C'est la Folie cover art

C'est la Folie

One Man's Quest for a More Meaningful Life

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C'est la Folie

By: Michael Wright
Narrated by: Michael Wright
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One day in late summer, Michael Wright gave up his comfortable South London existence and, with only his long-suffering cat for company, set out to begin a new life. His destination was "La Folie", a dilapidated 15th century farmhouse in need of love and renovation in the heart of rural France.

In a bid to fulfil a childhood dream of becoming a Real Man, he struggles to make the journey from clinically social townie to rugged, solitary paysan. Through his enthusiastic attempts at looking after livestock and coming to terms with the concept of living Abroad Alone, he discovers what it takes to be a man at the beginning of the 21st century.

©2006 Michael Wright (P)2008 Isis Publishing Ltd Environment Science Growing Up Fiction Funny Inspiring Witty Adventure Cats
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Critic reviews

"Wright captures the fun of the countryside perfectly." (Sunday Times)
"What elevates this book...is Wright's gentle humour and his ability to create a vivid impression of his literal and emotional journey...with such wit and perception." (Sunday Telegraph)
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Michael tells the wonderfully warm story of his adventure moving to France. His warm tone and sensitive words paint a wonderful picture of his life at La Folie.

I’d recommend this to anyone who, like I, have a dream of escaping to France.

A wonderful story

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Thank you Michael I loved this book. The colourful pictures painted of life in rural France conjure all the things I adore about the country. I have laughed and cried throughout and it has been a real treat to travel vicariously in these very dull times of lockdown. I eagerly await the sequel which I am about to start listening to! Highly recommended listening.

Wonderful

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Listened to this first in a cottage in Northern Brittany but would have enjoyed it anywhere. Really funny, and yet very insightful and honest about his own character and those of the wonderful characters living around him. His love and enthusiasm for the country and the people he meets shine through. Listening also evoked many memories of growing up in the late 60's and 70's as well as capturing the difficulties of learning and speaking another language while in that country. His reading is note perfect.

C'est formidable !

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Pure magic. Hearing Michael Wright's description of people and flying over France plus his love of his farm animals, is like going on a holiday.

C'est la Folie

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We enjoyed listening to this on our way down through France. Michael Wright is very positive about his experience of France and doesn't make fun of the French as it would be easy to do. He shows he real love of his adopted country and people. The stories are funny and the setbacks understandable, but there is much to like about living rural France, as we discovered when we arrived.
The only problem is the production quality of the audio version. Chapters rush straight into each other without a pause, and the chapters on the audio files do not match the chapters of the story. So if you lose your place it is hard to find where you had got to. Also the sound levels vary between chapters as the engineer hasn't balanced the levels properly - just shoddy considering how easy this is to do nowadays.

Good story and performance spoilt by production

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