Letters from My Windmill by Alphonse Daudet: A Review

✉ As hinted by the title, this book (originally titled Lettres de mon moulin) consists of short stories, written as letters addressed to a Parisian. The narrator was relocated from his Paris home, and now lives in an rented abandoned windmill he in Provence.

✉ In these letters, he recounted his new life in Provence; from day-to-day events in the countryside - which are so different from the hustle-bustle of a big city - to some Provençal folktales. In addition to that, he also included his trips to Corsica and Algeria.

✉ Some of these stories - or sketches, you might call it - are light and funny, but there are few of them which is satirical, and even sad. I loved the first story: First Impressions, it transported me to the quiet countryside of southern France:

"I am writing to you from my Windmill, with the door wide open to the brilliant sunshine. In front of me, a lovely, sparkling lit, pine wood plunges down to the bottom of the hill. The nearest mountains, the Alpilles, are far away, their grand silhouettes pressing against the sky... There was hardly a sound to be heard; a fading fire, a curlew calling amongst the lavender, and a tinkle of mules' bells from somewhere along the track. The Provençal light really brings this beautiful landscape to life."

✉ Don't you just love it? I can feel the serene quietness in my head, the warm sun caressing my skin right now!

Daudet's mill in Fontvielle, open for tourists, complete with museum

✉ Some of the 'folktales' are pretty hilarious. The Pope's Mule is perhaps one of my favorites. It's about.. well, a Papal mule who was used to be spoilt by the owner, that when a naughty boy was hired to take care of her, he grudged the boy's bullies and cruelty. She longed to give the boy a mighty kick, but before she got a chance, the boy was sent abroad. But the mule never forgets. Seven years she waited patiently to get his sweet revenge. Will she succeed?

✉ Another one I loved is The Stars. It's a sweet tale about a shepherd who is falling in love with his master's charming daughter.

✉ All in all, I loved all the fourteen stories. The beautiful Provençal countryside with its fife player, tambourines, and farandole dances are what one needs in this bleak existence one lives in.

Rating: 4 / 5

 

3rd book for Paris in July 2023