Why a Booktrail?
2000s: They say a change is as good as a rest.
2000s: They say a change is as good as a rest.
When married couple Fern and Aiden have a windfall, their reactions could not be more different. While Fern is content to pay off their mortgage and build a nest egg before starting a family, her husband is set on traveling the world.
Fern’s not much of a back-packer so, before she knows it, the idea of a ‘marriage gap year’ takes shape. And, as Aiden heads off to the wilds of Australia, Fern chooses the more restful Provence for her year out.
Set amidst the glorious French scenery, Château de Vernon offers a retreat from the hustle and bustle of normal life, and Fern agrees to help out in return for painting lessons from the owner – renowned, but rather troubled, painter Nico.
As their year unfolds in very different ways, will the time apart transform their marriage, or will it drive Fern and Aiden even further apart…
The village and area in the book are fictional but it’s in the east of the region.
“The Provence Alpes region is referred to as the gateway to the Cote D’Azur. Obviously, people celebrate the beautiful sea views of the renowned French Riviera but inland, and just beyond le Bois Saint-Vernon, the deeply wooded mountains are truly a sight to behold.”
The Lavender fields nearby
We did the lavender trail in July once, but that was in the Luberon, It was the first time I’d heard it referred to as blue gold. A trip to Les Agnels Distillerie Lavande included a tour of the processing plant and the field. The depth of the colour is imprinted on my memory as if was yesterday. It was an endless glow of deep, purply-blue extending out over a vast plain, with the smoky-grey mountains on the horizon. It was unbelievable.”
Judging by the book cover alone you can see how it inspired artists and creatives such as Picasso and Matisse!
The changing landscape
The landscape is already beginning to change gain as the incline levels out. We’re now passing endless orchards of evergreen olive trees and the leaves flashing past the window are like a waving stripe of soft, muted green. A ribboned scarf of colour floating in the breeze.”
Destination/location: Provence Author/guide: Lucy Coleman Departure Time: 2000s
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