Two Towns in Provence: Map of Another Town and a Considerable Town

by M. F. K. Fisher

Paperback, 1983

Status

Available

Call number

944.91

Collection

Publication

Vintage (1983), Edition: 1st Vintage Books ed, 512 pages

Description

This volume brings together two delightful books--Map of Another Town and A Considerable Town--by one of our most beloved food and travel writers. In her inimitable style, here M.F.K. Fisher tells the stories--and reveals the secrets--of two quintessential French cities. Map of Another Town, Fisher's memoir of the French provincial capital of Aix-en-Provence is, as the author tells us, "my picture, my map, of a place and therefore of myself," and a vibrant and perceptive profile of the kinship between a person and a place. Then, in A Considerable Town, she scans the centuries to reveal the ancient sources that clarify the Marseille of today and the indestructible nature of its people, and in so doing weaves a delightful journey filtered through the senses of a profound writer.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member nemoman
I first read this book before my first trip to Provence. It is a fantastic evocation of time, place, and of course food. The book is actually two books. One covers the time Fisher lived in Aix en Provence (truly one of the prettier cities I have ever visited); the other chronicles the time she
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lived in Marseilles (harder to love than Aix, but then there is the boulabaisse sp?). When she writes about food alone, Fisher does not thrill me; however, here, where she weaves biography with travel, friends and food, she is unmatched. Go to Aix and on the Cours Mirabeau take an outdoor seat at the Deux Garcons. Order a salad nicoise and a bottle of Tempiers rose in a bucket of ice, watch the world go by and wonder why the heck Fisher ever left.
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LibraryThing member limoncello
M.F.K.Fisher is a master of evocative description. When I read her prose I find it easy to conjure the exact place or moment in my mind. On every page there are glorious phrases to linger over and savour. Her books are the kind that you can read over and over and always find something new to enjoy,
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just like an opera or piece of music that you never tire of.
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LibraryThing member margaret.pinard
Even though parts were random and disconcerting, in general this book kept my attention with its stories of the author's wanderings with her children, encounters with French stereotypes, and musings on topics as diverse as history, sociology, and self-awareness. I especially liked how she compared
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the things she saw in Aix and Marseille at different times, since she visited them so often- 1929, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s. Very interesting, and made me want to go there even more!
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LibraryThing member MargaretPinardAuthor
Even though parts were random and disconcerting, in general this book kept my attention with its stories of the author's wanderings with her children, encounters with French stereotypes, and musings on topics as diverse as history, sociology, and self-awareness. I especially liked how she compared
Show More
the things she saw in Aix and Marseille at different times, since she visited them so often- 1929, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s. Very interesting, and made me want to go there even more!
Show Less

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1983

Physical description

512 p.; 5.2 inches

ISBN

0394716310 / 9780394716312

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