If you're looking for a bit of escapism, look no further

My friend Laura just published her first book, a memoir, about her life in France. I've read it and I can say without question that it is a wonderful book. It's the kind of book that makes me hug myself, I'm so happy.

Right now it's available on eReader format for about $4. The paperback version will be available shortly.

I put a review up on Amazon, but I'll repeat it here. 

Haven’t we all had the fantasy of dropping everything and running away to a more exciting life in France? Fairy tales may not be real, but Laura Bradbury’s life comes pretty close.

As a young graduate of Oxford law, Laura’s path was predestined; she would remain in London, continue post-graduate work, and accept as a matter of course a grueling work schedule which would leave little time for anything else. Trouble was, she just couldn’t imagine her life in those terms, to the point where it induced crippling panic attacks.

She turned instead to the soft rolling hills and gentle light of the French countryside, to the small village where her French husband Franck was raised, in order to figure out what kind of future she really wanted. And that future, they decided together, would begin with the purchase of a decrepit 200-year-old winemaker’s cottage in the tiny village of Magny-les Villers.

The Grape Years is warm and honest memoir of that first year in Burgundy. Laura took a leap of faith and did what so many of us only dream about. It is pure escapism, a scrumptious story of love amidst the Burgundian ruins, with a side of local wine and cheese. It is also a triumph over inner demons, the ones that whisper lies and convince us we can’t have what we deserve to be happy.  I reveled in every detail, from polishing door hinges that date to the dawn of the French revolution to the tastes and smells of an open air market in France.

If you are a fan of A Year in Provence or Under the Tuscan Sun, you will love this book. The Grape Years is more than a memoir. It is a journey, a shining example of hope and joy, and a manual on how to find your bliss. I am looking forward to the next installment of la belle vie.

~*~

And the very very best part of all?  Laura and her husband now own several properties in Burgundy, and you rent one of them for your very own self! I'm going to. Who's with me? Show of hands who wants to join me and drink wine and eat baguettes slathered in cold, unsalted butter and jam and meander around the markets with a shopping basket (a real basket) full of cheese. Go HERE to have a look.

If you can't come with me, this memoir is the next best thing. Happy sigh.

Find it at Amazon.ca  or at  Amazon.com