T. D. Allman bought an old house in southern France and then wanted to understand what history it had seen. He reviews the history that passed through (or rolled over) his home town of Lauzerte and the region around it.

I particularly appreciated the jaundiced eye with which he viewed the popes and potentates who repeatedly devastated the region. As he points out, mostly the Christian European crusaders killed other Christians and never really had much impact on the Muslim overlords of the places the said they wanted to "take back" from the "infidels." It turned out that it was more fun, profitable, and straightforward to just pursue whatever heretics the pope or the king in Paris invented and pointed their soldiers at. He portrays the 'national heroes' Richard the Lionheart and St Louis of France as the actual losers they were, dying young while achieving virtually nothing of meaning. He also has no use for the English, in the form of the pseudo-expats who buy real estate in France and then do everything they possibly can to avoid having anything to do with French people or the French language. While he has the typical outlier's resentment of the arbitrary hegemony of the government in Paris, he truly esteems the ordinary folks who operate the businesses he patronizes every day.

He reserves his esteem for pragmatic figures like Philippe Auguste of France and the counts of Toulouse, who saw their first responsibility as engineering the survival of themselves and their subjects, megalomaniac popes be damned. When possible, he highlights the local heroes who contributed to the survival of their towns from the 13th century to World War II, through pragmatic avoidance of conflict rather than by flinging themselves into doomed operations where they were bound to die.

The only thing missing for me, as I am fascinated by old houses, is the actual house (or as he calls it, my House). I wanted to know its history as a house, not as an observer of what happened around it, and what it is like to own it. But that isn't the book he wrote.

If you are interested in France at all, this book will fascinate you and keep you reading through what can at times feel like a series of history lessons.

"In France Profound" by T.D. Allman offers a captivating glimpse into the rich tapestry of history woven within the ancient stones of Lauzerte, a mountain village in southwestern France. Through the lens of his 800-year-old house, Allman explores the melodramas of humanity spanning from the paleolithic to the post-modern era, all etched into the village's landscape. From his window overlooking the Place des Cornières, where daily life unfolds amidst operatic performances and local produce markets, to the view of the Pyrenees, where centuries of dynastic struggles and geopolitical conflicts have shaped the region's destiny, Allman vividly portrays the interconnectedness of Lauzerte to broader historical events. Through elegant prose and keen observation, he brings to life the enduring spirit of Lauzerte and its surrounding communities, offering readers a poignant reflection on the relentless march of history and the timeless lessons embedded within its walls.

One of the very best of books about France that I have read in a very long time! Author T.D. Allman has purchased a home in the village of Lauzerte France (Provence/Occitane) and has lived there on and off (mostly on) for a number of years. Long enough to give us the long view of the growth and development of this once medieval village to the modern age. Like another great book of this sort, Ina Caro's "The Road from the Past", he delves into the extensive history of the village and the surrounding villages from earliest times, the customs, the people and conflicts in a way that is engaging and with a critical eye. He takes us on his travels through the region and his commentary is always illuminating. He is a marvelous writer and certainly knowledgeable with regard to his subject matter. I enjoyed this book very much, will purchase it upon publication and refer it all those interested in France & French history.
Highly recommended for Francophiles and history buffs!

While interesting, I was lost most of the time as my background and history of the French geography is pretty much nil. Still though, if you like history and such it is well written and if you have some background in the area you would like this and would recommend. sadly just not what I was looking for.