The Olive Harvest: A Memoir of Love, Old Trees and Olive Oil (Hardcover)

~ Carol Drinkwater (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The author's passion for her surroundings and the life she has created are evident in her vibrant descriptions of the local scenery and people' EVENING HERALD DUBLIN

Product Description

'The stars shimmer like spilled handfuls of glitter. The day is beginning to rise with a faint mist. As I turn my head, ghostly halos, auras of light, appear and disappear and I cannot tell if it is caused by my lightheadedness or is a freak of nature. The silence is truly awesome. Not a bird, not a whisper of wind, not a breath of life. Only the two of us, a most implausible pair, standing shoulder to shoulder gazing upon an awakening heaven'. Carol Drinkwater has already built up a large readership eagerly awaiting the third volume of her Olive Farm memoirs. Returning to their home after an extended absence Carol and her husband Michel are looking forward to summer together on the farm. A shocking blow leaves Carol alone. The future is uncertain. The Olive Harvest takes us beyond the perimeters of her olive groves to where hunters, poets, bee-keepers, boars and gypsies abide. In search of the language of troubadours, the dark and sometimes barbarous heart of Provence is revealed. Nature and the generosity of the South of France's harvests offer a path to joy and an abundant resolution. The magnificent humanity and honesty that characterised the first two episodes of her trilogy sets Carol Drinkwater's work apart from others in the same genre. The Olive Harvest and its vibrant Mediterranean world will enthral her many readers.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson (October 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297847805
• ISBN-13: 978-0297847809
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #873,234 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be an olive oil snob, August 25, 2007

By	E. Pei (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Continuing on with Carol's escapades in Provence, you feel as if she is family. After reading her olive triology I would pass up the chance to visit Paris for a weekend in Provence. I enjoyed olive oil before, now I want to drink it up, taste and smell the differences. Olive oil is the liquid gold flowing through the olive series!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheers To The Olive Harvest!, November 19, 2007

By	Bettye Johnson (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Olive Harvest: A Memoir of Love, Old Trees, and Olive Oil (Paperback)

I love Drinkwater's ability to bring the reader into the realities of growing olives, her relationship with Michel and above all, Provencal and the Mediterranean atmosphere. Her descriptive ability is superb and I felt like I was there with her as she went through the trials and tribulations of living in Provencal while her husband was going through his own dark night of the soul. Drinkwater's book is highly recommended for those who love the south of France and especially Provencal. I learned also about the art of growing olives and the pressing of olives into oil. Bettye Johnson, award-winning author of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls.

17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like books about Provence you'll like this., December 14, 2005

By	Roger Jones (Texas) - See all my reviews

I got hooked on Provence books through Peter Mayle and this tome is very similiar in style and substance. You may remember the author from her role in All Creatures Great and Small. I highly recommend.