Product Description
Between the glitzy glitter of Versailles and the effervescent glamour of Champagne lies the beautiful but little-known Marne valley. The author and her husband set off to explore this part of France by bike. Their route traced the escape attempt of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI, and led them to quaint provincial towns, as well as to battlefields and monuments marking the first heroic engagements of American troops during the Great War. Cycling wasn't Susie's forte, and there were moments of domestic strife. A gripping blend of history, travel, tragedy and humour.
REVIEWS:
This is a book that blends historical, cultural and geographical fact with an hilarious account of a very modern expedition. Following in the footsteps of the legendary Queen of France, Susie and her husband Terry attempt to do their historical research by bicycle...no mean feat for an untrained cyclist, especially in the crazy streets of Paris! This is a book to cherish. Prepare to learn things you never dreamed of knowing, to laugh, to cry, to empathise (with Susie's physical discomforts as much as with Marie Antoinette's tragedy!)
Joanna Wynne Sim
This book manages to combine history, humor and the best of travel writing all in one. The way the personal anecdotes of a bicycle trip are weaved with historical facts and trivia about France is so clever! Just loved it!
S Davis
This is the fourth book I have read written by Susie Kelly. I have enjoyed them all but this one I consider the best. I have learnt and now feel compassion for Marie Antoinette and Louise XVI, I have learnt about an area of France I have never been to, and how they coped with two dreadful world wars, I have learnt about champagne and the vintners who make it, but most of all I have laughed with and at Susie. Lilian
A good fun read with laugh out loud anecdotes about the hazards of novices on bikes. If you are a first timer on a bike then you won't learn anything about cycle touring or equipment (except perhaps not to take an electric bike), but you will learn about the mindset of the amateur cyclist in heavy traffic.
Bikepixi
As someone who enjoys reading about travel on foot or bicycle I can say its as good as any I've read and is a massively entertaining and satisfying read. I have enjoyed this book not only as an entertaining "traveller's tale" but also for the insight it has given me into the bloody phase of French history which so marks the landscape of Paris and the surrounding cities. It is difficult to fault The Valley of Heaven and Hell and for the price it seems remarkable value.
A Common Reader
When it's funny it's laugh-out-loud funny, and when it's sad it is heart-breaking. History provides the foil to the author's wry and informative observations about the French countryside, weather, towns, cities, food, customs and people. I thought it would all be about Marie Antoinette and a lot of it is, but the author uncovers interesting historical details from other periods, all along the route. But the thread is provided by the Austrian (that was a surprise) Queen and the tale is harrowing and gut-wrenching. Marmalade
REVIEWS:
This is a book that blends historical, cultural and geographical fact with an hilarious account of a very modern expedition. Following in the footsteps of the legendary Queen of France, Susie and her husband Terry attempt to do their historical research by bicycle...no mean feat for an untrained cyclist, especially in the crazy streets of Paris! This is a book to cherish. Prepare to learn things you never dreamed of knowing, to laugh, to cry, to empathise (with Susie's physical discomforts as much as with Marie Antoinette's tragedy!)
Joanna Wynne Sim
This book manages to combine history, humor and the best of travel writing all in one. The way the personal anecdotes of a bicycle trip are weaved with historical facts and trivia about France is so clever! Just loved it!
S Davis
This is the fourth book I have read written by Susie Kelly. I have enjoyed them all but this one I consider the best. I have learnt and now feel compassion for Marie Antoinette and Louise XVI, I have learnt about an area of France I have never been to, and how they coped with two dreadful world wars, I have learnt about champagne and the vintners who make it, but most of all I have laughed with and at Susie. Lilian
A good fun read with laugh out loud anecdotes about the hazards of novices on bikes. If you are a first timer on a bike then you won't learn anything about cycle touring or equipment (except perhaps not to take an electric bike), but you will learn about the mindset of the amateur cyclist in heavy traffic.
Bikepixi
As someone who enjoys reading about travel on foot or bicycle I can say its as good as any I've read and is a massively entertaining and satisfying read. I have enjoyed this book not only as an entertaining "traveller's tale" but also for the insight it has given me into the bloody phase of French history which so marks the landscape of Paris and the surrounding cities. It is difficult to fault The Valley of Heaven and Hell and for the price it seems remarkable value.
A Common Reader
When it's funny it's laugh-out-loud funny, and when it's sad it is heart-breaking. History provides the foil to the author's wry and informative observations about the French countryside, weather, towns, cities, food, customs and people. I thought it would all be about Marie Antoinette and a lot of it is, but the author uncovers interesting historical details from other periods, all along the route. But the thread is provided by the Austrian (that was a surprise) Queen and the tale is harrowing and gut-wrenching. Marmalade
