In Foreign Fields

Who hasn't dreamt of living in France? For Susie that dream comes true... but not in the way she had imagined. Yes, the countryside is spacious and peaceful... on summer nights the stars skim the rooftops, the owls hoot and the nightingales sing. Sunflowers smile from their fields. Then there's the food and the wine: the wine is cheap and the baguettes are crusty. The French neighbours are generous and gentle. But then come the drug addicts, builders who cannot build, demanding compatriots, undercover cops and unwelcome guests. Susie begins to lose hope of attracting the fabled French philanderer and, far from appreciating their new home, the animals do everything they can to make life as difficult as possible. With her house literally crumbling around her, the number of odd characters Susie manages to attract are only matched by the assortment of creatures appearing from in and out of the woodwork. When her husband almost dies, Susie's resilience and good humour are tested to the limit. Another delightful, very funny, memoir from the witty & wise travel author Susie Kelly.