Two Men in a Car (a Businessman, a Chauffeur, and Their Holidays in France)

Book excerpt: 'A splendid romp. Vive la France!' Peter Mayle, author of 'A Year in Provence' and many other bestsellers 'Mike Buchanan is the best kind of opinionated, middle-aged, middle-class Englishman abroad: the funny kind.' Andy Heslop 'If you have a sense of humour, this book will put a big smile on your face. I laughed out loud many times. A refreshing absence of political correctness.' The lovely Maureen Padley Political correctness is a curse of the modern era. This book is not politically correct. And it celebrates la belle France: the beautiful ladies, the fine food and wine, the glorious scenery and weather, and more besides. If you're offended by the book's contents, kindly moan about it to someone else, not the author. He's had more than his fill of being moaned at over the years. Mike Buchanan is a 50-year-old overweight diabetic short-sighted businessman and published author, who lives in Bedford. He's been a Francophile for as long as he can remember, and is rarely happier than when holidaying in France. In August 2007, following the breakdown of his second marriage, he took a holiday in France with his chauffeur, the (equally) politically-incorrect Thunderin' Paul Carrington. The two men enjoyed themselves so much that they took a second holiday in France in July 2008. This book relates the story of both holidays, in chapters with the following titles: 1 Our first week with Anne and Mark Phillips 2 Why my dinner cost 40 times more than Paul's 3 Hobnobbing with Ivana Trump in Monte Carlo 4 'Would you like to have sex with my wife?' 5 We witness a miracle in Lourdes 6 In defence of pate de foie gras 7 Paul worries about becoming a gay icon 8 Nuits-St-Georges is twinned with Hitchin 9 'It's always better if you have a big one!'