- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Pantheon (Mar 28 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0375410287
- ISBN-13: 978-0375410284
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.5 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #864,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
When English sheep shearer Chris Stewart (once a drummer for Genesis) bought an isolated farmhouse in the mountains outside of Granada, Spain, he was fully aware that it didn't have electricity, running water, or access to roads. But he had little idea of the headaches and hilarity that would follow (including scorpions, runaway sheep, and the former owner who won't budge). He also had no idea that his memoir about southern Spain would set a standard for literary travel writing.
This rip-roaringly funny book about seeking a place in an earthy community of peasants and shepherds gives a realistic sense of the hassles and rewards of foreign relocation. Part of its allure stems from the absence of rose-colored glasses, mainly Stewart's refusal to merely coo about the piece of heaven he's found or to portray all residents as angels. Stewart's hilarious and beautifully written passages are deep in their honest perceptions of the place and the sometimes xenophobic natives, whose reception of the newcomers ranges from warm to gruff.
After reading about struggles with dialects, animal husbandry, droughts, flooding, and such local rituals as pig slaughters and the rebuilding of bridges, you may not wish to live Chris Stewart's life. But you can't help but admire him and his wife, Ana, for digging out a niche in these far-flung mountains, for successfully befriending the denizens, and for so eloquently and comically telling the truth. The rich, vibrant, and unromanticized candor of Driving over Lemons makes it a laudable standout in a genre too often typified by laughable naiveté. --Melissa Rossi
From Publishers Weekly
Stewart, a former drummer in Genesis, middle-aged travel writer and professional sheepshearer, never quite explains why he and his wife, Ana, decided to quit England 11 years ago for a dilapidated farm without electricity, water or even a road in Andaluc!a, Spain. Perhaps the olives, almonds and rosemary had something to do with it. Stewart clearly has found contentment in his good place among a lovingly described collection of local farmers, New Age travelers, artists and the occasional Buddhist. His hilly farm is a harsher place than Peter Mayle's Provence or Frances Mayes's Tuscany, and the local cuisine far less appetizing, yet his unfailing good humor and invincible optimism carry him past obstacles that would send most readers scurrying for home. More than a travel book, this is a record of Stewart's slowly flourishing friendship with his neighbor, Domingo, and of how Stewart gradually sank roots deep into his beautiful Andaluc!an hillside. A bestseller in England, this enchanting memoir is likely to prove popular in North America with both armchair travelers and readers who, while curious about the odd life choices others make, would just as soon give scorpions and clouds of flies a miss. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny, insightful, enjoyable,
By
This review is from: Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain (Paperback)
A witty and entertaining biographical account of an English couple's assimilation into the life of the Andalusian countryside. Subtly sentimental, the author seems to have an endless supply of colorful acquaintances, including local farmers, livestock dealers, and a variety of eccentric refugees from northern Europe. An interesting theme, albeit perhaps not an explicit one, is that of the loss of an ancient way of life, and its replacement by an easier, more technology-driven lifestyle. Traditional Spanish farmers, living without electricity or running water, are selling their farms to foreigners, and moving to the city. Foreign farmers like the author are anxious to learn local techniques, yet they are not only more willing to experiment, but they also bring technology with them, such as electric sheep-shearing equipment. The description of the annual pig slaughter reminded me very much of the stories carefully preserved in the 'Foxfire' series of books about Appalachian America. Such rituals were once common and necessary throughout the rural world, but are not increasingly less significant in a time when agriculture is becoming increasingly more factory like. This was a perfect book to read alongside the pool during a relaxing week in Ronda. Often laugh-out-loud funny, it was an interesting and even educational read, that helped me understand the people and ecology of the mountainous southeastern region of Andalucia. Although the author has a highly-developed sense of observation and detachment, developed no doubt through years of experience writing for travel guides, at no time did he ever become unsympathetic to his subject or lose the ability to laugh at himself in his sometimes clumsy attempts to fit into a new culture. Its a marvelous book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is travelling to southern Spain, who is interested in back-to-the-farm success stories, or who finally, anyone who enjoys a good story about real people.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Really quite boring,
By A Customer
This review is from: Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain (Paperback)
I read this book about 1 year after i visited the same town that is depicted in this book. I stayed in a small house outside of town with a lemon orchard and olive trees that had been bought and was in the process of being fixed up by an English couple. So, i was excited when i saw this book. I expected to read wonderful descriptions of the surrounding mountains and the town... unfortunately, the couple in the story have such uninteresting observations about their surroundings, it made the entire book quite bland. I wish i hadn't read it, so that my own vibrant memories of that place could have remained untainted.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lemonade,
By
This review is from: Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain (Paperback)
Chris Stewart is a surprisingly good writer. He is also an engaging character, able to cope with the crisis of moving countries and careers with grace under pressure.This book is the diary of Stewart and his wife buying and running a small farm in Andalucia. They live in a rustuic farmhouse, get to know their neighbours, live through various natural and unnatural disasters and the birth of thier daughter. This is a unique view of Spain from an outsider but not a tourist, and an interesting meditation on consumerism, community, and lifestyle, all writter with humour and style. While not hiding the hardships, Stewart makes one want to abandon the city and strike out as a sheppard in a foreign country.
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