What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedA Good Year
Ridley Scott · Film · 2006
If you loved A Good Year, start with A Year Down Yonder (Richard Peck, 2002) — a book on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to A Good Year across media.
If A Good Year captured your imagination, you will enjoy these stories about outsiders finding unexpected meaning within unfamiliar, close-knit communities.
Books on the same thread
The Good Earth
Pearl S. Buck · Book · 2004
Explores: Poverty, Land Ownership, Social Mobility.
Much like the vineyard in A Good Year, this story explores the profound bond between a person and their land, highlighting how heritage shapes our fundamental sense of identity.
A Year Down Yonder
Richard Peck · Book · 2002
Explores: Grandmother-Grandchild Relationship, Small Town Life, Great Depression.
Just as Max Skinner discovers hidden depths in Provence, Mary Alice finds that a seemingly sleepy town holds surprising drama and a transformative connection to her family history.
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald · Book · 2004
Explores: American Dream, Social Class, Love and Loss.
While A Good Year focuses on a vineyard, this classic mirrors its preoccupation with the intersection of inherited wealth, personal longing, and the pursuit of a different life.
The Custom of the Country
Edith Wharton · Book · 2006
Explores: Class conflict, Social climbing, Marriage as commodity.
Readers who enjoyed the cynical city-dweller transition in A Good Year will appreciate this critique of social ambition and the complex maneuvering required to navigate shifting class structures.
Series on the same thread
The O.C.
Josh Schwartz · Series · 2003
Shares a thread with A Good Year: Culture Clash.
This series reflects the fish-out-of-water dynamic seen in A Good Year, focusing on how an outsider's arrival disrupts the established status quo of an affluent, tight-knit community.
Ted Lasso
Jason Sudeikis · Series · 2020
Explores: Optimism, Underdog Story, Cultural Clash.
If you loved the culture clash of A Good Year, you will find this transition of an American into British life equally charming, optimistic, and focused on personal redemption.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Yu Je-won · Series · 2021
Explores: Small Town Romance, City Slicker vs. Small Town, Healing.
This show perfectly echoes the romantic, healing atmosphere of A Good Year, as a city professional trades her hectic life to find new purpose in a charming coastal village.
Friday Night Lights
Brian Grazer · Series · 2006
Explores: Coming-of-age, Community, Pressure.
The deep sense of community and the pressure to succeed in a small town mirror the pastoral, character-driven stakes that made A Good Year such a compelling watch.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
Listeners who appreciated the focus on rural life and family legacy in A Good Year will find a similar commitment to the rhythms of community and agricultural tradition.
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe · Podcast · 2026
Explores: untold historical anecdotes, curiosity-driven learning, American cultural history.
Those drawn to the storytelling charm of A Good Year will appreciate these short, curiosity-driven historical narratives that offer the same sense of discovery and unexpected insight.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is A Good Year based on a true story?
The film A Good Year is a fictional story directed by Ridley Scott. It follows a London banker who inherits a vineyard in Provence and encounters a woman claiming to be his long-lost cousin. There is no indication that the plot is based on actual historical events or people.
Does A Good Year feature a romantic subplot?
A Good Year centers on the conflict between Max Skinner and a woman from California who claims his uncle's vineyard belongs to her. While the film explores his transition from a London banker to a vineyard owner, the interaction with his alleged cousin serves as the primary narrative catalyst.
What is the primary setting of A Good Year?
The setting of A Good Year is primarily a vineyard located in Provence, France. This property is inherited by Max Skinner, a failed London banker who spent his childhood holidays there. The location serves as the backdrop for his conflict with a woman claiming the estate is hers.
Who directs the film A Good Year?
Ridley Scott is the director of A Good Year. The 2006 film depicts the life of a failed London banker named Max Skinner who travels to Provence to manage an inherited vineyard, where he is met by a woman claiming the property is rightfully hers.