What do you say when a man you’ve dated a handful of times asks you to go live with him in a mill by a river in France? The obvious answer is: ‘Are you out of your mind?’ Maria Hoyle’s was: ‘Okay.’ At the age of 63 she left her life in Auckland, her two daughters, her dog, her friends, a beautiful rental by a beach, and everything she’d loved for more than two decades, to settle in a tiny French village with a partner she barely knew. What could possibly go wrong? Maria arrived in the remote hamlet with trepidation but also a little bravado, after all, with a degree in French, she was confident about communicating with the locals. And yes, that part was mostly fine (apart from some amusing faux pas). The true challenges were learning to communicate with her new partner, Alistair (they were smitten with each other, but also sitting on a pile of baggage and emotional wounds) and adapting to life in rural France when her idea of a great day out was shopping, lunch in a bustling cafe and a movie. Does Maria have it in her to persevere? To make good friends and truly feel at home? Crucially, is she making another terrible romantic mistake, or is she finally growing and learning what it means to move beyond the infatuation stage and make a relationship work? Maria’s tale is about grabbing life with both hands whatever your age, what it means to belong, the joys and frustrations of French living, and why you should always look closely at a map before emigrating. Ultimately, though, it is a story about the greatest adventure of all. Love.
