A French House: On the Love of Place
A French House: On the Love of Place
Catherine Cole
Paperback
Pre-order now: for delivery December 2025
Un rêve. Une maison. Un village. Une vie en France.
Since childhood, Catherine Cole had imagined owning a weathered French village house; shutters faded by the sun, rooms steeped in memory, a feeling 'as if a grandmother had just left'. In 2010, she found one – and her dreams turned suddenly into bricks and mortar.
In this compelling account, blending classic travel writing with reflections on literature, film, and French culture, Cole explores the enduring allure of France and the dreams we project onto its landscapes. At the heart of the story is the house itself; its garden, rooms, and ancient stones quietly telling their own tale of place and time.
A French House is both a memoir and a meditation on longing, belonging, and the courage to turn an imagined life into reality.
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Imprint: Valley Press
Published: January 2026
ISBN: 9781915606679
Catalogue no: VP0255
Page count: 244
Trim size: 198 x 129 mm
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Praise for A French House: On the Love of Place:
'A love letter to a house, dream-seeded in books, haunted by place and past; a reverie memoir steeped in longing for a home away from home.'
— Jeff Young, author of Ghost Town and Wild Twin
About the author
Catherine Cole is an Australian-British author and academic who has taught creative writing in Australian and UK universities. She is currently an Honorary Professor at UTS and University of Wollongong in Australia and Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. She has been the recipient of writers’ residencies in Australia, France, Vietnam, China and the UK. She has judged leading Australian literary awards and mentored writers and students. She has published 11 books including novels, short stories, academic texts and memoirs, most recently Slipstream (Valley Press, 2023).