| Product: |
Living France |
| Date: |
26/11/06 (186 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Good articles; very informative
Disadvantages: Sometimes wrapped in plastic; many ads
Living France is one of several magazines aimed at the large numbers of British people who either emigrate to France or buy holiday homes there. It is published once a month at the price of £3.99 and is widely available in large newsagents. For anyone interested in the magazine in the long term, a subscription at £9.75 a quarter paid by direct debit (13 issues a year) works out at a saving of 30%.
Features in recent issues include a gardening article detailing how to transform derelict land into a beautiful rural garden (with a French glossary included); advice on the best places to go bargain hunting, from auctions and charity shops to car boot sales; the experience of a family with older children that moved to France; and an article on running a painting school in Languedoc-Roussillon. A dossier on the role of the town hall and the mayor included two pages of essential vocabulary and comprehension exercises to assist readers in communicating with local government officials. Some features could be of interest to a more general public, such as Provence's celebration of the life of painter Paul Cezanne, one hundred years after his death.
Each issue focuses on one of France's 95 departments: the one on Gironde and Bordeaux (its main city) described its wonderful sea-food – in particular oysters - and explained the complexities of Bordeaux wine labels. There was a round-up of current properties for sale in the area along with information on climate and how to get to the Gironde from the UK. The Pas-de-Calais was featured during 2005 with articles on canoeing and artisanal cheeses as well as the vital statistics.
The following are the magazine's regulars:
- Le Bulletin – 6 pages of news, events and a round-up of properties for sale plus new-builds. Events would probably include regional festivals as well as major events such as Le Mans race. Currency trends are given in graph form.
- Letters – 3 pages of anecdotes, advice, ideas and opinions on all sorts of topics, from inheritance laws or installing an electricity supply to local bus services or helpfulness of French neighbours in times of need. One letter that amused me was from a retired Chief Examiner who wrote to point out several mistakes in a letter written in French in a previous issue.
- Over to you – one page of topics from the forum on the website, such as the price of land, the best way to learn French, or how easy it is to run a bed-and-breakfast place in France.
- Finance – 2 pages of information, for example on how French wealth tax could affect you if you reside in France.
- Ask the experts – 2 pages of advice from an expert financial advisor on topics such as tax issues when selling property, or how to set up a business in France.
- Reviews – 2 pages of book reviews: these could focus on books on language learning; French food and wine; or DIY and renovation. Sometimes there is a competition to win one of the featured books.
- Map of France – every issue contains a map showing the 22 regions and 95 departments of France to assist readers in locating any advertised properties they are interested in.
- Properties for sale – an introductory page gives a step-by-step guide to buying property in France: how it works, what to expect (don't rely on the vendor to answer your questions – ask at the town hall), dos and don'ts, and useful information as well as necessary French vocabulary. There are 36 pages of ads and fact files on each region. The ads are organised into 6 geographical regions which are shown on the aforementioned map using different colours.
- Private homes to buy and rent: 6 pages of ads preceded by a brief guide on how it works, what to expect and what you need to know.
Dernier mot (Last word) - Samantha David's regular column about life in the Cevennes with her family and pets. In a recent issue she described her attempt to adopt a rescue dog and explained how her family eventually decided to become a foster family for dogs. 'If you fall in love with the dog, you can keep it.'
Small ads – around nine pages of ads for builders, removals, insurance, language services, swimming pools, etc.
It is worth bearing in mind that roughly fifty pages – over a third of the total number – are taken up by property ads and small ads, apart from other larger advertisements interspersed throughout the magazine. If you are not looking to buy property in France, you might feel that £3.99 is a bit much to pay just for the odd interesting article. One gripe I have is that the magazine is sometimes wrapped in clear plastic so you are unable to look inside and see if you really do want to buy it. One month I think this was the case just at W H Smith, as they were giving away a free map of Paris with the magazine if I remember rightly.
The magazine has a website at www.livingfrance.com and this gives partial articles from the current issue to whet your appetite. It is also possible to order back issues here, and there is a bookshop stocking titles related to living in France as well as Michelin maps.
The magazine is published by Archant Life and contains 140 pages on good quality glossy paper with many colour photographs. It is probably the best of its kind.
Summary: French lifestyle for us Brits
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Last comment:
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grahamt - 05/12/06 I would love to sell up here and move to France but I don't think I could persuade my wife. Perhaps I should buy this magazine and leave it lying about! |
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