The French Postmistress is the third book in a series about the commune of Fogas in the French Pyrenees by acclaimed author Julia Stagg
I have not read any of the previous books but it didn’t matter, I picked up the story and characters easily but it definitely left me wanting to read the books that came before!
The French Postmistress is the story of Véronique Estaque, postmistress in a tiny commune where the post office has burned down. She tries valiantly to have the post office rebuilt but there are sinister outside influences that conspire against her. Those same powers are also aiming to affect life for other residents in the tight knit community including the Mayor who is suffering from a lack of joie de vivre after losing his wife.
Julia Stagg writes with affection and experience for a part of France she knows well having moved from the UK to the gorgeous Ariège-Pyrenees region of France to run a small auberge with her husband. It’s easy to imagine the forests, the mountains and the beautiful landscape which she describes with flair. The deft plot of the book unweaves effortlessly and you are drawn into the day to day lives of those in the book as secrets and lies unfold. There is a dark side to the story which keeps the plot lively and intriguing, seething passions and tensions below the surface, and rich characters hold your attention from start to finish.
This is a story of love lost, love unrequited and love gained. It is also the story of a typical French village in the Pyrenees but with some extraordinary goings on! Bears reintroduced into the wild by the Government, the arrival of a talk dark handsome stranger and an opportunity afforded by the Tour de France. Politics, villains, hunting and a bull called Sarko – the book is a rich story skilfully interwoven and you’ll be left wanting more!
It all adds up to pure escapism, fun, drama, romance and a very French tale with a twist in its … tail.
One to read on the beach, on the bus or in bed…
