Strangers in Paradise: A Memoir of Provence

A reviewer describes Strangers in Paradise as a book for those who have "longed to spend a summer in the French countryside" or "even considered such an escape." But the book is far more than this-it is about a family's immersion in another culture, about how outsiders become insiders, and about comparative cultural values. It is also about France-not the tourist's France, but the real present and historical place, with local legends and characters. Information that in other context might be dull is enlivened by the writer's interpretation of its meaning. Christensen examines the particulars of the place more closely then we who have not chosen or considered our homes do. The road into Apt, the closest city to his home, he describes in such detail that the reader can travel with him along this road, and even the more negative images have their appeal: "The southern fork is gone, the other winds along the north side in a walled trench with scattered bridges crossing it. The lycee Charles de Gaulle stands on the far side, with its dusty playing fields and gray buildings, where all three of my children would later attend. The water crawls over marsh grass and sandbars, the riverbed littered with tires and rubbish from the spring floods; a blackened tunnel arches where the river still takes in tributaries from the hills." The French live more than Americans do through their senses, and this book shows the author and his family's eager adoption of the French love of food and drink, colors, fragrances. The senses are bound to the spirit in France, in particularly in the south of France. Meals are truly sacraments, and the life of the table is parallel to the life of the heart. The delight and communion of the dinner table, casual meals on terraces, sharing of food and conversation surfaces often. Food becomes bond, and true friendship is inextricably woven into the sharing of meals and time. Indeed, the friendships made by the Christensens are an important element in their experience of their new location, and specific names appear frequently. The friends were the conduit of the real France-a way of learning that could not be approached in any other way. Each step of immersion in another kind of life requires preparation, and the new neighbors and friends helped the Christensens prepare. Anecdotes about those they befriended give another perspective on village life, allowing the reader to catch glimpses of it as it would appear to those born into it. The writer's adopted France becomes a magical place, its hills and valleys charged with metaphysical meaning. There is a pantheism to Christensen's perspective, and a metaphysics that is not associated with any religion. It has to do with the effects of light, the natural surroundings, the presence of art in everyday life, the visibility of the past in the present. This sense of the sacred illuminated all aspects of the renovation of his house, much of which was undertaken by the owner

This book came to me as a gift. It had never occurred to me that I'd want to see Southern France. Nevertheless I eased into it, and very soon this writer's lyrical prose drew me into his narrative. I began to not only see this place Mr. Christensen and his family had fallen in love with, but I could smell it, feel its warm breezes -- and I began seeing myself touring Provence. Here's a prose master, a writer at the top of his craft, and whether or not you are interested in this part of France now, soon enough you'll find yourself pulled along, eager to see and feel and smell the old hills and tiny hamlets that are the center of this memoir. Paul Christensen is now on my list of writers to be read for style as well as content. A wonderful find!

Most travel stories don't have the depth. This book was more philosophical and spiritual. There were passages worth remembering and reflecting upon. I better understand my keen interest and attachment to France and nature. It was food for my soul. I especially related to the idea of the three types of people on the planet. I'm now reading a novel by Gustaf Sobin who befriended Paul in Provence. I too love the Luberon and all it signifies and offers that's not available in the U.S.

Anyone who has already fallen in love with France and its South or may want to, but has dared not, order in this beautifully written memoir of the author and his family's love affair with the French and Provencal people and cultures. Travel guides about Provence abound. This book is much more than a sight seers handbook, intended to lure us to the villages, marketplaces, restaurants, and ruins of one of the most interesting, beautiful, and ancient regions of France. Its uniqueness lies in its author's careful crafting of his philosophy of life and how Provence has supported his ongoing search for meaning, value, satisfaction, true pleasure, and spirit. Those of us who have been torn between two loves, in this case, the love of our own country and that of some foreign land, will find validation in Professor Christensen's self-disclosure and exploration of his ambivalence, which he did not allow to interfere with his family's choice to make France their home, while honoring that choice and his commitment to teaching at his Texas university. As a frequent visitor to Provence and to the area in which Professor Christensen and his family made their home, my own senses and memories were stirred--the sights, sounds, aromas, tastes, and grace of my favorite place to nurture my soul. If you have not shared this experience yet, you just may want to, if you read this inspiring book.