French Dirt: The Story of a Garden in the South of France

This book is a prime example of a first-person account gone wrong. The main problem is that Goodman is just too self-aware to give us any unfiltered view of his experience.

Goodman agonizes over his gardening decisions, and tries to present himself as a humble student of the people of the village. But beneath a thin layer of humility lies a gargantuan ego that rears its head on every page.

By his own account, Goodman pesters locals for help, advice, and affirmation at every turn. After prevailing on a couple of new friends and acquaintances for a lot of help, he abandons the effort and moves back to America before the season is even completely over. He doesn't even seem to recognize that this might be unfair to the people who have helped him in various ways.

More importantly are the glaring omissions and gaps. Goodman's relationship with girlfriend Iggy is probably the most important thing in his life during the time the story takes place, but we never get a sense of how that relationship progresses from seemingly functional to rocky to over. He's happy and willing to speculate on the gossip surrounding the locals, but he won't share the dirt on himself. Indeed, some passages read like a passive-aggressive appeal to his now-ex, either wooing her back or shifting blame away from himself.

Goodman does do one thing right, and that is to give a very interesting window into the life and people of the tiny French village. But too often, that window is spoiled by the images of Goodman fawning over the locals, practically begging them for affirmation that he is a member of their little community (which, of course, he isn't).

So, I can't really recommend this book. The writing is not honest, the protagonist is not likable, and the garden itself is too transient to accumulate any weight.

As an avid gardener, I was excited to read this book and then sorely disappointed. The author is clueless and not in a charming way, he seems to approach his garden as one with ADD would, later abandoning it entirely after much help and assist from others. His infatuation with a young frenchman is strange. The book does not give insight into the french not does it illicit any clear gardening instruction or technique. He and his girlfriend simply plop the plants they bought into the ground. With nothing else to do, he is at the garden twice a day weeding and watering. The author clearly has friends in publishing for this story to get binded.

As May came to Wellsboro, I longed for the smell of fresh air and the feel of my hands in the dirt. Reading Richard Goodman's "French Dirt" satisfied me when my garden efforts were stymied. An account of an American who eventually gets to know his new neighbors in a small village in France, I think "French Dirt" is better than the more well-known books by Peter Mayle.

Editor,"Of A Predatory Heart"

Beautiful writing, and a delight to read. You will go back to it over and over again!

I really loved this book. It made me laugh out loud. It made me tear up. It made me want to get my hands dirty.