John Baxter, and American, finds himself falling in love with a French woman and moving to France.

In an effort to prove his love for her, he takes on the family’s challenge of preparing the Christmas Dinner — not a simple feat.

France’s Christmas is family oriented, not commercial as in the U.S. The focus is on family and food. The meal is the star of the day and usually takes a long time to plan and execute.

This book is the years long planning, told in an entertaining style. The deciding of recipes and the travels to various areas to acquire the necessary ingredients are highlighted by the scenes and people of the locations and some of the misadventures during the searches.

There are culinary illustrations, throughout the book, from the author’s personal collection. These add to the ambiance of the writing.

I read this in a leisurely pace and felt as if I were there. ( )

Totally fell in love with this book! I have never ever felt inclined to reread anything. I want to reread Immovable Feast until I can quote passages from heart! ( )

A nice little book about Baxters integration into his wife's French family and what he goes through each year to cook s memorable Christmas dinner. ( )

Started off reasonably well, despite some small typos and the like, but by the time I got to page 144 where the author states that the grapes of Médoc are Cabermet Franc and Syrah, I lost all faith in either his knowledge of wine or the editor's proofreading skills. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the actual grapes of the Médoc, which is Bordeaux, by the way, are, in order of planting: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Carmenère. When he says that the Cab Franc and Syrah make the finest wines in that region, I could not believe what I was reading. Wish there was a way to get this message to him, not that anyone will correct this and other factual mistakes, but increasingly, I am seeing sloppiness in fact-checking, knowledge and editing. Full disclosure, I am French and a sommelier. ( )

This is a delightful book of an Australian bon vivant and his ecounter with his French wife and family over a number of Christmases in France. John Bazter is something of a chef himself and enjoys entertaining. He takes you through how Christmas is celebrated differently than in English-speaking countries, and features a large Christmas Day festive meal. The latter half of the book takes up Baxter's planning, finding retailers who might do his plan fro a roated piglet, other stores for all the other dinner items, and his encounters, some rather charming, with French shopkeepers. Baxter's roasted piglet comes from more Southern U.S. traditions, and definitely not a French idea for Christmas. He accomplishes the dinner with considerable aplomb. He writes so well that you are carried along through what otherwise might be pedestrian situations. This is a book that I might want to give. ( )