A Year at the Chateau cover art

A Year at the Chateau

Perfect for Christmas, as seen on the hit Channel 4 show

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A Year at the Chateau

By: Dick Strawbridge, Angel Strawbridge
Narrated by: Angel Strawbridge, Dick Strawbridge
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About this listen

 THE ENTERTAINING AND HEARTWARMING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER.

Like many couples, Dick and Angel had long dreamed of living in France, but where others might settle for a modest bolthole in the French countryside, the Strawbridges fell in love with a 19th-century fairytale château, complete with 45 rooms, seven outbuildings, 12 acres of land and its own moat.

Throwing caution to the wind, Dick and Angel swapped their two-bedroom flat in East London for an abandoned and derelict castle in the heart of the Loire valley and embarked on the adventure of a lifetime with their two young children Arthur and Dorothy.

Sharing their full journey for the first time, A Year at the Château follows Dick and Angel from when they first moved to France in the depths of winter and found bedrooms infested with flies, turrets inhabited by bats, the wind rattling through cracked windows, and just one working toilet, which flushed into the moat, through to the monumental efforts that went into readying the château for their unforgettable wedding and their incredibly special first Christmas.

Along the way we'll read glorious descriptions of rural life in France, with charming characters, delicious food and wonderful seasonal produce, together with the extraordinary list of renovations and restorations Dick and Angel completed, many of which were never shown on TV.

As warm and entertaining as their much-loved show, A Year at the Château is a truly irresistible story of adventure and heart, epic ambitions and a huge amount of hard graft. Adventure Travel Entertainment & Performing Arts Europe Film & TV Home Design & Renovation House & Home Western Europe Adventure Celebrity Winter England Christmas
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I loved this book. I am a fan of the series so I loved hearing how it all began. The tag team narration is a great concept and keeps you engaged. There are some very funny moments that are enhanced when the author reads them and puts the emphasis and tone right where it needs to be. If you are hungry as you listen, you might need to skip the foody bits that sound delicious. I said I was inspired because I was. Two people pursuing a dream but at the same time taking a breathe and appreciating the life they were living. Whilst they are obviously very savvy they have not been idle and waited for the good times to come to them. They invested and were "all in" on the adventure. Two very creative and clever people spurring us all on to give that dream we have, a crack. Meanwhile I think I may go eat a croissant, find some cheese and have a wine or three.

An Inspiring Escape

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love the energy of these two, their reading of their story is infecious, I have listened to this 20+ times since purchading and pick up new little tips each time. We have a tiny Chateau ( farmhouse!) in France that we bought 6 years ago we are so
desperate to get back to it. so much to do... this book has kept me sane with its passion its ideas, its fun and its quikiness. when we finally get out of Borders Closed OZ and return to reality, I now have so much motivation to make our tiny piece of France in a corner of the Charante ,our forever home. thanks Dick and Angel. love your story, love your pasdion Love you both! Cherie x x

keeping me sane while in border closure Australia

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Such an inspiration!
Has fuelled my passion to try new things and live the dream! Paired with some re runs of episodes the book has made me feel enlightened again! Thanks!

Loved it!

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This was like inviting Dick and Angela into my house for an aperitif, and having them tell their story to me. I laughed, commiserated, and enjoyed sharing their stories with my hubby at dinner. We are working on our own home improvements which feel enormous, but this made me feel better about my own choices! Highly recommend, especially if you are also digging a 120metre trench like me!

If you love the chateau you will adore this.

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Thank you Both for sharing
Looking forward to 18th Feb in Sydney Australia to see you personally
Congratulations for being true to yourselves 👍🌅🥂🥰🥰👏👏👏

You cannot improve on brilliance

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Gorgeous descriptions of French food, the countryside & villages, & renovation ups & downs. Lovely.

What a pleasure!

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I love listening to both Dick and Angela sharing their story with me. It’s like being in the same room as them and sitting around the fire as they rcount their lovely but interesting story. I also love all the extra snippets we learn from Dick with the recipes for delicious little canapés and tasty nibbles. I’ve driven a lot this week around Queensland and at one point I was disappointed I had arrived at my destination because I wanted to hear the end of the chapter.

A fabulous listen

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Sweet Story! What a Wonderful life they lead!!! Such a nice couple - creative and hardworking! Angela and Dick are new authors clearly and that can be seen in the writing but other than that its hard to not love every second of thier story.

Loveliness

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This beautiful couple give so much joy in telling their love story not only with each other but their beautiful family and Chateau. .

A love story

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Unlike many other listeners, I didn’t come to this audiobook having already watched the Escape to the Château TV show. I met Dick and Angel and their lovely family through this audiobook first and they immediately won me over! This is the delightful story of one family daring to follow their dream of buying a run down, a hundred and fifty year old château in the French countryside and doing it up from scratch, all while having two young children in tow. It’s inspiring, fun, exciting and humorous, full of food and family, chaos and hard work. I loved it from beginning to end. It’s a treat that it’s narrated by the authors, who are full of character. It’s a lovely way to relax and have a laugh, whether I tune in to listen for two minutes or two hours at a stretch.

Absolutely delightful!

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