Book Review: A Piano In The Pyrenees - Tony Hawks

Tony Hawks and I have had a close personal relationship for quite some time. He, of course, is blissfully unaware of this. It dates back to seeing him at the Edinburgh Festival when he showed an unnaturally well-developed ability to play "keepy-uppy" with a golf club and ping-pong ball while delivering his stand-up routine from a sitting down position. After the performance my mate Wheaty Pud asked me what I thought of him. I said I thought he was a bit of a smug git and Pud said, "that's funny - we thought he was just like you." Over the years Mr Hawks and I have mellowed towards each other. I have followed him "Round Ireland with a Fridge" and joined him "Playing the Moldovans at Tennis". Now he's written "A Piano In The Pyrenees" and while a reaction of "the last thing we need is another book about a Brit in France" might be understandable, it would be misplaced. This is his funniest book to date as fellow passengers on the 141 bus I catch to work can all too readily testify. We follow him as he impulse buys a house in the Pyrenees, attempts to get his piano overseas and tries to fit into the local cultural scene. There is lots to smile and laugh out loud about here. Hawks is particularly good at describing the dreadful sense of inadequacy that white collar men feel when confronted with blokes that know what a torque wrench is. He's good too at describing attempts to "parle francais" and get it wrong. There may still be people in and around Pau who believe he has a particular interest in corks. Although I think "Playing the Moldovans At Tennis" is his best book this is his funniest and comes very highly recommended for a light holiday read. What else do Tony and I have in common? Well, we both know what it's like to have too many courgettes. I once thought I'd ordered 4 courgettes from Tesco on-line; I'm here to tell you that 4 kilogrammes of courgettes is more than enough for a small town in southern France for a month. What is Tony's courgette secret? Read the book and find out. It's got a happy ending too which is always good, don't you think?

His website has a certain elegant charm and can be visited by clicking on the header to this post.