| A Good Year (Mayle, Peter (Large Print)) | 
 enlarge | Author: Peter Mayle
Publisher: Random House Large Print
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy Used: $5.13
You Save: $20.87 (80%)
Used (8) from $5.13
Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 870156
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Edition: Largeprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0375433635
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780375433634
ASIN: 0375433635
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Some wear on book from reading, some spine creases, wear on binding and pages, we guarantee all purchases and ship all items via USPS mail.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Terrific Little Novel April 28, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
"A Good Year" is a book I picked at random and absolutely fell in love with. Not even 300 pages, it's a breezy and light-hearted book that is both funny and charming...The cover, which proclaims "perfect for summer reading!" is beyond accurate. The book is about Max Skinner, a ruthless stock market executive, who suddenly loses his job. On the same day he finds out that his beloved Uncle Henry has passed away and Max, being his only next of kin, has inherited his French estate and adjacent vineyard. Despite Henry's wishes for Max to keep the place, Max's best friend Charlie informs him that he has a chance to make quite a bit of money if he sells it. Everything sounds great until Max arrives on the property and discovers a few problems. The first problem is that a man named Roussel and his wife, the couple who live on the estate, are not very keen on leaving. The second problem is that the wine the vineyard produces is a step above poison and the third, most devastating, problem is that an American woman named Christie has arrived and claims to be Henry's illegitimate daughter. As he still ponders selling the vineyard, Max finds himself falling for a local girl named Fanny and discovering that the place might not be so bad after all. The book is not only terrific (although it contains shades of "Sideways"), but it is also vastly better than it's recent Ridley Scott-directed film adaptation. If you've seen the film and don't really see a reason to read the book, look again. This is a delightful novel and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
GRADE: A
 Wine, Food, and France April 18, 2007
I listened to this book on CD and it transported me to another place and time. It was a delightful escape from my daily grind. I enjoyed Mr. Mayle's graphic description of food, drink, and life in rural France. The characters were interesting, but their development were a bit flimsy. This book has a twist which starts out a bit confusing, but is later revealed with a little suspense. The art of wine tasting and wine trends are also explored in this book through the characters interactions. This book is a fun read for a foodie and or a wine enthusiast.
A great book for a person short on time. April 12, 2007
I picked up this copy of "A Good Year" at my local [...]. I bought it on a whim, not sure exactly why. It was relatively cheap which was a bonus. I set it down in my bedroom and never thought much more about it. Finally, one day, I was looking around for something to read and saw it. Being a little interested and seeing nothing else better at the time, I picked it up and started reading. Immediately, I was hooked. The writing style is on target. The pace is fast, but not hurried. There's no long periods of flash backs, detailed analysis of the furniture and a history of road construction in France. What the reader needs to know is relayed to him/her. What information is required to set the scene is provided. Anything else is left to the readers imagination. In other words, this book is perfect for the reader who is short on time, but still wants the privilige of enjoying a good story. Chapters are divided up into aproximately 10 minute blocks if I had to guess. I've not timed them, of course, but they're short and complete the scene. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story and doesn't have a lot of time to invest in a 500+ page epic novel. I may even rent the movie, who knows?
 Overall it's fun, entertaining, breezy and `good', but this is one of the few times I welcomed the film adaptations liberties... March 12, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
One good thing about `A Good Year' is that it's a very easy, breezy read. I was able to plow through the entire novel in a weekend. It flows nice, it's far from complicated and it's just easily entertaining. That said, it's not what I expected and it left me a little bitter in some areas. I say this because what moved me to read this novel in the first place was the film starring Russell Crowe (of whom I'm a massive fan of) and when I saw how the characters and such differed so much from the films interpretation I was a bit put off. Maybe if I had read the novel first I would have enjoyed it a little more, but I couldn't help but think about how much more I enjoyed Russell Crowe's cocky and self-centered portrayal of Max Skinner over the books `every-man' approach.
But, this is a review of the book, not the movie, and like I said, the book is a delightful read full of fun characters and a beautiful atmosphere. Peter Mayle's writing style is simple and direct and makes the experience an easy one to swallow and one that is easily enjoyed. I will say, I learnt a lot about wine, and I thought I knew a lot already (my father is a huge wine connoisseur) and Mayle's descriptions of certain colors, flavors and all around perceptions of specific wines is entertaining to say the least.
The story consists of Max Skinner, a recently fired investment broker living in London with a slew of bills to pay and no money within reach with which to pay them (another stark contrast to the film). When he receives word that his Uncle Henry has died and has left him his home in France Max sees this as a possible escape, from life, from drama and most importantly, from debt. After being persuaded and or prodded along by his dearest friend Charlie he makes his way to France to lay claim to his new home, and what a beautiful home it is. For the first time in Max's life he's a home owner with land to boot and upon arriving not only is he greeted with the prospect of a successful winery (I say prospect...you'll understand) but he's also greeted by quite a few lovely ladies including Fanny, the beautiful owner of Max's new favorite restaurant as well as his notaire Nathalie Auzet.
That's all until another woman makes her way into the picture, a young Californian named Christie Roberts claiming to be the late Henry's daughter. If her claim is true it could mean that the property, the home and in essence Max's newfound life is really hers. He stands to lose everything he's grown accustomed to loving. Despite this, and here's another reference to the film adaptation, Max never seems to let it bother him too much. Just as an example, the dinner scene in the film with the Roussel's is much more entertaining than the one supplied here in the novel.
About two thirds into the book something I didn't expect to happen happened, Peter Mayle decides to throw in a bit of mystery. While the mystery itself isn't a drawback, it's still another reason why I prefer the movie over the novel. The mystery doesn't fit as nicely as it could have and comes off a bit pretentious. Despite all the differences, both the novel and the film are delightful experiences and I think any reader of the novel should see the film and visa-versa. Mayle isn't the most accomplished and or detailed writer, but he knows how to develop a breezy fun prose and delivers an entertaining experience regardless of which version (book or film) you prefer.
Good fluff March 1, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I wasn't expecting to like this book, I admit. I say the title, I saw the cover, and figured it was another mainstream `Oprah-esque' book (I'm notorious for hating those - don't even talk to me about The Lovely Bones). But, it was a recommendation, and I had to give it a fair shot. And it was... good. The characters were wonderfully written and very enjoyable. The plot started off like a shot, then lagged a bit, but really picked up at the end. There was a hint of mystery, some action, and a flirtatious bit of romance. It suffers in its rating only for being a bit anti-American in spots, or at least my over-sensitive mind thought so... Still, a well-written good story of generic fiction, something anyone would enjoy.
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