A funny look at the social and political dynamic of French village life.Gabriel Chevallier's delightful novel Clochemerle satirizes the titanic confrontation of secular and religious forces in a small wine-growing village in Beaujolais.The eruption begins when the socialist mayor decides that he wants to leave behind a monument to his administration's achievements.He takes as his model the ancient Romans, who were famous for two things: hygiene and noble edifices.Thus, he decides to unite the two concepts...by constructing a public urinal in the centre of town.There is one problem, however: the chosen locale is next to the village church, and this outrages the ecclesiastical party. *Perfect for fans of Joanne Harris’s Chocolate*