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Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain (Paperback)

~ (Author) "'WELL, THIS IS NO GOOD, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE!' I said as we drove along yet another tarmac road behind a row of..." (more)
Key Phrases: Old Man Domingo, Pedro Romero, Don Manuel (more...)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When English sheep shearer Chris Stewart (once a drummer for Genesis) bought an isolated farmhouse in the mountains outside of Granada, Spain, he was fully aware that it didn't have electricity, running water, or access to roads. But he had little idea of the headaches and hilarity that would follow (including scorpions, runaway sheep, and the former owner who won't budge). He also had no idea that his memoir about southern Spain would set a standard for literary travel writing.

This rip-roaringly funny book about seeking a place in an earthy community of peasants and shepherds gives a realistic sense of the hassles and rewards of foreign relocation. Part of its allure stems from the absence of rose-colored glasses, mainly Stewart's refusal to merely coo about the piece of heaven he's found or to portray all residents as angels. Stewart's hilarious and beautifully written passages are deep in their honest perceptions of the place and the sometimes xenophobic natives, whose reception of the newcomers ranges from warm to gruff.

After reading about struggles with dialects, animal husbandry, droughts, flooding, and such local rituals as pig slaughters and the rebuilding of bridges, you may not wish to live Chris Stewart's life. But you can't help but admire him and his wife, Ana, for digging out a niche in these far-flung mountains, for successfully befriending the denizens, and for so eloquently and comically telling the truth. The rich, vibrant, and unromanticized candor of Driving over Lemons makes it a laudable standout in a genre too often typified by laughable naiveté. --Melissa Rossi --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



From Publishers Weekly

Stewart, a former drummer in Genesis, middle-aged travel writer and professional sheepshearer, never quite explains why he and his wife, Ana, decided to quit England 11 years ago for a dilapidated farm without electricity, water or even a road in Andaluc!a, Spain. Perhaps the olives, almonds and rosemary had something to do with it. Stewart clearly has found contentment in his good place among a lovingly described collection of local farmers, New Age travelers, artists and the occasional Buddhist. His hilly farm is a harsher place than Peter Mayle's Provence or Frances Mayes's Tuscany, and the local cuisine far less appetizing, yet his unfailing good humor and invincible optimism carry him past obstacles that would send most readers scurrying for home. More than a travel book, this is a record of Stewart's slowly flourishing friendship with his neighbor, Domingo, and of how Stewart gradually sank roots deep into his beautiful Andaluc!an hillside. A bestseller in England, this enchanting memoir is likely to prove popular in North America with both armchair travelers and readers who, while curious about the odd life choices others make, would just as soon give scorpions and clouds of flies a miss. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; 5th edition (May 8, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375709150
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375709159
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Chris Stewart
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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First Sentence:
'WELL, THIS IS NO GOOD, I DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE!' I said as we drove along yet another tarmac road behind a row of whitewashed houses. Read the first page
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Old Man Domingo, Pedro Romero, Don Manuel, Sierra Nevada, Via Pecuaria
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Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Spain
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Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia 4.0 out of 5 stars (4)
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48 Reviews
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62 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Provence, Tuscany ... try Andalucia!, March 30, 2000
This review is from: Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia (Hardcover)
This book has been huge in the UK - top ten for the past six months - and no wonder. It is such a great tale: Chris Stewart, one time drummer of Genesis (he left at age 17) sinks his all (the grand sum of $35,000) into a peasant farm in Andalucia. It has no runing water, no electricity, and gets cut off altogether when the river is in flood. Oh, and it turns out that the man who sells him the farm has no plans to move out himself. But as the subtitle says, Chris is an optimist, big time, and that carries him through, along with a little realism from his wife Ana, and local wiles from Domingo, the best neighbor you could hope to find. The book gains its strength from the fact that Stewart has no money and needs to work (as a sheep shearer), bringing real and often very comic insights into the local life - something I found lacking in the Mayle/Mayes Provence/Tuscany bestsellers. But like those books, this is a perfect holiday read - and a book that makes you yearn to follow the Stewarts' lead, and head for a simpler life in the sun.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Warm, touching, uplifting, June 13, 2000
By Michael K. McKeon (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia (Hardcover)
Those expecting a description of Spain akin to Mayles of Provence or Mayes of Tuscany will be momentarily disappointed. However, one quickly becomes invested in finishing this warm, engaging memoir.

There are no descriptions of fine wines, imcomparable meals, or other such rich treats. Instead this is a tale of an English couple that eschews the bourgeois lifestyle and seeks a simpler lifestyle in rural Spain. The leitmotif for the book could be summed up as carpe diem. The result is a touching description of evolving understanding of a different culture, appreciation and respect for the challenges of an agrarian lifestyle, and the importance of human relationships.

Throughout one is struck by what a kind hearted, genuinely good, and often frustratingly credulous person Chris Stewart is. He has an endearing capacity for laughing at himself and chalking up losses and set backs as part of the cost of change. Much of the book's humor is derived from the characteristically deadpan British understatement and irony, and the assortment of interesting and eccentric characters to whom the Stewarts are drawn and also attract.

Stewart's growing relationship with his laconic, multitalented neighbor Domingo is particularly heart warming. One is struck by the neighor's acumen, unceasing generosity, and ongoing willingness to aid the often fumbling Stewart. There is a particularly moving chapter about "understanding the water" where Stewart reveals his immense gratitude and respect to Domingo by expressing the hope to earn his respect someday.

This is a lovely, uplifting, fun book depicting the growth of a family and the development of a new, and perhaps more essential, lifestyle. I felt better for having read it.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, April 20, 2000
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This review is from: Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia (Hardcover)
There are some great books out there about making a new life in France or Italy, but this is the the first I have read which makes a move to Spain seem so real. Chris Stewart leaves all that he is used to and transforms himself and his family in the process. It is very well written and an excellent account of adjusting to life in rural Spain and also the transformation of a young couple to a family with the birth of their little girl and all the changes that can bring. I greatly enjoyed both facets of this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very helpful
I read this book a few weeks ago while vacationing as an American in the very region that Stewart writes about. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Josy

2.0 out of 5 stars not that great...
I must say that I wasn't intrigued by this story, but it came recommended by a friend. I didn't think I would even finish it, but kept reading in the hopes that there would be an... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Heather

2.0 out of 5 stars A slightly more interesting guide to home improvement on a low budget.
From the point of view of an American living in Spain and reading the book in Spanish (Entre Limones) I find this book to be quite boring. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Billy

4.0 out of 5 stars A look inside Spain.
This book was recommended by others also learning Spanish in order to develop our Spanish cultural awareness. It did not disappoint. Read more
Published 10 months ago by S. MCCONNELL

5.0 out of 5 stars Ready to move to Spain!
This story provided a wonderful escape as I read it and pictured the valley and the mountains, the river and the sheep... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Laura E. Collins

3.0 out of 5 stars Quirky, disjointed but agreeable
I found this to be a rather odd book, reading like a series of snapshots of the author's life in rural Andalusia. Read more
Published on September 10, 2007 by Blue

5.0 out of 5 stars Another gem
Read every one of Chris Stewart books and will continue to read as long as he keeps on writing.
Published on March 9, 2007 by Revital T. Landsman

5.0 out of 5 stars Does Exactly What It Sets Out to Do
What a pleasure it was to read this book. I just came out of National Poetry Month here on the NH Seacoast -- six weeks (it's expanding in both directions from April) of poetry... Read more
Published on May 12, 2006 by John Michael Albert

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Provence or Tuscany either
I opened this book with great anticipation because of my previous happy trips to Provence with Peter Mayle and Tuscany with Frances Mayes. Read more
Published on May 5, 2006 by Doris A. Sanger

4.0 out of 5 stars On the Sunny Side of Life
Chris Stewart has led a life many of us only dream of. As a teenager attending one of the most prestigious boarding schools in England, he played drums in the very first... Read more
Published on May 1, 2006 by Peter Kurtz

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