The Bells of St Paradis: A love affair with the Limousin (St

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The Bells of St Paradis: A love affair with the Limousin (St Paradis Series Book 3)

Anne Loader's amusing and honest books about life in her family's old Limousin farmhouse, 'A Bull by the Back Door' and 'The Duck with a Dirty Laugh', are a big hit with Francophile readers - who have begged her to continue the delightful saga. "We've lived every moment with you," is the most common comment. "Please tell us what happened next!"

The third title 'The Bells of St Paradis - A love affair with the Limousin', which covers the period from August 1998 to April 2000, introduces new characters and situations as well as describing old friends and familiar places.

"Since I wrote 'A Bull by the Back Door' and 'The Duck with a Dirty Laugh', we have built up hundreds of contacts among people who either own homes in France or want to take the plunge," said Anne. "We receive lots of fascinating letters and e-mails from like-minded people. Some of them even say: 'We decided to get our house in France as a direct result of reading your books.'"

The Loader family bought their second home in Central France in 1994 and have been renovating it ever since, under the benign ghostly eye of its late owner, Marguerite.

The old granite house is set in the centre of a close-knit hamlet that Anne has called 'St Paradis'. She says that everything in the books is absolutely true and based on daily diary entries, but the name of the village and its neighbouring small town have been changed. French friends' names have been changed, too.

'The Bells of St Paradis' takes its title from the village church bells which have been restored under a French national scheme to mark the Millennium and now toll the hours and half-hours from 7am to 7pm each day. Their merry peal celebrates the new life flowing back into a community which was until recently suffering from the depopulation which is endemic in rural France.

'The newcomers and the permanent residents get along very happily and we all have something different to contribute, as well as learning from one another. Our little commune of ten hamlets now has quite an international flavour,' said Anne.

As well as describing all their DIY property renovation, the book tells how Anne and Jack take time off to make more friendships and enjoy the social life of the community, including the colourful medieval fair (where women in wimples use mobile phones) and the sauerkraut supper (where everyone has a good time but leaves the sauerkraut).

Animals take centre stage, too. Readers can meet the gosling who starred at a wedding reception, the diabolical migratory grues, the donkeys confined by a 'psychological' electric fence, and CÃ©dric - the turkey who sang the angelus.

The book is illustrated by LÃ©onie Press artist Patricia Kelsall.

Extracts from a letter from one of our readers to the author about "The Bells of St Paradis":
"I opened the package with delight and anticipation, particularly as I had not read a book for about six months as nothing appealed. Mostly I read while on a train, I have no idea what my fellow travellers must have thought of my alternating between chuckles, the occasional guffaws, and tears especially at the last page. I did observe that in this overcrowded age I was left with a whole 'block' of seats to myself.

"Is it the best yet? Oh shucks! I am starting from the beginning again and look forward to Christmas reading the story from the first page of the first book. Curiously the impression whilst reading it was similar to the pleasure I get reading the Don Camillo stories. A similar sense of community, of sunshine even through a storm, a great joy of people and places, a feeling of family and immense shared love. A comfortable but not cosy warmth in a real, even ordinary, world. Yet how could any world populated by people be anything other than unique?

"I love the way the illustrations fit so perfectly with the text â€“ managing by some sorcery to evoke the same feelings; they are exact and perfect."
CB, Southampton, England

Country	USA
Author	Anne Loader
Binding	Kindle Edition
EISBN	9781909727021
Format	Kindle eBook
IsAdultProduct
Label	Léonie Press
Manufacturer	Léonie Press
NumberOfPages	252
PublicationDate	2013-10-12
Publisher	Léonie Press
ReleaseDate	2013-10-12
Studio	Léonie Press

The Bells of St Paradis: A love affair with the Limousin (St Paradis Series Book 3)

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