Amy just finished reading The French House by Don Wallace and here is what she had to say
The writing is light, like a summer breeze, and you can almost picture the town, the shores and the surf. And did I mention the food?
Wallace takes you on a journey, the story of the home he and his wife purchased on a wing and a prayer and the process of restoring it while living in the US and discovering the real priorities and joys in life.
What I love is that it isn’t pretentious. This is a real couple who skimp and save in order to have their dream, who work for every dime, who make sacrifices and genuinely love and deserve the rewards. Don’s struggles with the French language make me smile even now, that’s how genuine the writing is. I just found this couple so real and so easy to relate to, their struggles, their drive to ‘find a way’. Their story resonates with me, and will with you too.
A wonderful cast of characters, and the evolution of the town and island, this is a journey you want to go along on with Don and his wife and son. From Gwened who harbours a few secrets to Madame Morgane and Suzanne, you feel like you know them by the end. I can picture the aperos (essentially a cocktail party, but with a French twist) outdoors and hear the laughter emanating from the friendships cultivated at them.
I just genuinely loved every page and know that you will too.
Don and Mindy Wallace made a leap many of us only dream of…they purchased a cottage on a remote island off the coast of Brittany sight unseen.
And then the roof caved in…literally.
It took eights year of rebuilding (with a new baby, stock market crash and nearly losing their illegal New York sublet in New York thrown in) until the Wallaces could spend a night in their new home.
The French House is a chronicle of their adventures navigating the eccentric personalities and politics of a small island, and restoring their own lives in the process of rebuilding their dream vacation getaway.
Available now in stores everywhere
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