French Spirits

When Jeffrey Greene, a prizewinning American poet, and Mary, his wife-to-be, discover a moss-covered stone presbytery in a lovely village in the Puisaye region of Burgundy, they know they have to live there. "French Spirits" is the tale of their odyssey to become not just homeowners but Burgundians. Greene recalls their experiences in turning the 300-year-old stone building which the locals believe houses numerous spirits into a habitable refuge. He brings to life their adventures in finding wonderful bargains with which to furnish their new space, including a firm mattress and some rather suspicious "antiques" bought from the back of a van. Greene offers the unexpected joys and surprises of village life, from celebrating his and Mary's simple backyard wedding to toiling in a verdant garden. He shares the experience of surviving his mother's decision to move in and humorously introduces the locals both human and non-human who define his and Mary's new world. Woven throughout the tale are the pleasures of rural France - wondrous food and wine, long-held rituals and feasts, dark superstitions and deeply rooted history.