France Memoir

THE OPPORTUNIST – AN ENTERPRISING LIFE IN SPAIN is Craig K. Kirkland’s account of his inventive and ignoble efforts to make his fortune. After a rather unscrupulous apprenticeship in the north midlands he is forced to flee abroad to further his ambitions and in this amusing chronicle he recounts his unethical exploits with brazen honesty. Mr Kirkland’s eye-opening tale of ingenuity and avarice, though not for the overly righteous, makes for an entertaining and thought-provoking read. This book is not intended as an instruction manual and the publisher does not condone the author’s ...

AMAZED BY SPAIN is a light-hearted account of two couples’ unexpected relocation to inland Alicante. Before sisters Sue and Linda inherit a village house in the hills they have little interest in Spain, but on travelling out to see their new possession they begin to warm to the idea of spending time there with their husbands Paul and Bill. After an enjoyable summer holiday the prospect of living in the village becomes irresistible and this book describes their transition from visitors to residents and the diverse selection of people they meet along the way. This amusing and informative ...

SPIKE IN SPAIN is the light-hearted story of a peculiar Lancastrian’s relocation to a small town at the foot of the Alicante mountains. An obsessive cyclist and the bane of his long-suffering wife’s life, Spike finds himself booted out of the family home and consigned to a grotty terraced house in Colne. Believing, incorrectly, that an old clubmate has invited him to stay at his Spanish retreat, a spell of lateral thinking by the cycling club president, Pete, leads to Spike’s flight to his old pal Mike’s house instead. As the charitable Mike has already rescued three donkeys and a ...

AN INNOCENT IN SPAIN is the light-hearted account of an unlikely expat’s first months in his new country. Ian Smith might not be the first tubby, middle-aged Englishman to arrive in a small Spanish town, but he’s certainly one of the poorest and most naive. Luckily for him, long-time resident Graham Baker is on hand to help him settle in and somehow survive on his meagre savings. After an initial, potentially calamitous blunder Ian appears to rally, but it’s only a matter of time before he finds himself in dire straits once again. Will he have to return to Lancashire, more penniless ...

Jacob Torney, uprooted from his Cumbrian home at the tender age of fifteen-and-a-half, had to get to grips with a new language and culture whether he liked it or not. Thrust into small-town Spanish life just when he should have been studying for his GCSEs, his candid account tells not only of his own ups and downs, but also those of his Guinness-guzzling, tax-evading father, his long-suffering mother, and his happy-go-lucky younger sister, Katie. After steering a shaky course between the pitfalls of adolescence and the huge demands of school life, Jacob holds nothing, or very little, back ...

'The Complete Diaries' includes: Part One - Integration Part Two - Invasion Part Three - Consolidation Part Four - Conclusion Please see individual diary descriptions and reviews for more information.

CLIVE AND KEN, REMOVAL MEN is a humorous and touching tale about two friends who are reunited in Spain after over thirty years apart. Ken Bradshaw and Clive Ogden, alias Oglethorpe, were two teenagers in Ramsbottom when Clive was whisked off to prison, wrongly accused of pinching old Mrs Sutcliffe’s jewellery. Thirty-odd years later, Clive, now an art and antiques dealer, feels a burning desire to give his old mate a call, not least because he believes Ken to be the owner of a flourishing van rental business. Clive invites his long-lost pal to fly over to visit him in Spain, a meeting ...

GETTING AHEAD is the third instalment of THE RELUCTANT EXPAT, Alan Laycock’s light-hearted account of his life in Spain. The fourth and final part of Alan’s story is now available.

Par la chroniqueuse judiciaire et la créatrice du podcast "Fenêtre sur cour" d’Arte Radio. "La morale dans les affaires criminelles, ça n’existe pas, pas plus que les saints ou les démons, les héros ou les monstres. Chaque fois, c'est une histoire de gens ordinaires." Tous les chroniqueurs judiciaires se sont déjà vu poser cette question : "Comment fais-tu pour dormir la nuit ?" Ce livre est une réponse. Quand la journaliste Élise Costa décide d’écrire sur le crime, son quotidien en est bouleversé.

From the acclaimed biographer of explorers Magellan, Columbus, and Francis Drake comes a unique exploration of life and influence of Jules Verne, the novelist whose mind spun the greatest adventures ever told and whose daring and prescient imagination sparked a lasting transformation of modern society and technology, inspiring everyone from J.R.R. Tolkien to Kurt Vonnegut to Jeff Bezos.

From a young age, Charles V showed tremendous potential and intelligence. As his father and grandfather before him continued to weaken France and ruin the prestige of their royal house, Charles’ arrival on the scene couldn’t have come at a better time.

"In December 1776, a small boat delivered an old man to France." So begins a dazzling narrative account of Benjamin Franklin's French mission, the most exacting, and momentous, eight years of his life.

Бонапарты — прославленная и могущественная династия XIX века. Они возвели новую империю и сделали Францию самым влиятельным государством в Европе, столицей науки, литературы и моды. Представители рода обрели особую славу, власть и богатства, став могущественным кланом, который покорил всю Европу. Несмотря на многочисленные войны, французы чтят Бонапартов, благодаря прогрессивному кодексу Наполеона и передовым реформам внутри страны, многие из которых действуют до сих пор.

The dramatic untold story of Eugénie de Montijo, the woman who created haute couture, fought for women’s rights, opened France’s schools to girls and ruled the country as its last empress, yet today remains almost unknown.

Les Presses Universitaires de France et Frémeaux & Associés proposent cette biographie d'Aliénor d'Aquitaine, analysée et expliquée par Martin Aurell, professeur d'histoire du Moyen-Age à l'Université de Poitiers, Directeur du Centre d'Études Supérieures de Civilisation Médiévale et directeur de la revue Cahiers de civilisation médiévale. Martin Aurell dresse le portrait d'une femme exceptionnelle aux multiples facettes.

Deep down, Mark Cavendish thought he was finished. After illness, setbacks and clinical depression, the once fastest man in the world had been written off by most. And at the age of 36, even he believed his explosive cycling career would fade out with a whimper. The Manxman hadn't won a single Grand Tour stage in Italy, Spain or France since 2016. But then came his incredible resurrection at the 2021 Tour de France.

The French painter Jean Hélion’s unique and deeply moving account of his experiences in Nazi prisoner-of-war camps prefigures the even darker stories that would emerge from the concentration camps. This serious adventure tale begins with Hélion’s infantry platoon fleeing from the German army and warplanes as they advanced through France in the early days of the war. The soldiers chant as they march and run, “They shall not have me!” but are quickly captured and sent to hard labor.

"A 10 ans, on aurait payé pour le voir jouer. Les recruteurs se pressaient autour des terrains." Dès ses débuts à l'AS Bondy, le talent de Kylian Mbappé a fait l'unanimité. Son avenir était tout tracé dans les plus grands clubs européens. De nombreux témoignages dévoilent les secrets de sa formation à l'INF Clairefontaine, puis à l'AS Monaco. "Mbappé, Le Petit Prince" raconte aussi son éclosion en Ligue des champions jusqu'à son transfert colossal au PSG durant l'été 2017.

Do you want to learn more about the great military leader Napoleon Bonaparte, but don’t have time to read huge, long biographies? Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his life. Regardless of which version of Napoleon is to be believed, evil dictator or inspiring military leader, or perhaps more likely, somewhere between the two, this journal will look at his truly fascinating and eventful life.

Understand a crucial part of the history of French monarchy, with this collection of portraits of some of the most spectacular rulers of France. This catalog lists the kings named Louis, from Louis XIII the Just who stood up against political intrigues, to Louis XVIII who reigned during the Restauration of the French Monarchy after the fall of Emperor Napoleon. For each one of these Kings, you will find a detailed description of the style of his reign and his political achievements.