A Piano in the Pyrenees: The Ups and Downs of an Englishman in the French Mountains

Inspired by breathtaking views and romantic fantasies of finding love in the mountains, Tony Hawks impulsively buys an idyllic house in the French Pyrenees. And here, he imagines, he will finally fulfill his childhood fantasy of mastering the piano, all the while overlooking spectacular views as the troubles of the world pass him by unnoticed. However, Tony’s hopelessly ill-prepared stumbling into the world of overseas homeownership is perhaps best read as a useful manual of how not to go about buying a house abroad. He flirts with the moving company in a disastrous attempt to take his piano over to France in a dodgy white van; foolishly attempts to build a swimming pool himself; and takes his experience of relationships to a new level when he finds himself cohabiting not with the expected beautiful French woman, but with his old buddy Ron the builder. Yet as Tony and his small group of friends haplessly attempt to integrate themselves into local village life, they learn more about themselves and each other than they ever thought possible.