Book Review: One Sip at a Time: Learning to Live in Provence by Keith Van Sickle

Title: One Sip at a Time: Learning to Live in Provence
Author: Keith Van Sickle
Publisher: Dresher Publishing
Publication Date: Jan 2017
Pages: 130
Format: EBook - EPUB
Genre: Non-Fiction/Memoir
Source: ARC from Author

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Keith and Val had a dream – to live in Provence, the land of brilliant sunlight, charming hilltop villages and the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean.

But there were two problems: they weren’t French speakers and they had full-time jobs. So they came up with a plan…

Follow their adventures (and misadventures) as they quit their jobs, become consultants and split their time between two countries. Laugh along as they build a life in Provence, slowly mastering a new language and making friends with the locals over long meals and just a bit too much wine.

This light and breezy memoir is full of wry observations on France, like the power of cheese to sway elections, the right and wrong ways for men to kiss each other, and the law requiring that blood donors must speak French.

If you’ve ever dreamed of changing gears and learning what joie de vivre is really all about, you won’t want to miss this delightful book. (Goodreads Synopsis)


One Sip at a Time is probably not a book I would have automatically picked up off the shelf. Nonetheless, I am glad the author approached me to review because I really enjoyed it. At 130 pages this is a quick little read, but it was one brimming with fun that often made me laugh aloud. If you've spent any time in France, you'll appreciate the nods to french baking or French drivers, and even if you don't have any personal experience of the country, I'm sure you'll still find it amusing. Full of delightful anecdotes, this will appeal to anyone thinking of moving abroad, those who love France, and readers who simply like humorous non-fiction tales along the lines of someone like Bill Bryson. By the end I was longing to return to France myself. It's been years since I was last there, and I've never been farther south than Paris. This account certainly made me all the more keen to explore Provence in the future.