Idle In Provence
A Brief History of Thyme
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Ebury Publishing
Published:10th Sep '26
Should be back in stock very soon
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£12.99(9781529976830)
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'Enchanting and hilarious' Stephen Fry
In 1971, two years after the launch of Monty Python’s Flying Circus made his comedy troupe global superstars - and made all their lives a little more complicated - Eric Idle decided to buy a ramshackle property in the south of France.
In search of a simpler, quieter life, what followed was a story akin to A Year in Provence, but with more disaster, more heartbreak, more laughs - and much more spam.
A tale spanning a fifty-year quest of home-building, friendship-making and bad-French-learning, Idle in Provence is a hilarious, tender and unforgettable memoir of Eric Idle's very own escape to the country.
Those who write about Provence usually end up with a book as twee as lavender tied up with silk ribbons. Somehow Eric Idle manages to bring the beauty, wonder and rapturous essence of the region to life while being wildly, blissfully and divinely funny. He’d better watch out, anyone who reads this enchanting and hilarious book will want to beat a path straight to his door. * Stephen Fry *
It's no surprise that Eric Idle’s account of his Provencal idyll is funny, smart and touched at times with charming celebrity appearances—what is more surprising is how much he ‘gets’ the spirit of French provincial life, and makes us share his love for its civilization without for a moment patronizing its citizens. * Adam Gopnik *
A fabulous escapist read by a comic genius, a Python in search of the meaning of life. * Saga Magazine *
A love letter... A moving, elegiac affair -- Adrian Chiles * Guardian *
Absorbing * The Telegraph *
Hilarious and heart-warming in equal measure -- Kathy Lette * HELLO Magazine *
ISBN: 9781529976816
Dimensions: 241mm x 163mm x 27mm
Weight: 520g
256 pages