I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do): Living in a Small Village in Brittany

Written by Mark Greenside

Narrated by Jonathan Beville

When Mark Greenside-a native New Yorker living in California, political lefty, writer, and lifelong skeptic-is dragged by his girlfriend to a tiny Celtic village in Brittany at the westernmost edge of France in Finistere, or what he describes as "the end of the world," his life begins to change.

In a playful, headlong style, and with enormous affection for the Bretons, Greenside shares how he makes a life for himself in a country where he doesn't speak the language or understand the culture. He gradually places his trust in the villagers he encounters-neighbors, workers, acquaintances-and he's consistently won over and surprised as he manages to survive day-to-day trials.

Until he came to this town, Greenside was lost, moving through life without a plan, already in his 40s with little money and no house. So when he settles into the rhythm of this new French culture not only does he find a home and meaningful relationships in this French countryside, he finds himself.

I'll Never Be French (no matter what I do) is both a new beginning and a homecoming for Greenside. He has never regretted his journey and, as he advises to those searching for their next adventure, neither will you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666169324

Mark Greenside

Mark Greenside holds B.S. and M.A. degrees from the University of Wisconsin. He has been a civil rights activist, Vietnam War protester, anti-draft counselor, Vista Volunteer, union leader, and college professor. His stories have appeared in The Sun, The Literary Review, Cimarron Review, The Nebraska Review, Beloit Fiction Journal, The New Laurel Review, Crosscurrents, Five Fingers Review, and The Long Story, as well as other journals and magazines, and he is the author of the short story collection, I Saw a Man Hit His Wife, as well as The Night at the End of the Tunnel Or Isaiah Can You See? and (Not Quite) Mastering the Art of French Living. He presently lives in Alameda, California, where he continues to teach and be politically active, and Brittany, France, where he still can’t do anything without asking for help.