THE MATCHMAKER OF PERIGORD

Author: Julia Stuart ISBN: 9780061435072 8/2008 FICTION Publisher: HARPER

Barber Guillaume Ladoucette has always enjoyed great success in his tiny village in southwestern France, catering to the tonsorial needs of Amour-sur-Belle's thirty-three inhabitants. But times have changed. His customers have grown older—and balder. Suddenly there is no longer a call for Guillaume's particular services, and he is forced to make a drastic career change. Since love and companionship are necessary commodities at any age, he becomes Amour-sur-Belle's official matchmaker and intends to unite hearts as ably as he once cut hair. But alas, Guillaume is not nearly as accomplished an agent of amour, as the disastrous results of his initial attempts amply prove, especially when it comes to arranging his own romantic future.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE MATCHMAKER OF PERIGORD is a warm, witty story about the goings-on in a tiny French village... but really, life in rural France isn't much different from life anywhere else. That's the beauty of this story; it's a tale that could be about anyone, anywhere, because the world over people are basically the same. They live and laugh, and have a very deep, basic desire to love and be loved.

When a small-town barber realizes his clientele is no longer in need of his services—because most of them have lost their hair!—he decides to find a new profession. After pondering his choices, he decides to become a matchmaker. A barber cum matchmaker? Definitely nothing to dismiss! After all, he knows everyone in town already, and people feel comfortable talking to him, even when he's not wielding scissors or mustache brushes. But, even with his three levels of service, Guillaume finds pushing people toward love is far more difficult than haircare had ever been.

I enjoyed this story because its slow, easy tone is relaxing and, like the tiny French town, unaffected. Ms. Stuart writes well, bringing her characters fully to life. The way she begins this story, with a reference to food and cooking, and ends it with a similar scene, makes the whole tale feel complete. It left this reader satisfied, with the added bonus that I felt as if I'd been on a short journey to a charming spot where, although the language and customs were different, the people were intrinsically so similar to those I know and love, I felt right at home.

Kay James