Book review of A Long Way from Paris by EC Murray

Welcome to day eight of my #FrenchVillageBookworm Advent Calendar, where every day between now and Christmas I will be sharing a different book with you. 

#FrenchVillageBookworm Advent calendar day 8

Today it is a review for A Long Way from Paris by EC Murray, a memoir about Elizabeth’s six months spent working as a goat herd in the Languedoc region of France in the early 1980’s.

This is a well-written memoir that conveys the physical and emotional journey for twenty six year old Elizabeth who had not really planned on moving to France, but following a break up set off alone with little idea where she would end up. From the beginning it certainly became a life changing adventure for her and I have to admit my heart was in my mouth when reading about parts of her journey to the South of France. An introduction from a distant cousin led her to a family living on a remote goat farm who were looking for help with their herd.

Living the simple life of the farmers, she conveys the hardships of a bitter winter spent on the high ground of an isolated farm, looking after the animals and a family. There is sadness and loss and emotions that are not easy to hide, but she also describes the peace that can be found in carrying out the simple things in life and in filling your days with hard work and fresh air. She describes the countryside and the members of her French family very well and she really put her finger on the fuzzy bubble of incomprehension you feel when you don’t understand the conversations that are going on around you.

This is different from many memoirs as it isn’t a light-hearted look at time spent in France, but it is an enjoyable and intense emotional read.

A Long Way from Paris is available in ebook and paperback format and links to Amazon can be found below.