La gloire de mon pere (Souvenirs d'enfance)

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing autobiography
Review: La Gloire de mon Pere opens the series Souvenirs d'Enfance by Marcel Pagnol. The author recollects his chilhood in the city and his summer holidays in the heart of Provence. He introduces us to his family: his father he admires so much, his mother he would like to protect, his aunt who is still a spinster, Paul his little brother,... This book is very easy to read because Marcel Pagnol aims at reflecting the thoughts of a 10 year old boy. Anyone who has ever been in Provence will hear the 'cigales', smell the 'thym'. Whereas A year in Provence by Peter Mayle pictures the vision an adult has of Provence, this refreshing book takes you into a 10 year old boy's world where any event takes a particular importance ! I read this book when I was a kid but now that I am far from France, I read it again and I was no longer in Minneapolis but I was following Marcel over the hills of Provence.