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Fogas Chronicles #3
Пощата при двете долини
Вдига се пушек! Когато пощата изгаря, пощальонката Вероник, започва нова работа, за да може да я възстанови. Но колегите и - местните жители на малката община Фугас във френските Пиренеи, са твърде заети, за да се включат в нейната кауза. Кметът Серж Папон, поразен от мъката по смъртта на жена си, е изгубил своята жизнерадост и целия си вкус към политиката (и кроасаните). Изглежда, че заместник-кметът Кристиан (чиято нежност към Вероник го прави винаги неин шампион) скоро ще трябва да каже “Сбогом” на планинската общност. И на бика Сарко. Добавяйки към всичко това и спорната инициатива на правителството за повторно въвеждане на мечки в района, започва зараждане на конфликт между жителите на общината. Това застрашава прогреса на големия Tour de France, както и съществуването на Фугас.
279 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Julia Stagg
10 books68 followersJulia Stagg has led a nomadic existence, spending most of her adult life abroad. She is the author of the Fogas Chronicles (Hodder) set in the idyllic French Pyrenees. Most recently, she has turned her hand to crime and is writing the Dales Detective Series (Pan) under the name of Julia Chapman. The first in the Yorkshire-set series makes its debut in March 2017. Contact her on facebook (Julia Stagg or Dales Detective) or on Twitter @DalesWriter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
December 9, 2017
Въпреки,че са ми малко скучни и елементарни, тези книги са написани увлекателно.Чак ми се прииска да се разходя по местата , които са описани. Ще ми е интересно дали най-накрая ще се случи нещо в любовен план с някои от героите.Ако събера търпение да прочета и другите, и ако все пак ги издадат.
July 19, 2019
Явно ми върви на политически четива в последно време. Защото и това не очаквах да е такова, а то беше пропито с местна политика до ушите хахахах
Книгата изобщо не е лежерно лятно четиво, на моменти доста затормозяващо, но пък след 100тната страница ме заинтригува силно. Вкара ме историята и ме постави в центъра й. Повечето събития са предсказуеми, но имаше и много изненадващи моменти.
И ако не беше ужасният, силно претупан финал, в който личи ясното желание на авторката да приключи книгата и всичко оставя на въображението на читателя, вероятно щях да дам повече звезди. Обичам Франция и книгите, които ме пренасят там. Но силно съм разочарована от липсата на финал като цяло.
Книгата изобщо не е лежерно лятно четиво, на моменти доста затормозяващо, но пък след 100тната страница ме заинтригува силно. Вкара ме историята и ме постави в центъра й. Повечето събития са предсказуеми, но имаше и много изненадващи моменти.
И ако не беше ужасният, силно претупан финал, в който личи ясното желание на авторката да приключи книгата и всичко оставя на въображението на читателя, вероятно щях да дам повече звезди. Обичам Франция и книгите, които ме пренасят там. Но силно съм разочарована от липсата на финал като цяло.
February 14, 2022
Brilliant! I’m
I was gripped from start to finish. Julia Stagg / Chapman has a wonderful way of drawing you into each story she writes. I can’t wait to read the next book in the Fogas Chronicle series!
I was gripped from start to finish. Julia Stagg / Chapman has a wonderful way of drawing you into each story she writes. I can’t wait to read the next book in the Fogas Chronicle series!
September 18, 2013
In The French Postmistress, the third book in the Fogas Chronicles by Julia Stagg, the focus shifts to Véronique, the postmistress, and her frustration at the speed the reopening of the village post office is moving at. She is full of ideas to keep the service at the heart of the community, but is anyone there to listen and support her? Fogas is, as usual, a busy little place and with the controversial government plans to reintroduce bears to the mountains things in the community get even more heated and divided than normal. All the characters we have met in the two previous books L'Auberge and The Parisian's Return are back, plus a few new ones to throw some spice and spanners into village life. The Mayor, Serge, is still grieving for his wife and seems to have lost interest in village politics, but maybe there is someone who can put the fire back in his belly. There is also a special guest appearance by The Tour de France that provides the villagers with a welcome distraction.
I am a teeny, tiny bit of a HUGE Julia Stagg fan, so was very excited to be sent a copy of this book by the publishers and return to the mountain village I feel I know so well. Julia lived in the Pyrenees region that she writes about for many years and you can feel her obvious love for the area in her writing.
It was so good to be back in Fogas, the twists and turns of the mountain roads felt familiar, Julia's scenery descriptions bring the pages to life and her little village community has truly captured me. Her writing is such that at many times since reading it, something I've seen or somewhere I've been has triggered my brain into transporting me to Fogas and wondering (as you do with friends you meet on holiday) what everyone is getting up to at the moment. I can't wait for book number four that rumour has will be out sometime next year.
If you like books set in rural France you will love following the life of the villagers in Fogas.
I am a teeny, tiny bit of a HUGE Julia Stagg fan, so was very excited to be sent a copy of this book by the publishers and return to the mountain village I feel I know so well. Julia lived in the Pyrenees region that she writes about for many years and you can feel her obvious love for the area in her writing.
It was so good to be back in Fogas, the twists and turns of the mountain roads felt familiar, Julia's scenery descriptions bring the pages to life and her little village community has truly captured me. Her writing is such that at many times since reading it, something I've seen or somewhere I've been has triggered my brain into transporting me to Fogas and wondering (as you do with friends you meet on holiday) what everyone is getting up to at the moment. I can't wait for book number four that rumour has will be out sometime next year.
If you like books set in rural France you will love following the life of the villagers in Fogas.
December 9, 2020
This is in the style of the film Jean de Florette (well worth a look if you haven't seen it) and Manon de Source. It is all about the petty squabbles of simple, country folk with all the parish pump gossip and politics that go with it. This is staunchly in that genre.
A small town in the Pyrenees is the setting. The beauty of the town is well described. Veronique runs the post office - until it is burned down. In the spirit of camaraderie, the town gets together to right a wrong. However, there seems an undercurrent in the town that Veronique, as an outsider, cannot penetrate. Whispering groups congregate and seem to know more than she can ever hope to know or help her understand why she was targeted.
Fogas is the little village where Veronique remains a "blow-in", never a local. Once a blow-in, always one - and Julia Stagg, the writer who spent time running a small auberge (B&B) in a village in France as a Brit, captures that sense of outsider in a parish community so well - "just so far but no further", never fully taken into the locals' affections. She also brings out the bitter rivalries between Fogas and other neighbouring villages high in the mountains, where it takes little to start a feud.
The book explores many unfulfilled lives of those trapped in their surroundings; unrequited love; loneliness - all of which is thrust against the beauty of the natural surroundings. Unfortunately, scenery doesn't pay the bills.
The petty mayoral politics run by petty people is well described. The slowness of trade in the coffee shops and how life goes at a snail's pace is endearing. The simple life is enticing but ultimately soul-destroying. ... and then the re-introduction of the bears into the mountains is like firing an Exocet into the community.
The real people and the do-gooders take sides. The environmentalists are seen as the outsiders by both the farming community and the locals. And so it goes ... a major event in a minor community. ... and you have to indicate that you're on the right side!
As an city dweller living in a rural community for over 27 years, I recognise a lot of the types in the book. They are universal. A gentle and well drawn out book that I really got into.
A small town in the Pyrenees is the setting. The beauty of the town is well described. Veronique runs the post office - until it is burned down. In the spirit of camaraderie, the town gets together to right a wrong. However, there seems an undercurrent in the town that Veronique, as an outsider, cannot penetrate. Whispering groups congregate and seem to know more than she can ever hope to know or help her understand why she was targeted.
Fogas is the little village where Veronique remains a "blow-in", never a local. Once a blow-in, always one - and Julia Stagg, the writer who spent time running a small auberge (B&B) in a village in France as a Brit, captures that sense of outsider in a parish community so well - "just so far but no further", never fully taken into the locals' affections. She also brings out the bitter rivalries between Fogas and other neighbouring villages high in the mountains, where it takes little to start a feud.
The book explores many unfulfilled lives of those trapped in their surroundings; unrequited love; loneliness - all of which is thrust against the beauty of the natural surroundings. Unfortunately, scenery doesn't pay the bills.
The petty mayoral politics run by petty people is well described. The slowness of trade in the coffee shops and how life goes at a snail's pace is endearing. The simple life is enticing but ultimately soul-destroying. ... and then the re-introduction of the bears into the mountains is like firing an Exocet into the community.
The real people and the do-gooders take sides. The environmentalists are seen as the outsiders by both the farming community and the locals. And so it goes ... a major event in a minor community. ... and you have to indicate that you're on the right side!
As an city dweller living in a rural community for over 27 years, I recognise a lot of the types in the book. They are universal. A gentle and well drawn out book that I really got into.
October 20, 2018
Julia Stagg's 'The French Postmistress' is the third in her series of books set in a small community in the French Pyrenees. You don't have to have read her other books but it is nice to see her characters continue, although with each book a different set of people take centre stage. I love the evocative descriptions of the countryside, the loveable characters written with such affection (as well as the devious villains) and the gentle humour. As always, Stagg underpins the seemingly bucolic setting with some serious themes: this time, a controversial government initiative to reintroduce bears to the area, as well as a move many country people will be familiar with - an effort by bureaucrats to close the rural post office. An hilarious finale concerning the Tour de France tops off this engaging story.
September 26, 2022
I have read the first three books back to back and it seems that they are gradually becoming more serious. Whilst I quite liked the first, it was the sort of book I read only when in need of light relief after tackling something fairly intense, however the progression to less a less frivolous narrative has made me want to read more by this writer. Although titled "The French Postmistress" like the others, these books are about the community in general and the rather quaint ways of rural France.
May 12, 2017
dit is het 3de deel van de fogas chronicles en het voorlopig laatste deel dat in het nederlands vertaald is.
En dat is jammer, want het is een zalige reeks.
leuke herkenbare personages, de nodige humor, drama en romantiek.
De laatste hoofdstukken zijn moeilijk weg te leggen en vragen om nachtelijke leesuurtjes ;)
En dat is jammer, want het is een zalige reeks.
leuke herkenbare personages, de nodige humor, drama en romantiek.
De laatste hoofdstukken zijn moeilijk weg te leggen en vragen om nachtelijke leesuurtjes ;)
December 25, 2018
A lovely, cozy, feel good village story. Well written. With a nice plot and a cast of warm, well meaning characters. Perfect vacation read. I read her cozies -Dales detective series written under the name of Julia Chapman - first - love them, too.
August 14, 2022
Fantástico
Es el segundo libro que leo de Julia Stagg sobre el pueblo de Fogas en los Pirineos. Los personajes y la historia alrededor de ellos son fantásticos. Quisiera leer más sobre ellos. Me han encantado los libros.
Es el segundo libro que leo de Julia Stagg sobre el pueblo de Fogas en los Pirineos. Los personajes y la historia alrededor de ellos son fantásticos. Quisiera leer más sobre ellos. Me han encantado los libros.
July 28, 2017
I'm loving Fogas & the characters that live here. Very entertaining, informative (I know a bit more about bears now) and witty! Looking forward to the next episode 😊🌟
May 29, 2018
Not my favourite book of the series, but a fun and entertaining readvnevertheless
November 27, 2018
A bit harder work to stick with than the first two books in the series.
January 4, 2019
Het derde deel uit een reeks die vlot wegleest.
November 16, 2020
Really enjoyable read
I am enjoying this series very much. Easy to read and not too dark during this unusual time. On to the next instalment.
I am enjoying this series very much. Easy to read and not too dark during this unusual time. On to the next instalment.
August 29, 2023
Petty people and small village politics, what's not to like? Just an easy, cosy read.
October 5, 2013
This is the third book that Julia Stagg has written in the Fogas Series, I haven't read the first two books but after reading this one, I really got to know the characters and loved the story so much. The story revolves around Veronique who worked in a post office that was until it burnt down and now she is trying everything to get it rebuilt.
Along with Veronique there is Mayor Serge Papon who having not long ago lost his wife, seems to have more bad things happen to him. Losing his job was just the second bad thing to happen to him in a short period of time. Though in the small town of Fogas, which is within the French Pyrenees there is drama happening everywhere you look. The deputy mayor has his hands full trying to leave the town of Fogas and leaving for good.
Though things take interesting turns in the book when the community decide to introduce Bears back into the mountain community and things get interesting as the story progresses on. I loved the drama that fill every page and made you excited about reading page after page. It was a amazing story about a small town in the French Pyrenees that had people who loved the town so much that they were willing to do whatever it takes to make it a success once again.
I really loved this book, from the French setting to the drama that was surrounding the lives of Veronique and everyone else who lives in Fogas. I even learned a couple of French words along the way.
If I had to sum this book up in three words, they would be Incroyable (Amazing), Excellente (Excellent) and Magnifique (Magnificent).
I would recommend this book to anyone who love a book with drama, love, French, Bears and everything else this story has to offer.
Along with Veronique there is Mayor Serge Papon who having not long ago lost his wife, seems to have more bad things happen to him. Losing his job was just the second bad thing to happen to him in a short period of time. Though in the small town of Fogas, which is within the French Pyrenees there is drama happening everywhere you look. The deputy mayor has his hands full trying to leave the town of Fogas and leaving for good.
Though things take interesting turns in the book when the community decide to introduce Bears back into the mountain community and things get interesting as the story progresses on. I loved the drama that fill every page and made you excited about reading page after page. It was a amazing story about a small town in the French Pyrenees that had people who loved the town so much that they were willing to do whatever it takes to make it a success once again.
I really loved this book, from the French setting to the drama that was surrounding the lives of Veronique and everyone else who lives in Fogas. I even learned a couple of French words along the way.
If I had to sum this book up in three words, they would be Incroyable (Amazing), Excellente (Excellent) and Magnifique (Magnificent).
I would recommend this book to anyone who love a book with drama, love, French, Bears and everything else this story has to offer.
December 28, 2013
The French Postmistress is the third of Julia Stagg's novels set in a small commune called Fogas, situated in the French Pyrenees; following on from L'Auberge (May 2011), and The Parisian's Return (April 2012) - published by Hodder Books.
I haven't read either of the first two stories, and on reflection, I think it's probably best to read them before The French Postmistress. Although this novel stands alone very well, I did struggle at times during the first third of the book to tie up each of the characters - I guess that this wouldn't have happened had I been more familiar with the setting and the characters. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this tale of rural France, the small town politics, the interwoven relationships and most of all, the beautifully described French countryside.
Julia Stagg writes with confidence, as she should and is entitled to, having spent many years herself in the very region that she writes about. There is a darkness that pervades her story of relationships and community, with sinister goings on that are preventing Veronique - the Postmistress in the title, of achieving her aim of rebuilding the post office.
Love and romance - politics - bears, and a bull! Written with flair and a touch of humour, this is a novel that will please fans of Joanne Harris, and everyone else who likes a bit of oh la la now and again!
I haven't read either of the first two stories, and on reflection, I think it's probably best to read them before The French Postmistress. Although this novel stands alone very well, I did struggle at times during the first third of the book to tie up each of the characters - I guess that this wouldn't have happened had I been more familiar with the setting and the characters. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this tale of rural France, the small town politics, the interwoven relationships and most of all, the beautifully described French countryside.
Julia Stagg writes with confidence, as she should and is entitled to, having spent many years herself in the very region that she writes about. There is a darkness that pervades her story of relationships and community, with sinister goings on that are preventing Veronique - the Postmistress in the title, of achieving her aim of rebuilding the post office.
Love and romance - politics - bears, and a bull! Written with flair and a touch of humour, this is a novel that will please fans of Joanne Harris, and everyone else who likes a bit of oh la la now and again!
February 17, 2014
Ein wahres Feuerwerk an "action" und wenn es auch reichlich nach "overload" (Bären, das Problem ländliches Leben zu erhalten,Tour de France neben den üblichen wheeling und dealing des conseil municipal) aussah, so ist es doch teilweise so echt französisch!Denkweise, Verhalten und Vorgehensweisen; empfehlenswert für jeden Frankreich- und erst recht Pyrenäenfan.
After the first two books this one seemed to have too much action and too many story threads (bears, the problem of keeping up rural life style and last but not least the Tour de France) besides the usual wheeling und dealing of the conseil municipal, here culminating in keeping the post office in the village.But after all a true picture of French way of living, thinking and acting. Nice read and for you if you are a France aficionado/a.
After the first two books this one seemed to have too much action and too many story threads (bears, the problem of keeping up rural life style and last but not least the Tour de France) besides the usual wheeling und dealing of the conseil municipal, here culminating in keeping the post office in the village.But after all a true picture of French way of living, thinking and acting. Nice read and for you if you are a France aficionado/a.
September 4, 2014
This third chronicle of Fogas revisits the small mountain commune of the French Pyrenees. These novels by Stagg allow the reader to catch up with old friends and find out what is happening to the villagers. In this novel the commune is under threat from several fronts and the ensuing divisions threaten to tear the community apart. There is plenty of drama, with marauding bears, power-hungry bureaucrats and even the appearance of the Tour de France, but the loyal reader, who knows these characters well, awaits the rallying call that will thwart any attacks on their way of life. Always a pleasure.
October 21, 2014
There’re bears in the hills above the commune! The third in the Fogas chronicles, this one is probably the most tense. Introducing some new characters as well as fleshing out some of the established locals there are real baddies that emerge from the other side of the river in Sarrat, assisted by the ‘limp’ first deputy mayor of Fogas, Pascal Souquet.
There are more twists and turns, tension, drama, plus of course, the dose of humour that you expect from Julia Stagg. Another page turner.
There are more twists and turns, tension, drama, plus of course, the dose of humour that you expect from Julia Stagg. Another page turner.
February 22, 2014
It was nice to read a book set in the Pyrenees rather than Provence. The usual village characters, romance, politics, food and drink, animals, and in this case the Tour de France. Light-hearted fun.
June 24, 2014
Quaint depiction of country life in France and a community's strength. Deals with some family trust barrier issues and mother / daughter relationship
October 14, 2014
Lovely read - sad bits and glad bits but overall lovely!
September 2, 2014
Great fun read.
December 1, 2015
The third book in this series was a winner. The characters are engaging, there was humor, deceit, and camaraderie. Just a lovely quick read. Can't wait for the next installment.
December 3, 2015
I love the Fogas series, the quirky characters, the tiny village. Definitely an enjoyable entry for me.
February 3, 2016
Una lectura muy ligera y agradable. Me ha encantado poder disfrutar de este pequeño pueblo francés, de su naturaleza y de sus habitantes.
Muy recomendable.
Muy recomendable.
August 18, 2019
The third book in this series doesn’t disappoint. The characters are just wonderful and at points I laughed out loud. Can’t wait to read the next one.
April 2, 2017
my favorite of the series so far
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews