KEY POINTS:
If The Matchmaker of Perigord were a type of food then it would be that foam all the chefs in the flash restaurants took to shoving on everything for a while. It's light, frothy and possibly not entirely necessary, yet there's something undeniably nice about it.
Set in the French village of Amour-Sur-Belle, a place so ugly even the English refuse to live there, the hero of the story is Guillaume Ladoucette, a barber, who is forced to give up his business as the advancing age of his customers means many have gone bald. Despite being entirely unsuccessful in love himself, Guillaume decides to set himself up as a matchmaker.
What follows is a gentle, amusing and highly romanticised take on French country life as, between large helpings of rich food, Guillaume attempts to pair up the villagers who have been beset by feuds and petty generations for many decades.
First-time author, Julia Stuart is fond of a strange stylistic repetition when it comes to describing certain things - particularly the interior of the local chateau for some reason - and this is far less charming than it's intended to be but aside from that the book is rich with deliciously eccentric characters and the story rolls along happily. Yes, it's as light and insubstantial as the aforementioned froth, but this book is also as warm and comforting as a slow-cooked cassoulet.
*Random House, $34.99
- Detours, HoS
