in his marvelous words, From the
moment I saw this property, I had a bead on it. I cant completely explain
why, but I had an intense feeling of belonging.
Letters to his family back home sweep the reader up in Tims
awakening to the pastoral French lifestyle. From the meals (a solemn,
semireligious rite) to the delightfully quirky neighbors, we share Tims
ever-growing pleasures.
But his enchantment grows more complicated when his drawings--
and then Tim himself--catch the eye of Mademoiselle Benoir, a beautiful
woman twenty years his senior. Their decision to marry sets off a cluster
bomb, uncovering incendiary layers of emotional and cultural complexity
on both sides of the Atlantic, as his family tries to reason with him, her
family declares war, and the villagers choose sides. Will tradition triumph
over love?
Synopsis
Christine Conrad's charming and spirited novel offers a fresh look at life's pleasures in the French countryside. Thirty-something American Tim Reinhart leaves New York and purchases a farmhouse in rural France, where he fills his days restoring the property and pursuing his artistic passion. Letters to his family and friends back home vividly illustrate Tim's blissful immersion in the divine meals, deep-rooted customs, and quirky community of his new pastoral surroundings. But his enchantment grows more complicated when he befriends another artist -- his beautiful and much older neighbor, Catherine Benoir. As their relationship escalates, tensions run high on both sides of the Atlantic. From her aristocratic family's fiery protests and his parents' pleas of caution to the astonishing response of the village locals, Tim and Catherine's love affair triggers explosive reactions.
About the Author
CHRISTINE CONRAD has worked as the New York City film commissioner, as an editor in book publishing, as a screenwriter for motion pictures and television, and as an advocate for women's health. Her most recent book, Jerome Robbins, is a pictorial biography inspired by her long friendship with the choreographer. Conrad lives in Los Angeles.