Ren? & Me: The Fox of Cotentin: 2 (Mill of the Flea)

Forget all the other books about living in France. This is the absolute epitome. Informative, poignant and always humorous, George East brings life to his real life characters in this laugh-out-loud slice of expat life in rural France. This is not a romanticised look at life in France such as many have written about, but an honest account of the writers experiences in a foreign land.


After Peter Mayle’s Year in Provence in the 80’s, George told his story of buying a French property on the cheap in the start of ‘The Mill of the Flea’ series, Home & Dry in France. This story of René & Me follows on in the series and tells of George and his wife’s encounters and relationships with the local people and in particular René Ribet, who was nick-named The Fox of Cotentin.


They arrive at the ruined Mill of the Flea and embark on a series of hare-brained schemes as they struggle to come to terms with a very different culture. An unlikely ally, René The Fox offers to become their guide and mentor for what proves to be an unforgettable year…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

George East has been wandering through France, it seems forever, and writing about it for more than twenty years. His love affair started as a young boy on a cultural exchange and has lasted, in spite of some of his experiences in the country we love to love or hate.


But love is not blind in this case. George tells it how it is in his writings about France, the French and life in what some would say is an idyllic place to be. According to the literally thousands of George East enthusiasts and fans, the oversized author's style is a mixture of Bill Bryson, Eric - 'A Short Walk In The Hindu Kush' - Newby and P G Woodhouse, while his antics resemble more closely the worst excesses of Tony Hancock meets Frank Spencer and Basil Fawlty.


As a leading critic once said, 'George does spectacular failure very well'.


In his past George has enjoyed a diverse career path which includes pickled onion manufacturer, private detective, night club bouncer, demolition engineer, seamstress and the only human professional bed-tester in history.


An eventful spell as a publican won him the title of Worst Landlord in Britain for two consecutive years. George has also enjoyed a long writing career, which started when sending copy for young girls’ photo story comics and at the other end of the spectrum racey mens’ mags.

George's eccentricity and sense of fun precedes him through life. If anyone should know his onions about France and the french it is George, as he has been writing humorous, yet affectionate stories of his adventures and travels in and around France for the past 20 years. In his previous life, before taking up travel writing, he has enjoyed a diverse career path which included pickled onion manufacturer, private detective, night club bouncer, demolition engineer and seamstress, the only professional bed-tester in history and in his eventful spell as a publican he won the title of Worst Landlord in Britain for two consecutive years. But early on in his working life he wrote for a young girls' photo story comic and at the other end of the spectrum for a racey mens' mag. Though, he first developed the writing bug as a young boy in school when his slightly near to the knuckle tales were sold to his peers for sweet money. George now lives near his place of birth in Hayling Island with his wife and dog in between his forays to foreign parts.