Amazon.com: Viva Mallorca!: One Mallorcan Autumn (9781592286188): Peter Kerr: Books

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005

The third book in the award-winning series by the author of Snowball Oranges and Mañana Mañana.

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The third book in the award-winning series by the author of Snowball Oranges and Mañana Mañana.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As ripe and juicy as the oranges he grows on his Mallorcan farm, Kerr's chronicle of his family's first year living off a foreign land is a delectable addition to the growing genre of emigre memoirs. Having forsaken their cold and dreary native Scotland for the Mediterranean's balmy climes, the Kerrs--Peter, wife Ellie, sons Charles and Sandy--are committed to making a go of their meager farm, peddling the fruits and nuts they produce to, well, the fruits and nuts who live nearby. Adroitly mixing his expat patter with some newly acquired local patois, Kerr proves he is more than up to the task. In the island's best tradition of accepting foreign invaders, the colorful characters inhabiting the adjoining farms and villages quickly recognize Kerr as a kindred spirit, introducing him to such time-honored rituals as putting off until manana whatever Ellie wants him to accomplish today. Kerr's is an irresistible, irrepressible account of the risks and rewards of starting over. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Charmed by the weather and the promise of a simple life, the Kerrs bought an orange grove and settled in. . . . of course, there's a lesson learned: If you're going to undertake a risky endeavor, you should commit yourself fully and hold nothing back." --Kirkus Reviews

In praise of Peter Kerr's previous books:

"People are already making comparisons between A Year in Provence and Mañana Mañana. But at the risk of committing travel writing heresy, some readers may like Mañana Mañana better. It's often funnier, grittier and more textured than Mayle's best-selling book."
--Bookpage

"Kerr's writing . . . evokes a spirit of place that will appeal to both armchair travelers and vacationers who'd like to know the best eating establishments on the island, as well as anyone considering emigrating to a foreign land."--Publishers Weekly

"Although this genre has grown thin, given the plethora of books that have appeared since Frances Mayes's Under the Tuscan Sun and Peter Mayles's A Year in Provence, Kerr manages to give us a lively spin on the difficulties and successes he and his family experience after they purchase a run-down orange grove on Majorca." --Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Peter Kerr Page

Peter Kerr, the best-selling Scottish author, was born in Lossiemouth, Morayshire, in 1940. His award-winning 'Snowball Oranges' series of five Mallorcan-based books have sold in large numbers worldwide and have been translated into eleven languages. They recount the often hilarious adventures experienced by Peter and his family while running a small orange farm on the Spanish Mediterranean island during the 1980s.

'Thistle Soup' is a prequel to these books and is a humorous though sometimes poignant account of his boyhood in the county of East Lothian, 'The Garden of Scotland', where he eventually followed in his farming grandfather's footsteps.

Peter now concentrates on writing fiction. His first novel, 'The Mallorca Connection', was a rare mix of suspense and comedy and has been followed to date by four other equally quirky yarns, with Scottish and international settings.

In the 1960s, Peter was a professional jazz musician - the clarinettist-leader of Scotland's premier jazzband, 'The Clyde Valley Stompers', with whom he recorded the hit version of 'Peter and the Wolf' for Beatles producer George Martin.

From 1970 onwards, Peter combined farming beef and barley in East Lothian with freelance record production, hitting the jackpot with the biggest-selling instrumental single of all time, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 'Amazing Grace'.

Peter, now a full-time author, is married with two sons and lives in East Lothian. He is currently writing a historical novel set in 13th century Mallorca.

Website: www.peter-kerr.co.uk