The Gulf of Lions

Reeling from her husband’s infidelity and still processing her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, Alice secures an assignment to write about camping across France with her daughters—an opportunity she seizes as a chance for renewal and recovery. Her young daughters, Sophie and Iris, are skeptical but game; her husband, Pete, is supportive but also unhappy to be left behind. On her own in France, Alice meets a variety of locals, who house and feed her and the girls and show her another way of living. Alice recognizes herself for the first time in many months, though her memories of illness and marital discord are never far away.

When Alice meets Didier, a handsome Frenchman, she believes she has found a chance for happiness; he, along with gorgeous food and the beautiful countryside, allow her a peace she has sought for too long. But when Sophie meets a young riding instructor, the idyll of the trip crashes apart, and Alice must reenvision—again—what she wants her life to be. Life happens fast; nothing is forever. Alice and her family will emerge from France forever changed.