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A Castle in the Backyard: The Dream of a House in France | 
 enlarge | Authors: Betsy Draine, Michael Hinden
Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $12.30
You Save: $7.65 (38%)
New (17) Used (10) from $11.94
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 244802
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 322
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0299179443
Dewey Decimal Number: 914
EAN: 9780299179441
ASIN: 0299179443
Publication Date: March 7, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In one of the most beautiful river valleys in Europe, in the region known as Périgord in southwest France, castles crown the hills, and the surrounding villages seem carved all of a piece out of the local stone. In 1985, in the shadow of one of these medieval castles, Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden fell in love with a small stone house that became their summer home.
Like any romance, this one has had its ups and downs, and Betsy and Michael chart its course in this delightful memoir. They offer an intimate glimpse of a region little known to Americans—the Dordogne valley, its castles and prehistoric art, its walking trails and earthy cuisine—and describe the charms and mishaps of setting up housekeeping thousands of miles from home.
Along with the region’s terrain and culture, A Castle in the Backyard introduces us to the people of Périgord—the castle’s proprietor, the village children, the gossipy real-estate agent, the rascally mason, and the ninety-year-old widow with a tale of heartbreak. A celebration of a place and its people, the book also reflects on the future of historic Périgord as tourism and development pose a challenge to its graceful way of life.
Winner of the 2002 August Derleth Nonfiction Award, awarded by the Council for Wisconsin Writers
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
TRES CHARMANT October 5, 2008
I really enjoyed reading this charming book. The author Betsy Draine is unassuming and her honesty is refreshing. It's obvious that she didn't make up stories just to spice things up. More often than not, truth is more interesting than fiction. Dordogne particularly the town of Castelnaud where the author and her husband buy a vacation home is beautifully described, it makes you want to go there.
Another great book on Dordogne that I recommend is "The Most Beautiful Villages of Dordogne" by James Bentley and Hugh Palmer. As a matter of fact, the town of Castelnaud is featured in that book as well with some fantastic photos including one of the castle and its surrounding town on the back cover of the book. I highly recommend both! It's also refreshing to see that the story is actually set in the French region of Dordogne instead of the very popular Provence or Tuscany.
 A Castle in the Backyard, The Dream of a House in France August 11, 2008
I am going on a trip to the Dordogne area so this book has given me a perfect insight as to what to expect of the land, villages, food and people. The author writes with honesty about their experience and relays what I believe is the joy of owning a home aboard and intertwining with another culture. I can feel the sun of the morning when she opens the shutters to the day.
Take a joyful journey to a French summer home August 17, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is a charming joy. The authors' successful search for a modest summer home in France will take the reader on their own dreamy journey, exploring what it would be like to live in a French country village and to succeed in making friends with the villagers. Great insights into what rural French folks are really like, and how to make them your friends. The book also underscores the importance of finding what is truly important to you in your life.
what a great story August 1, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
very entertaining book about buying a vacation home in France. I love sw france--the food, the villages, the people. This book is about an American couple from Wisconsin--looking for a house in SW France-- buying a house and then living there for the summers. They become friendly with the residents of the small village. They tell of how they were invited to dinner parties ---the food that was served-- the people the conversations etc......Its great! I really enjoyed it.
follow your dream! May 7, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this book while we were looking for our own house in the Dordogne (most wonderful spot on earth -- go, see it for yourself!), and found it both comforting and helpful (as well as funny, touching and insightful). We found our own house a short time later (in Aubeterre sur Dronne, a village in the Charente just across the border from the Dordogne), and are giving this book to friends and family to help explain the experience and the lure of southwestern France.
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