Living the Dream by Denis Pyatt

This book is an original, the beautifully written and illustrated memoir of Denis and Julie-Ann’s year in France, as they moved around various regions, immersing themselves in la vie française. It’s perfect reading for those who want something different,
showing life in France as it is among the people, experienced by two friendly and observant Kiwis. Full of the author’s paintings, anecdotes and wonderful experiences, Living the Dream is a delight from start to finish.

Here is an example of Denis’s keen observing of French life, this one about growing old in France:

(Old people) can go, on a daily basis, to the boulangerie to get their bread, to the tabac or librairie for their paper, to the little local supermarket for their provisions, and to the local café for a coffee or a drink. But the important thing is that in each of those places they will be known. The owner will welcome them by name. The other customers in the shops they frequent will also treat them with respect and tolerance.

Book Information

Living the Dream … une annee en France / A year in France

Published 2017

Paperback, stitched binding

Original colour drawings, photographs, maps

Size: 27 cms high by 19 cms wide

Pages: 120

A note from the author, Denis Pyatt:

At last my memoir of our year in France, a “magnum opus” at 120 pages, giving me a new-found respect for people who write books. “Living the Dream” is a mixture of my paintings, blogs, anecdotes and diary entries with a small number of photos and maps, a great way of bringing back the memories of a year in various parts of France: two months each in Provence, Corsica, Burgundy, Brittany and the Dordogne, all book-ended by Paris.

Please feel free to contact the author Denis Pyatt pyatt7@hotmail.com or Graham Bathgate g.bathgate26@gmail.com with any queries.