Customer Reviews

Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools (Old Fool Series)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're looking to experience sunny Spain, and maybe even life in a tiny village tucked in the Alpujarra Mountains, and without leaving home, then CHICKENS, MULES AND TWO OLD FOOLS is the book for you.

Approaching retirement, Vicky and her husband, Joe, one day decide to pack up their bags and leave their comfortable Sussex, England home and settle in the village El Hoya, Spain. It is not long before they come to learn village life is full of surprises and quirky mishaps, and with hilarious culture clashes at every turn. When Vicky and Joe unintentionally find themselves chicken farmers, Vicky says:

"Oh, Please! Our Spanish neighbours already thought we were insane, sitting on the yellow sofa gazing at our flock, letting them hop onto our laps, talking to them."

Whether saved by a mule or sitting at a party table in the middle of the road celebrating a neighbour's birthday (and blocking traffic), CHICKENS ... not only paints a warm, humorous and colourful picture of rural Spain, but also tells of how two zany Brits came to fit right in. Light-hearted and full of sunshine. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This book is a breath of fresh air! If you have a sense of humor, and wonder what life in a tiny mountain village in Spain might be like, then this book is for you. What I particularly liked were the larger than life characters and the animals, all of which had me laughing aloud. It was nice to see the photographs of the people and places and I will certainly try the Spanish recipes sprinkled throughout the book.

I have been thrilled to have found the perfect Christmas gift for family and friends. This book is one I will be gifting to all for a long time to come. The risk of moving to another country and starting up a new life is admirable. But to keep your sense of humor in spite of all that confronts you is very brave. You won't be able to put this book down.

Victoria Twead's, autobiographical novel is a literary delight! I loved the entire thought that the reader is let into Vicky's ideas and thoughts about moving to Andalucia, Spain from England. The tale is light hearted and amusing, despite the obvious obstacles of language and an entirely new environment and new people. The story is well written, filled with a delightful view into Victoria and her husband's new world and the added bonus of the recipes were a plus

What can you say about CHICKENS, MULES AND TWO OLD FOOLS except that it is extremely well-written, humorous, enlightening, and fun to read. The wonderful Spanish recipes Ms Twead sprinkles generously throughout the pages of her book only increases the reading experience. I read each recipe as I went along and I could visualize Ms Twead cooking them up in her makeshift kitchen. Savory writing and savory food! An unbeatable combination.

You really get a flavor for the impish nature of the author as you survey the characters, both human and animal, and the names she bestowed on them. I often had the feeling that if she really let her hair down and gave in to her bawdy impulses, we'd be rolling in the aisles. Nonetheless, an excellent read by a skillful writer. Even the English slang was funny and educational.

Put this book on your reading list!

I loved this book. I want another one just like it. The book
reminds me of the writings of Betty McDonald. She wrote
about her life is the 1920's to the 1950's in the Seattle area.
She wrote a very humorous account of her life. The style of
writing is one of my most favorite writing styles. I would definitely
read any book Victoria Twead should care to write.

This is a wonderful book! I enjoyed every page from start to finish which I reached much too quickly and would have loved if were three times longer! Vicky writes with a wonderful perspective - she and her husband have moved to an idyllic location in Spain, not of course without its trials and tribulations which are most often hilarious - I laughed out loud many times during the book! She has a lovely eye for detail and characterisation born of respect, fascination and the ever present humour that makes this one thoroughly enjoyable read! I can't recommend it highly enough and I really hope Vicky considers writing ''Chickens and Mules... the story continues..." I'd snap it up as I am sure, so would all her fans who have had the pleasure of coming across this lovely story!
Maria (Isabel) McMahon
Abu Dhabi

Remember how James Herriot created people and time in Yorkshire? Twead has done the same art for a small mountain village in Spain, where she and her husband decamped from England to spend five years. Plus in her case it's even true.

There is a genre of literature where someone leaves the old and familiar and arriving somewhere else, discovers delight. Portia and Julian discover an abandoned summer colony in "Gone-Away Lake." "Mr. Sermon" reawakens himself after fleeing from a boys' school to the seashore. Rosalba discovers freedom when she hitchhikes to Venice after her family inadvertently leaves a rest stop without her in the film "Bread and Tulips." Gray finds a home while writing a novel in the west of Ireland ("Born in Ice").

"Chicken, Mules and Two Old Fools" is the latest of this tradition. It makes those of us left behind wish we had the courage to do something similar.

The only inaccuracy in the book is the title. The protagonists are not fools. The more true "avatar" wouldn't have sounded as smooth though.

Thank you, Ms. Twead.

This is one of those rare "warm the soul" non-fiction books. Simple, divine, & it makes you laugh out loud. It's not only about an English couple's move to Spain, it's also about marriage and compromise, community, remaining flexible, going with the flow, jumping off cliffs and daring to dream an irrational dream. It is also about being who you are wherever you are, and the importance of accepting the people around you on the same terms.

I'm not sure where this book stopped being a book and the chapters started feeling like letters from dear friends, but it did. The cast of characters is vivid and entertaining, the delightful journey this couple chose is shared freely, as are the recipes they picked up along the way.

I was sad when the book ended, and since I read it in one sitting...it ended much too quickly. If I had their address and if I knew even a little Spanish I would be boarding a plane to go visit them. I can hardly wait for this author's next book.

A charming, witty, enchanting book that I read all too quickly.

I found at the end of this book I wanted more and was extremely disappointed that I had finished it so quickly. I wanted to relocate to Spain, buy some chickens as pets and start cooking the delicious recipes sprinkled throughout the chapters.

This book is a wonderful romp and I am so glad that I have just purchased the next book in the `Two Old Fools' series as once again I have the opportunity to venture back to Spain with Vicky and Joe and the other characters in their lives.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

5 Stars from me.