Playing House in Provence: How Two Americans Became a Little Bit French

Mary-Lou Weisman

Aug 2017 · iUniverse

About this ebook

Author Mary-Lou Weisman and her husband, Larry, didn’t want to tour a foreign country; they wanted to become part of it. They were eager to pierce the tourist veil, and get as close to the essence of the culture as they could. No more observing from the outside with their noses pressed to the glass. They yearned for someone to open the door and invite them to step right in and make themselves at home. They wanted to become so French that even Americans wouldn’t like them.

In September of 2003, the Weismans arrived in Provence, France, for the first of four, monthlong stays. Playing House in Provence follows them on their sometimes wonderful, sometimes humiliating, always playful pursuit, as they learn that feeling disoriented and stupid on a daily basis can be fun. So can looking up French words they need to ask for directions—où est la pharmacie—only to realize there’s pas une chance they will understand the answer.

“Funnier, smarter, and more wickedly honest than any memoir about Provence.”
—Sybil Steinberg
Contributing Editor, Publishers Weekly

About the author

Mary-Lou Weisman attended Brandeis University and Bryn Mawr College. She began her career as a journalist and columnist for the New York Times. Between 1998 and 2004, she served as a contributing commentator on Public Radio International’s Savvy Traveler and wrote a feature-length film for Paramount Pictures. She lives in Westport, Connecticut, with her husband, Larry. This is Weisman’s fifth book.

www.marylouweisman.com