Chris, eternal optimist and itinerant sheep shearer, moves with his wife Ana to a mountain farm in Las Alpujarras, an oddball region in the south of Spain. Misadventures gleefully unfold as Chris discovers that the owner has no intention of leaving and meets their neighbours, an engaging mix of peasant farmers and shepherds, New Age travellers and ex-pats. Their daughter Chloë is born, linking them irrevocably to their new life. The hero of the piece, however, is the farm itself - 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?
Driving Over Lemons
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All Provenced out? Then head further south this year, to the breathtaking mountainous climes of Andalucia. Just don't be squeamish about driving over lemons.
Chris Stewart, skilled sheep-shearer and sometime Genesis drummer, took one look at the Alpujarr´s, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, and decided that's where he wanted to be. This is the story of his adventures coming to terms with the terrain, the lifestyle and, of course, the locals, who possess all the rugged, homespun charm you'd expect. Stewart soon discovers all the hidden foibles of his bargain purchase, and spends the following year(rendered here in detail) installing the little luxuries of life like, say, water.
However, just when you're worrying that all this might degenerate into a rose-tinted "Englishman finds nature" idyll, Chris's wife enters the fray. Nonsense-free, straight-talking and relentlessly unsentimental, Ada should be a required resource for all travel writers. Ada gets bored with the fake machismo of pig-killing, Ada sees through the selfless "help" of the natives, Ada calls a peasant a peasant. With her on board, Stewart has the perfect counterbalance to his declared optimism, and Driving Over Lemons becomes a loving but clear-sighted encomium, economically and wittily written, to a wonderful part of the world. --Alan Stewart --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
"When an author is as modest and humorous as this, his story cannot be told too often." Elizabeth Buchan, The Times "Exquisite... in Driving Over Lemons the anecdote flourishes once more." Penelope Lively, The Daily Telegraph"
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68 of 68 people found the following review helpful
By C Hyde
Format:Paperback
When one thinks of English in Spain, you automatically assume Frank Butcher types in tight Speedo trunks loitering drunk in Lineker's Bar and eating fry-ups all day.
Chris Stewart and his wife Ana are Ex-Pats, but with a difference. Rather than trying to make Spain English, they left these shore to adapt to the Spanish agricultural lifestyle, and enjoy the atmosphere on their new property in Las Alpajurras.
The book brings together a sentiment of blissful happiness, and you can almost smell the lemon blossom on the front cover.
I enjoyed this book as much as I did 'Mukiwa', by Peter Godwin, but without any of the poigniancy and heartache felt in Godwin's work.
A fantastic read, well worth 5 stars.
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I picked up this expecting a variation on the "Year in Provence" theme and found I was totally wrong. The Englishman abroad idea was still the basis of the book however, there the similarity ended. Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia is much more beievable and real. There is no feeling that the stories have been elaborated or embroidered. You sense a commitment to the simplicity of this way of life and that despite the popularity of the novel the family will not be "selling out" on this lifestyle. At the end I felt as though I had experienced the ups and downs of the first years with him. Whilst I came away knowing I would have hated it in many ways I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. Highly recommended and compulsive reading.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Reviewed by: Rachael from Manchester, reading it in Andalucia.
Driving over lemons shows the real side of relocating to what would seem like an idyllic life in Spain. Chris (Cristobal) describes the everyday ups and downs of living on a farm in Andalucia, from getting access to a water supply to the birth of his daughter. He tells how his Spanish neighbours accept him into their community, teaching him how to build, farm and generally survive.
It is a heart-warming book that has spawned many lukewarm imitations. I am now about to read the 'sort of sequel' called 'A Parrot in the Pepper Tree' - I will keep you posted.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely read
This is great. I could not put it down and it makes you drift off into the Spanish sun. What a lovely place to live. Read more
Published 19 hours ago by C. E. Francis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Driving over Lemons
This book was recommended to me and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I know Spain quite well as our daughter is married to Spaniard and we have been lucky enough to go... Read more
Published 8 days ago by Mrs. S. A. Humphery
5.0 out of 5 stars
Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia
About twenty years ago we sold our bungalow in Spain and the story that Chris Stewart tells reminds me of so many very similar experiences including the obvious one. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Roy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Driving Over Lemons
Wonderful book, which makes you feel that there are still magical places on earth to live in and people who are concerned things that matter.
Published 1 month ago by MRS L NI'MAN
4.0 out of 5 stars
A true story
Interesting at first but became a little dry. It is good to see that people can struggle and survive. Made more interesting as he was a member of a group I enjoyed listening to .
Published 1 month ago by Glenys Wood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant!
Brilliant book - I've got all of Chris Stewarts books and I've recommended them to lots of friends.
It's really well written, moving, funny, interesting - everything you... Read more
It's really well written, moving, funny, interesting - everything you... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Liz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enthralling.
Captivating account of a struggle to become accepted and survive in a foreign land. Well worth the purchase and I will be reading the sequel.
Published 2 months ago by Les Cutts
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good read.
A great read, interesting, humorous, and detailed. Loved reading it and have now bought Parrot in a Pepper tree. The story continues.
Published 2 months ago by alison
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very easy read, beautifully penned, amusing.
Easy read and flows along seamlessly. Amusing in parts with some interesting characters, author's wife must be an angel to put up with the conditions
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Published 2 months ago by Mikey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!
Fab book - I now want to live on a Spanish farm - what a cultural adventure! Enjoyed reading this
Published 2 months ago by Victoria
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