Hot Sun, Cool Shadow: Savoring the Food, History, and Mystery of the Languedoc

As a self-confessed "foodie", I may have wanted a bit more of recipes that we can recreate with our less than ideal provisions. That ,of course, is not often possible....you cannot create diamonds from coal...only nature can do that. What I did find was an impassioned and alluring introduction to a part of the world that has intrigued me...and now I know I must invest time to experience this for myself. No great nation is a monochromatic carbon copy of itself from border to border...our own nation has lost much of it's charm and strength in the loss of the uniqueness of our own regions. This writer introduced me to the soul of a region through it's unique heritage and the fundamental foundations of friends ,food ,and family. I only wish she would write more .I can get or create recipes anytime...I cannot get an experience of this part of the world nearly so easily .

Angela Murrills paints a portrait in words of an incredibly beautiful and ancient land where people live a life much like their ancestors did in small villages in France in the region of Languedoc-Roussillon. It is a fulfilling life centered on family, the land, local cuisine, customs and friends, with the knowledge that their life is full and rewarding while the rest of the world tries to keep up with the frenetic pace of "progress". Almost every sentence is a lovely metaphor, leaving the reader speechless as one imagines the place she is describing. Each chapter ends with a recipe and a sketch of the places she visits. This is a gem of a book. I was sad to finish it. Its beauty is breathtaking.

Essential reading for anyone planning a trip to the Languedoc. Part guidebook, part history, part culinary journey, part cookbook, it's also the story of a couple who actually did what many of us dream of doing: finding a second home somewhere warmer, sunnier and more relaxed, with, in this case, better food. Angie Murrills is a vivid writer with a keen eye, a warm heart and an insatiable appetite for food and food history. Each chapter ties a food - cassoulet, confit, anchovies, cheese - with a Languedoc town or region, illustrated with small, charming ink drawings by Peter Matthews. I dare you to read this and not start planning a lazy trip boat trip down the Midi Canal, or a trip to the Camargue, to see a bloodless bull fight in Stes. Maries de la Mer.