One to France Living in France Book Reviews

Gripping account by Richard Hammond of life before and after his terrifying high-speed car crash

Richard Hammond is one of our most in-demand and best-loved television presenters. On September 20, 2006, he suffered a serious brain injury following a high-speed car crash, and the nation held its breath. On the Edge is his compelling account of life before and after the accident and an honest description of his year of recovery, full of drama and incident. It is also, perhaps, his explanation of why, as a married man and father of two young daughters, he was prepared to risk all by strapping himself to the front of a jet engine with the power of eleven Formula One cars. A daredevil and a petrolhead long before his association with Top Gear, Richard tells the story of his life as an adrenalin junkie, from the small boy showing off with ridiculous stunts on his bicycle to the adolescent with a near-obsessive attraction to speed and the smell of petrol. After a series of jobs in local radio, he graduated to television and eventually to Top Gear, one of the world's most popular shows, upgrading his car with each step up the ladder. His insights into the personalities, the camaraderie and, of course, the stunts for which Top Gear has become famous make compulsive reading.

One Unknown: A Powerful Account of Survival and One Woman's Inspirational Journey to Recovery and a New Life (Hardcover)
by Gill Hicks

Gill Hicks was on her way to work on a Piccadilly line tube train on 7 July 2005 when a terrorist bomb exploded in the carriage in which she was travelling. Amazingly, and against all the odds, she survived the blast, but due to the injuries she sustained, her legs had to be amputated. In this personal memoir, Gill recounts the events of that day, from facing the very real prospect that she might die and her subsequent fight to live, to later coming to terms with losing her legs and living life as a disabled person. The book includes excerpts from the diary she wrote during her rehabilitation, an account of her wedding day in December 2005, when she hit headlines all around the world, and traces the journey of her extraordinary recovery. Having survived this life-shattering experience, Gill asks important questions about how we set our priorities and the way we live our lives. She motivates readers to 'seize the day' and live life to the full while striving for a better, more tolerant world. Her powerful message has a broader audience than most 'ordinary' motivational books because of the experience out of which it was borne. This moving account is told with great integrity and honesty, and Gill's lack of self pity and keen sense of humour lighten the tone and make this book very special indeed.

A Piano in the Pyrenees: by Tony Hawks
The Ups and Downs of an Englishman in the French Mountains (Paperback)

Daily Mirror
"Hugely entertaining"

If you had to pick two things you wanted - if you had to - what would you pick? I hesitated.
This was a bigger question than usually got asked at these post-match debriefs. 'I suppose the honest answer would be,' I said, still accessing the last pieces of required data from a jumbled mind, 'meeting my soul mate, and finding an idyllic house abroad somewhere...' Inspired by breathtaking views and romantically dreaming of finding love in the mountains,

Tony Hawks impulsively buys an idyllic house in the French Pyrenees. And here, he imagines, he will finally fulfil his childhood fantasy of mastering the piano, all the while overlooking spectacular views as the troubles of the world pass by unnoticed. Tony's hopelessly ill-prepared stumbling into the world of overseas home ownership is perhaps best read as a useful manual of how not to go about buying a house abroad. He flirts with the removal business in a disastrous attempt to take his piano over to France in a dodgy white van; foolishly elects to build a swimming pool himself; and takes his experience of relationships to a new level when he finds himself co-habiting, not with a beautiful French woman, but with his old mate Ron the builder from West London.

Yet, as Tony and his small group of friends haplessly attempt to integrate themselves into local village life, they learn more about themselves and each other than they ever bargained for. And for at least one of them, love is found at last, in the most unexpected of places...

The first of the "Special Places" series, this established guide is a bestseller. With its huge variety and range of good value places to stay, it's an indispensable guide for those travelling round France - it is as much about making good friends as staying in really beautiful homes. Fresh, informative write-ups are backed up by excellent maps and directions, symbols and quick reference indices.

Kate Mosse's Labyrinth provides this year's gripping romp. The co-founder of the Orange Prize, already an established author of fiction, has written what she describes as her first work of commercial fiction.

Her love of the location around Carcassonne (where she lives some of the time) is evident from her generous descriptions of the city and the surrounding countryside; and her research into the details of the Cathars' lives and language is evidently extensive.

Set both in the present, and at the beginning of the 13th century, the book has two heroines: modern-day Alice, who begins the novel helping out on an archaeological dig, and Alaïs, a teenage girl in Carcassonne at the time of the Fourth Crusade, which was launched against the Cathars on the grounds of their heresy, although it was always in reality a land grab by northern France against the south.

(The Cathars broadly represent tolerance in the novel, often of a distinctly modern, anti-racist kind. According to the book's own explanation, the Cathars' belief was that the world was created by the devil, and that if they lived a good life and 'made a good end' they would be reunited with God. If not, they would be reincarnated on earth. But, probably for plot reasons, Mosse leaks this explanation late on, actually on page 437 - rather frustratingly if you know absolutely nothing about the period and have to keep thinking: 'Who are these people and what's the heresy?')

The novel slips between past and present, one life recalling and echoing the other, rather as one can sense the presence of previous inhabitants in the atmosphere seeping from the stones of old cities.

For Alice, the trouble starts when she falls into a mountain cave and finds two skeletons and an ancient ring with a labyrinth symbol, which it turns out that many (often unsavoury) people want to obtain. For Alaïs, it begins when her father entrusts her with one of the three books that are needed to summon the true grail.
Labyrinth is very much a Girl's Own story: a grail quest in which women aren't helpless creatures to be rescued, or decorative bystanders, but central to the action, with the capacity to change history. The villains, in both eras, are also women.

As one might expect of a labyrinth, it turns out that there are truths beyond the truths sought. There are twists and reversals, memories to be retrieved and reclaimed, lovers' misunderstandings to be reconciled, fragments of the past to be salvaged, and old betrayals to be, very satisfyingly, revenged

Geraldine Bedell The Observer

Buying a Home in France is essential reading for anyone planning to purchase property in France and is the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information available. Whether you're seeking a château, chalet, farmhouse, cottage or an apartment, a holiday or permanent home, this book will help make your dreams come true. Packed with over 200 pages of valuable information, it's designed to help you avoid costly mistakes and save time and money. If you're planning to buy a home in France or even just thinking about it--this is the book for you.
Buying a Home in France is designed to guide you through the property jungle and make buying a home a pleasant and enjoyable experience. Most importantly, it contains vital information to help you avoid the sort of disasters that can turn your dream home into a nightmare.

Going to Live in France: Your Practical Guide to Life and Work in France
by Alan Hart

An in-depth insight into life in France...gives the reader a real taste of France before setting foot outside the UK.
This is a clearly written compendium of information and advice for all visitors to France that covers all areas of life, but especially financial, legal and commercial topics. It also includes information regarding recreational and retirement issues.

Starting and Running a B and B in France: How to Make Money and Enjoy a New Lifestyle Running Your Own Chambre D'hotes

The aim of this book is to pass on the experiences which Deborah Hunt had in setting up and running a B&B in France. Her change of lifestyle meant a lot of hard work, but with lots of fun in between - which kept her going. From the Back Cover With the help of this book, you'll be able to enjoy a great new lifestyle in a wonderful country - and earn a decent living, too

Tells the story of a woman who followed her husband's dream to live in a picturesque village in France. They found a farmhouse near Bergerac which had a few hectares of vines. Sadly when her husband became ill with a debilitating condition and returned to England, Patricia found herself without an income and realised that her only means of support was the vineyard. Having little French, no knowledge of viticulture and unused to physical work she set out with determination to 'make a go' of the venture. Her story is inspiring- not least for the way the French neighbours rallied round her with generosity and genuine affection- but also, at times, her painful struggle to make the business successful.

One to France Review by Lynn Dorling

Other Reviewers said:

'Enthralling… you end up admiring this plucky, warm-hearted woman and lusting to sample her vinous output.' Christopher Hearst, Independent

'Anyone who has ever dreamed of owning a patch of vines in France and making wine should read Patricia Atkinson's book. The Ripening Sun is a more passionate tale than Anna Karenina, all the more moving for being non-fiction.' Malcolm Gluck, Guardian

From the Jacket

1st to Die is a dazzlingly powerful new thriller by master suspense novelist James Patterson, the No.1 bestselling author of Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider.

Four women - four friends - share a determination to stop a killer who has been stalking newlyweds in San Francisco. Each one holds a piece of the puzzle: Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco Police Department, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt is an assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas just started working the crime desk of the San Francisco Chronicle.

But the usual procedures aren't bringing them any closer to stopping the killings. So these women form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case by sidestepping their bosses and giving one another a hand.

The four women develop intense bonds as they pursue a killer whose crimes have stunned an entire city. Working together, they track down the most terrifying and unexpected killer they have ever encountered-before a shocking conclusion in which everything they knew turns out to be devastatingly wrong.

Full of the breathtaking drama and unforgettable emotions for which James Patterson is famous, 1st to Die is the start of a blazingly fast-paced and sensationally entertaining new series of crime thrillers.