'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