Easy Going - nothing spectacular but enjoyable nonetheless! - Rated 
An easy-going, quite enjoyable book - I found it effortless and quite funny - perfect for someone who wants something they can pick up and put down without any fear of losing of track of where they got to.
On the flip-side, bearing in mind I like a real page-turner, something a bit gritty - this was not the book for me. I didn't real find that anything about Tony's French adventure inspired me to race onto the next page and to be honest, I'm not sure that I would have bothered writing about my experience if I was him - not a great deal happened.
It was more like a cross between a travel guide, a journal and a GCSE essay.
I hate the words 'nice' and 'good' as they are so undescriptive but in this case they are just right. Nothing amazing - wouldn't recommend it - but have read far worse.
A pleasant way to spend a few hours - Rated 
Tony Hawks is one of those people who's been around for ages and is pretty much a professional panellist on the various comedy shows which pervade TV and radio. This is the second book I've read of his and I very much enjoyed it. His wit shines through certain chapters - such as the 'white van saga' and various other things. It isn't 'laugh out loud' funny, but it's amusing enough.
The French villagers seem to be a strange lot though and you get the impression that Hawks has embellished them a fair bit to shoehorn some more comedy into the book. The ending is a bit of a whirlwind, which in some ways doesn't ring true. All in all, it's a good book to while away a summer's day or to lull oneself into a (refreshing) state of slumber in the evening.
A Pleasant Time in Good Company - Rated
I think some of the negative comments in the less positive reviews of this book miss the point. I would hope that anyone wanting advice about the legal process of buying a home abroad, with due respect, wouldn't be buying anything by Tony Hawks. Similarly, I'd be surprised if those wanting to learn more about the challenges involved in renovating older properties or learning more about the cultural history of this region of France would go looking for that information in such fare as this. (But Tony Hawkes doesn't indulge in the 'aren't foreigners funny with their silly little ways' line, though.)
To use a cliche, Tony Hawkes' books 'do exactly what it says on the tin'. This book relates a feel good story in an easy, relaxed, conversational style that I found very entertaining. No, I didn't discover any great insights into the human psyche nor did it change my life but it gave me a few laughs and I was happy with that.
Should be zero! - Rated 
This book is boring, lazily written, predictable and not at all funny or readable. I have never read any of Hawks other books, and with this level of writing probably never will. Perhaps there are two books by the same title, as some of the reviews certainly don't apply to the copy I read. Another one for the Charity Shop.
Hawkes hits the right spot - Rated 
This is a most enjoyable read. Although not hugely funny, there is an absence of belly laughs, I confidently predict that you'll sit there with a smile on your face for most of the time you have the book open. It has that feel good factor which comes about when you hear, or in this case, read of someone making a complete hash of things. Hawks has the knack of putting his foot in it and doesn't seem to learn from it. It's made even better because you know you'd probably have made the same mistakes. The only down side for me was that it finished too soon. I want to know what happened next. Recommended winter reading it's gentle humour will keep you warm.
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