Tout Sweet: Hanging Up My High Heels for a New Life in France

Lucky lady, single, and with a job that is portable and pays enough that she can buy her own dream, and have the money to make it all happen.Wouldn't it be great to visit someone in France (or wherever your dream local is) and while there to buy a house on a whim. For those who would kill for such a life, you can read about it here! True the place is a definite fixer upper, no heating, no indoor bathroom, molding wallpaper covering every wall, no kithen floor, just a perfect view of the dirt cellar where the kitchen floor should be,no kitchen appliances that are usable, no boiler, but it did have charm, and a private little back yard patio area,albiet filled with an unbeliveable amount of trash. Karen could see it refurbished in her own ideas and a home of her own in the country, after a life in the huge city of London filled with a contintual lifestealing work schedule, she is overcome with the romance of a home of her very own in a peaceful quiet Fench village.What follows is her story of the changes that she makes in her lifestyle and her move to her little French village, we follow her journey of making a home of the sweet cottage she is now in love with, all the people she meets, learning the pleasure and diffuculties of a different country and people, she includes good descriptions of nature and the seasonal changes and temperatures, rainfall, snow etc... of her new physical landscape, it is a change Karen needs and she is embracing the experience of all that is new to her in this totally different lifestyle and location.This is the first book in a series of three that tell the story of Karens new lifestlye, the sesond book is called Toute Allure and the third Tout Soul, all 3 of the books togehter make a warm memoir of this ladies dream and sorrows,and growth.

I am a sucker for books about packin' up and moving to another country. Travel memoirs are my favorite books-next to cookbooks. This "sweet" little book did not disappoint. The charming little rural village with the anything but dull characters. Her house-described exactly as one would imagine. Think House Hunters International... The descriptions if Ile de Re had me googling images for hours. (Would that I could afford such a place) If there was one thing that unnerved- it was the steady stream of men who turned out to be flaky and unreliable. Maybe it felt too familiar to my own life experiences when I was a divorced woman in my 30s. I found myself holding my breath and praying that this would be the man who would not disappoint... (Identify Much?) But I bought the next two books! Can't wait to read them! It is the house and her simple little daily life that enthralls me-not the irritating, fickle, mercurial males that flow in and out of her world.

I recently moved from an urban area where I worked in fashion to a remote hamlet in a different state, and it's been a slightly traumatic transition. The day after I moved I began reading "Tout Sweet" and was instantly charmed. It was my lifesaver at the end of each turbulent day -- an island of refuge where I could escape and be caught up in Karen Wheeler's adventure of settling into a new home in a new country with new friends. I managed to make it last as long as possible by only reading one to two chapters each night before bed (which was no easy feat!).There is so much to love about this book. Ms. Wheeler is a very talented writer, and I really enjoyed being caught up in her world. She made the setting and the characters come to life, and each night I'd hurriedly get ready for bed so I could find out what was going to happen next.I highly recommend "Tout Sweet".

Karen Wheeler is living the high life as a London fashion editor until she gets dumped by her longtime boyfriend. She decides her life is shallow and moves to rural France for a more thoughtful, slower pace.Ms. Wheeler details her haphazard and, at times, comical renovations to her home. There are some miscommunications between the writer and the artisans working on her home.The cast of characters seem straight out of the show French Fields. There are wacky ex-pats and even wackier native villagers. Her romantic peccadilloes are not as lasting or meaningful as she would like.This is a fun, fast escapist read. I can't wait to read the other books in this series.

All of Ms. Wheeler's books in the Tout Sweet series are enjoyable. She comes across as a genuine human being with the usual numbers of flaws and self-doubts and an amazing amount of tolerance and compassion for the people she comes to know in her new chosen environment. And she learns a lot along the way and shares it with us. The wonderful descriptions of her life in France are the backdrop to her trip of self-discovery. And a great supporting cast of diverse characters as her friends and neighbors.

i read this book plus the two following this within a week! Maybe because my husband and I have a dream of moving to rural France ourselves in the next few years. Karen's story is thoroughly engaging, and she has a good sense of humour that comes out in her writing!Not only did I become absorbed in her tale (and finding out what happens next in her rocky love life!), she really transports you to her little French town, Villiers, such that you yearn to be sitting at the local cafe with her, drinking a cafe creme, or wandering the beautiful countryside on a crisp Autumn day with the smell of wood smoke in the air and the beautiful Autumn colors all around. I can't wait for her next book!!

I do adore this book. I am still in the middle of it and I read every chance I get. I snort and giggle like a crazy lady over her very funny and descriptive writing. I am American (English father) and my husband is French, from the countryside. I can so relate to her experiences with the people in her village and it's refreshing to read a book that deals with "real French people"; not just the more stylish cosmopolitan ones. It offers a real picture of village life and its people in France - it's not all fashionable, but there is good food and a lot of kindness.

I bought this book expecting it to be something that I could dip into over breakfast, or to read in bed for 20 minutes before dropping off to sleep. In other words, a typical “we moved to (insert country) and renovated an old property and had a horrible/frustrating/hilarious (delete as appropriate) time getting to know the neighbours and learning the language” book. Although Karen includes all of this type of thing, there are various sub-plots weaving around and this, together with her skills as a writer, kept me enthralled. It is definitely one of those “just one more chapter before I turn off the light” books. Thank you Karen, I am just about to order Book 2.

I've had a hectic few months and really needed something light to read. I occasionally dip into chic lic and certainly enjoy 'running away from it all books'. This was just what I needed and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It starts with a heartbreak and an impulsive purchase of a property in France. It's not quite a run away from it all, as karen is a freeland journo/writer and therefore she should in theory be able to earn a living no matter where she lives. She has a lovely style of writing and I certainly wanted her to find love again. I did have a couple of minor gripes. Karen (initially ) appeared rather shallow ( at least she had been living what I would describe as a shallow life). She was a fashion/beauty writer and It seems like her life was fully of designer outfits champagne and freebies. life (with some of the expats) appeared to run along the same lines. Lots of 'lets open a bottle of champers (no aldi or lidle here - it's all Laurent Perrier Champagne. Whilst thre were some lovely warm characters, One or two of the Ex pats drove me mad particularly when they had had a drink (which was often) when it appeared that being drunk means you can be rude or dismissive to anyone (and people excuse this behaviour). But please don't let this out you off. Karen did profess to valuing the more simple pleasures in life as a result of her move to France. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I will definitely buy the next one.

I was expecting a story about moving to France and trying to fit in with local life, learning new customs, battling with French red tape, becoming more fluent, etc etc but here, all we have is a story of a lady who moves to France and then proceeds to look for a partner, lover, husband. This could have taken place anywhere on earth. I can’t find anything to equal Michael Wright's “C’est la folie”.

I really enjoyed this book. It was so refreshing after all the usual stories of people moving to France "then the builders were 5 weeks late and the septic tank broke down...blah, blah". Instead of all that, Karen tells a pacey and racy story of her first couple of years as an ingenue in the French countryside. I live in France, not that far from Karen's home town, and I recognised many of the features of ex-pat life which she describes. Though I am sure that she must have embellished the characters and storylines a bit (all those eligible men... if only!), that only made her story more amusing. A great,uplifting and funny read for a wintry afternoon!

I'm now on to Karen Wheeler's second book in the series. I loved this one so much that, as soon as I'd finished it, I ordered the other. It was £4.79 for the Kindle version and I NEVER pay full price for a kindle book so that shows how much I love her books. I didn't realise until I starting doing some research, that these are actually auto biographical too. I will read the third one next and then she is currently writing her fourth, so roll on that...........