{"product_id":"book-gx5t","title":"The French House","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"On a tiny French island, a couple of American dreamers redefine their lives by restoring a ruin.... \u003ci\u003eThe French House\u003c\/i\u003e moves to a soulful, very funny rhythm all its own.\" (Meryl Streep)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDon and Mindy Wallace 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when the Wallaces arrived on the island, they found a building in ruin, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRedolent with the beauty and flavors of French country life, \u003ci\u003eThe French House\u003c\/i\u003e is a lively, inspiring, and irresistibly charming memoir. Fans of \u003ci\u003eUnder the Tuscan Sun\u003c\/i\u003e (Frances Mayes), \u003ci\u003eParis in Love\u003c\/i\u003e (Eloisa James), and \u003ci\u003eA Year in Provence\u003c\/i\u003e (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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat reviewers are saying about The French House\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Don Wallace has crafted a delicious French bonbon of a book...full of humor, hope, and lessons on how to live a life full of meaning.\" (Dani Shapiro, best-selling author of \u003ci\u003eDevotion \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eStill Writing\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"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 a satisfying read.\" (\u003ci\u003eRain Taxi\u003c\/i\u003e Review)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe French House\u003c\/i\u003e 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 a lovely adventure and perfect for a summer read.\" (Under a Gray Sky)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe French House\u003c\/i\u003e is a detailed, delightful 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)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"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 charming true story of a family's journey to create the perfect home away from home.\" (E! News)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Audible","offers":[{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":67903224414512,"sku":"ZEgx5t","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD [10]","offer_id":49355237785904,"sku":"10gx5t","price":39.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/gx5t-Square-cover.webp?v=1790798926","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-gx5t","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}