Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia (Paperback)

by Chris Stewart (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Meet Chris Stewart, the eternal optimist. At age 17 Chris retired as the drummer of Genesis and launched a career as a sheep shearer and travel writer. He has no regrets about this. Had he become a big-time rock star he might never have moved with his wife Ana to a remote mountain farm in Andalucia. Nor forged the friendship of a lifetime with his resourceful peasant neighbour Domingo...not watched his baby daughter Chloe grow and thrive there...nor written this book. Fate does sometimes seem to know what it's up to. "Driving Over Lemons" is that rare thing: a funny, insightful book that charms you from the first page to the last...and one that makes running a peasant farm in Spain seem like a distinctly good move. Chris transports us to Las Alpujarras, an oddball region south of Granada, and into a series of misadventures with an engaging mix of peasant farmers and shepherds, New Age travellers and ex-pats. The hero of the piece, however, is the farm that he and Ana bought, El Valero - a patch of mountain studded with olive, almond and lemon groves, sited on the wrong side of a river, with no access road, water supply or electricity. Could life offer much better than that?

About the Author
Chris Stewart prepared for life on a mountain farm in Spain with jobs of doubtful relevance. After leaving Genesis (he drummed on the first album), he joined a circus, learnt how to shear sheep, crewed a yacht in Greece, went to China for the Rough Guides, gained a pilot's license in Los Angeles, and completed a course in French cking. Since writing Driving Over Lemons, Chris, Ana and their daughter Chloe continue to live on their farm, with their numerous dogs, cats, chickens, sheep and one misanthropic parrot.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sort of Books (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0953522709
• ISBN-13: 978-0953522705
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #222,982 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Chris Stewart Andalucia Stories Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, optimistic (as the title says), very funny writing, May 20, 2009

By	Diana H. Faust "salsadancer" (Huntsville area AL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you have a fantasy of living as an ex-patriot in retirement or of quitting your crappy job and taking off for parts far away, this is the book for you. The book is about a husband and wife who buy a farm in a remote part of southern Spain, leaving their English way of life behind, including running water, electricity and all the other conveniences. They had a dedication to make it work and they did -- modernizing their farm, raising their food, making friends and a good life.

What I liked most about the way they chose to live their lifes was their desire to blend in with the local folks and not seek out fellow Brits. They truly blended with their environment in every way. It was very enjoyable to read about their experiences. The writer has a wonderful sense of humor and makes reading it fun.

2.0 out of 5 stars With optimists like these..., June 25, 2009

By	Carmen (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews

No kidding, the subtitle of this book ought to be, "An Idiot in Spain." Not since King Lear has a book opened with a less comprehensible real estate decision, but - how do I say this? - Chris Stewart is no Shakespeare. It's vaguely fun reading about life in rural southern Spain, but these characters are too cliched and situations too contrived to make this delicious travel writing.

5.0 out of 5 stars Making lemonade!, May 7, 2009

By	Tom Page - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a heart warming book about a guy who lives life on the 'other' side of the river and convention.
I enjoyed the characters that he met while fixing up an old remote farm in spain.
Sometimes funny, the author keeps you turning the pages just to find out what happens next.
Good read for the beach!