Publisher's Synopsis
In the sleepy village of Firmin-sur-Roche in south-west France, Celestine LaFargue has had enough of out-dated traditionalist Ambrose Abelard. Deciding to run the small commune herself she embarks on a feverish election campaign to supplant Ambrose. Against a backdrop of wheat fields, sun-flowers, moules frites soirees and wild-boar hunts, the tight-knit community watch on in bemusement whilst Celestine's bumbling tactics lead to theft, adultery and bribery as she schemes to win the election. Not to be underestimated, the wily Ambrose Abelard is galvanised to fight back but in the process he is forced to compromise his own integrity and commit a crime for the benefit of the whole village. A humourous romp through rural village life in France, the book is full of local characters: Arnaud the busy retired farmer who does all he can to avoid spending time with his wife; Jean-Paul Sancerre director of the museum in Bordeaux racked by scandal; and the colourful group of huntsmen who, throughout the book, are renovating an old stone barn turning it into a new hunters' lodge. The book is light-hearted and reveals how gentle country philosophies contrast against the naked ambition of modern life."
