- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Summersdale Publishers (Jun 12 2000)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1840241128
- ISBN-13: 978-1840241129
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 299 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,696,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
A Scotsman growing oranges on Majorca? Snow on the oranges in December? Yes, here is yet another life-changing semiautobiography from a northern European seeking the sun and a new take on life. Although this genre has grown thin, given the plethora of books that have appeared since Frances Mayes's Under the Tuscan Sun and Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence, Kerr (Manana, Manana) manages to give us a lively spin on the difficulties and successes he and his family experience after they purchase a rundown orange grove on the Mediterranean island of Majorca. Kerr, his wife, and two sons had traveled to Majorca on holiday and fallen in love with the brilliant sun, rustic countryside, and friendly local population. On something of a whim, they decided they could transfer their Scottish farming skills to the hardscrabble life of orange-grove tending. It is worth noting that Kerr and his family have returned to Scotland since the publication of this book; not all dreams turn out as expected. This charming, cheerful book will appeal to anyone looking for a different take on Spain and Majorca. For large travel collections. Olga B. Wise, Hewlett-Packard Corp., Austin, TX
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
The dream of Scotsman Kerr and his wife had been to own a farm on their vacation island, Majorca. Through the wild serendipity that sometimes visits those who are lost, they happened upon the orange farm of their dreams, charming, rustic, and for sale. It is December when they move in, and though the weather is nothing like what they would experience in Scotland, it is snowing on their newly acquired orange trees! Then the farm itself turns out to be something of a lemon, with failing mechanics, inadequate drains, and the peculiar responsibility of feeding the previous owner's dogs and cats. Fortunately, the majority of their neighbors are helpful and good-hearted, so by spring, the local attitude of "tranquilo" is no longer a foreign concept to the new landowners. Readers will relish Kerr's adept account of the agricultural and social customs of the island and generous insights into one couple's bold transplanting of their lives. Danise Hoover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Snowball Oranges,
By A Customer
This review is from: Snowball Oranges: A Winter's Tale on a Spanish Isle (Hardcover)
I bought this book at LA Airport just before flying to the UK, and I have to say that reading it made short of the long journey. I read it in one go, and my outbursts of snickering and laughing must have had my fellow travellers wondering if I was a few oranges short of the pound.This book is unique in the travel genre in that the writer has a wonderful ability to tell his story as though it were a novel instead of just a travelogue. His sharply-observed portrayal of rural Majorcan characters and his vivid descriptions of the island's scenery and cuisine are so realistic that you can almost feel the sunshine, taste the food and smell the orange blossom. I enjoyed the book so much that I bought the sequel, 'Manana, Manana', as soon as I arrived in the UK, and it lived up to my expectations and more. Next day I booked my first vacation to Majorca, and I can't wait to visit the places so graphically depicted in these books. You can bet I'll be first in line to buy the third in the series whenever it's published. Estupendo, Don Pedro!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Snowball Oranges,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Snowball Oranges: A Winter's Tale on a Spanish Isle (Hardcover)
I bought this book at LA Airport just before flying to the UK, and I have to say that reading it made short of the long journey. I read it in one go, and my outbursts of snickering and laughing must have had my fellow travellers wondering if I was a few oranges short of the pound.This book is unique in the travel genre in that the writer has a wonderful ability to tell his story as though it were a novel instead of just a travelogue. His sharply-observed portrayal of rural Majorcan characters and his vivid descriptions of the island's scenery and cuisine are so realistic that you can almost feel the sunshine, taste the food and smell the orange blossom. I enjoyed the book so much that I bought the sequel, 'Manana, Manana', as soon as I arrived in the UK, and it lived up to my expectations and more. Next day I booked my first vacation to Majorca, and I can't wait to visit the places so graphically depicted in these books. You can bet I'll be first in line to buy the third in the series whenever it's published. Estupendo, Don Pedro! 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
tranquillo,
By Mr. Simon J. Challenger - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Snowball Oranges: A Winter's Tale on a Spanish Isle (Paperback)
I bought this book two days ago and have to say that I have strugglled to put it down since. For anyone with an interest in travel and the charismatic characters one meets this is an essential read. It is written in almost a novel format and whilst this does much to enrich the individual chapters I did feel that this style did mean that some of the warmth of the principal characters was lost.In this sense it fell short of other books in the genre, notably Chris Stewart's Driving over lemons. However, Kerr's detailed descriptions of his neigbours were a pleasue to read. At times it is laugh out loud funny and just looking at the next paragraph would prompt another outburst. A good read. Now where is my passport?
4.0 out of 5 stars
How to pretend you're actually living in Spain,
By Viva Espanya "Spain lover" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Snowball Oranges (Hardcover)
If you find yourself fantasizing about living in Spain, love everything to do with Spain you'll like this book. The only thing that slightly frustrated me was trying to figure out the era; finally I deduced it was between 1990-2000 because of the references to pesetas and raves. Anyway, I'm moving on to the others in this series in the year in Mayorca now. Also I should mention the humour is very British, or as the author would probably prefer I say, Scottish. So beware.
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