Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia

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.

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!

If you've enjoyed Peter Mayle's series on Provence initiated when he and his wife bought and refurbished a dilapidated French farmhouse, or EXTRA VIRGIN by Annie Hawes, then you'll be positively enamored of DRIVING OVER LEMONS, written by Chris Stewart, another Brit wishing to escape the island. Perhaps it's the weather.Chris, a sheep-shearer and sometime travel writer, begins his narrative as he's traveling alone in Spain's Andalusia. Right off, he spends his life's savings on a somewhat isolated, but definitely rustic, farm called El Valero without first calling England to consult with his wife, Ana. (Now, this strikes me as a markedly hazardous course, and brings to mind the prudent caution, "Don't try this at home".) In any case, he adroitly manages to sell the concept to a dubious spouse, and soon the Stewarts and the family dog cut all ties to Sussex and immigrate to their new rural residence.One major difference between author Stewart and author Mayle is that the former doesn't dwell hedonistically on the food and wine of his adopted country. (One brief reference to a local delicacy favored by Macho Locals, burnt chicken's heads, may indicate the grounds for such an omission.) Rather, DRIVING OVER LEMONS is all about rebuilding El Valero into something more civilized, installing running water via an ancient aqueduct, constructing a bridge over a river that flows through the property, acquiring and maintaining a herd of sheep, begetting a daughter, Chloe, and interacting with the natives and other members of the Foreign Community. However, one characteristic that Chris does share with Mayle (and Hawes) is a wonderfully dry and entertaining wit that seems to be a genetic trait of British expatriate writers. For example, when describing the belated christening ceremony of 3 year-old Chloe:"Chloe looked as if she was about to cut up rough but Ana managed to bribe her into a hesitant co-operation by flashing the edge of a bar of chocolate, kept at the ready in her pocket, and pointing meaningfully towards the altar. Chloe edged forward throwing side glances at the chocolate in the way that sailors keep a lighthouse in view when crossing onshore tides. (After the ceremony) Ana and I breathed a sigh of relief as she slunk back to (her best friend) Rosa clutching her chocolate. I like to think they shared it. It's no good going through the form of the thing, you have to act by its precepts."I enjoyed this volume immensely, and hope that Stewart, like Mayle, will make a literary series of it. Andalusia is a place I will likely never visit, and Chris is a convivial and likable guide.

Chris Stewart's book makes Peter Mayle's Provence efforts seem like puff fiction. Stewart's is about real poeple, while Mayle's seems to be written on the basis of market research (he's a PR man, after all).Stewart is a sheep shearer, and he's raising sheep on his finca. He interacts with his neighbors as a sheep farmer, and he tries to break into the business by passing the middle men. He learns his lessons and adapts, but it takes a lot of work and time.It's not a book for those who prefer the romantic tales about living simply in a rural Mediteranen environment. But it's a real story, told well and without pretense. Therefore it stays with you long after the other fluff has blown away.

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.