Hidden France: An Insider's Guide to the Most Beautiful Villages
Tilleray (The Frenchwoman's Kitchen, Sterling, 1992) takes use on a tour of rural France, passing region by region through over 50 villages of her native land. On the way, she draws our attention to an architectural detail here, a feature of the landscape there, deftly weaving historical tidbits or customs into her narrative. Her lyrical prose is a perfect accompaniment to Turpin's heart-stoppingly beautiful photographs of the Gallic landscape portraying scenes of rivers, timbered cottages, and villages clinging to rock. Like good wine, this book needs to be savored, page by page. Though not a practical travel guide, it is sure to delight armchair travelers and Francophiles everywhere. Other books on this subject in recent years are Village France (AA, 1996) and Dominique Reperant's The Most Beautiful Villages of France (Thames & Hudson, 1990).?Ravi Shenoy, Hinsdale P.L., Ill.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.