The French House

The French House

<h2>"On a tiny French island, a couple of American dreamers redefine their lives by restoring a ruin...<em>The French House</em> moves to a soulful, very funny rhythm all its own."-Meryl Streep</h2><p> <strong>Don and Mindy Wallace</strong> have always been Francophiles, so when they had the opportunity to buy a home on a small French island off the coast of Brittany, they jumped-sight unseen-into a crumbling mess that challenged their finances and their family.</p><p> But when the Wallaces arrived on the island <strong>they found a building in ruin</strong>, and it wasn't long before their lives resembled it. Plagued by emergency repairs, a stock market crash, and very exasperated French neighbors, Don and Mindy could have accepted their fate. Instead, they embraced it.</p><p> <strong>Redolent with the beauty and flavors of French country life</strong>, <em>The French House</em> is a lively, inspiring, and irresistibly charming memoir. Fans of <strong><em>Under the Tuscan Sun</em></strong> (Frances Mayes), <strong><em>Paris in Love</em></strong> (Eloisa James), and <strong><em>A Year in Provence</em></strong> (Peter Mayle) will be enchanted by this account of a family that rises from the rubble, wins the hearts of a historic village, and finally finds the home they've been seeking off the wild coast of France.</p><h2> What readers are saying about The French House</h2><p>"<em>The French House</em> is engaging and well-written and <strong>will make even non-Francophiles yearn for a trip</strong> to France."</p><p> "With hauntingly beautiful descriptions of a tiny French island and its inhabitants, t<strong>his book will take you to a different place</strong>, and might even inspire you to reconsider your life and finally follow your dreams where you and your family can become whole."</p><p>"...<strong>charming and witty</strong> -- full of hope and despair about this crumbling structure they chose to inhabit and make a home." </p><p>"I was <strong>captivated</strong> from the outset and felt like I was on their island living it all with them. A great read!"</p> <h2>What reviewers are saying about The French House</h2><p>"Don Wallace has crafted <strong>a delicious French bonbon of a book</strong>...full of humor, hope, and lessons on how to live a life full of meaning."-Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of Devotion and Still Writing</p><p>"Village life vignettes, the sensual celebration of island pleasures, eccentric neighbors, cuisine, beach life, natural history-readers will find a smattering of all that in these pages, but it's the story below, like the unshakeable foundations of the house itself, that makes this such <strong>a satisfying read</strong>."-Rain Taxi Review </p><p>"The French House is a darling book that mixes local history, memoir, quirky characters, architectural challenges (what will the village elders do if they add windows to the second floor?) and humor...It was <strong>a lovely adventure</strong> and perfect for a summer read."-Under a Gray Sky</p><p> "<em>The French House</em> is a detailed, <strong>delightful</strong> memoir of their journey to restore a dilapidated abode into a beckoning sanctuary in an idyllic coast French countryside.. I have thoroughly been devouring it, and I think you will too."-The Simply Luxurious Life</p><p>"Author Don Wallace shares the heartwarming story about his family's 30-year journey to restore a ruined cottage on the tiny French island of Belle Ile off the coast of Brittany... readers are privy to the <strong>charming true story</strong> of a family's journey to create the perfect home away from home."--E! News</p>