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The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil
 
 

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The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil (Paperback)

by Carol Drinkwater (Author) "'Shall we look inside?' ..." (more)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus (7 Jun 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349114749
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349114743
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 144,191 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

This is television actress Carol Drinkwater's lyrical account of a new life in France; about her house, Appassionata, and the trials and tribulations of acquiring an olive farm, restoring it, farming the olives, overcoming the heartaches of taking on a "new" French family and understanding slowly the workings and lifestyle of a vivacious Provencal community. The book opens the door on a bustling Mediterranean world using Carol Drinkwater's old abandoned villa as the gateway to it. It explores the local landscape, the various al fresco jazz festivals, the colourful carnival in Nice, the local cuisine, meals around an oval wooden table, the cycle of olive farming and pressing, local wines, Carol's bizarre friendship with a toothless Arab gardener, hours whiled away in a magnificent hammock lugged all the way from northern Brazil because its colours were an exact match for the slatted wooden shutters, and Picasso's museum at Antibes. It is a celebration of Appassionata and its wonderful olive-groved, sun-drenched world and its unlikely cast of characters.


About the Author

Alongside a distinguished acting career - Carol Drinkwater was Helen Herriot in BBC TV's ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and appeared on stage with Julie Christie in Pinter's OLD TIMES - Carol is a novelist and screenwriter.
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil
34% buy the item featured on this page:
The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil 3.8 out of 5 stars (26)
The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil
23% buy
The Olive Farm: A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil 4.8 out of 5 stars (8)
£5.02
The Olive Season: Amour, a New Life and Olives Too
15% buy
The Olive Season: Amour, a New Life and Olives Too 3.3 out of 5 stars (21)
£4.99
The Olive Harvest: A Memoir of Love, Life and Olives in the South of France
15% buy
The Olive Harvest: A Memoir of Love, Life and Olives in the South of France 2.9 out of 5 stars (8)
£5.97
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Customer Reviews

26 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (26 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A telling tale of a new life in the south of France, 26 Dec 2001
By A Customer
I enjoyed this book in a a way I wasn't expecting to. True it's been done many many times before but here we have an author who is not afraid to admit her weaknesses as well as her strengths. Although it is written in a completely different way to Lisa St Aubin de Teran's Valley in Italy it reminded me of this book. Both authors share the same amount of modesty and do not acknowledge the bravery required in taking on such derelict houses!! They are both passionate about their challenges and they both make a huge effort in getting to know the local people and their separate cultures. On a personal level I learnt a lot about the history of the area and although I do not know that part of France I am now eager to join the masses and make a first visit. It sounds absolutely glorious, and I now know about some of the drawbacks. I found it very satisfying to learn more about Corsica, an area I do know and love and also a little more about Italian history. I became involved with the story and I am hoping that Ms Drinkwater will write a sequel as I really would like to know what happened next!! I hope that it will be forthcoming and that there will be good news about The Olive Farm. After all the tragedies I really do wish everyone, and that includes the animals,well and sincerely hope that the ending will be happy!!
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a little escapism from the dark Winter evenings of Britain, and who doesn't want to be taxed too much intellectually. Be warned, however it might become compulsive reading!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A SENSATIONAL SEQUEL, 6 Sep 2003
By David Graham "Would that I could write as Ms.... (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I first became a fan of Ms. Drinkwater when she appeared in "All Creatures Great and Small." Then, in a film with Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman, she did a scathing star turn. That she is able to write as well, so very well indeed - was a revelation, for 'The Olive Farm' made me immediately want to pack my bags and fly to see the verdant countryside she described,
I never believed for a moment that a sequel could be so much more engrossing and personal, but 'The Olive Season' is filled with the stories of visitors to the farm, together with the difficulties of bringing the olives to fruit, but it is her baring her soul in dealing with the trauma of a personal tragedy that tears ones heart out that makes this book stand out. She must be a fighter for she went on with her life and her farm, and in the end one knows she will come out on top. A joy to read and to re-read.
s thi
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28 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A celebration of the senses and the human spirit, a triumph., 10 Jun 2001
By A Customer
I have just finished reading this book and I loved it. Carol drinkwater tells the story of how a whirlwind romance leads her to invest everything in a derelict olive farm in the South of France. If you want to escape from the ordinary, this wonderful true story will take you to the warmth, the colour and magic of Provence. The Author also makes it interesting by including lots of information on the region, history and anecdotes about famous people who lived there such as Picasso, and the history of the olive tree itself. This story comes from the heart and the reader lives through the ups and many downs that the author and her partner suffer. By the end, I wanted to pack and move into Appassionata, the name of the villa, complete with pool that they restore. The book is a celebration of the senses, of love, kindness and the human spirit. A triumph.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars NON-SMOKERS BE AWARE
The condition of the book was as described apart from it actually reeks of smoke, abhorent to a non-smoker I am afraid!.
Published 3 months ago by E. D. Roles

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating tale of living in Provence
Carol Drinkwater weaves this wonderful tale of her blossoming life in Provence with Michel, the subject of her burgeoning romance. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Aphrodite

3.0 out of 5 stars Recommended read but not as good as I thought
Well, I was born and bred in France (and live in the UK) and I just went olive picking last November (which triggered in me the desire of buying an olive farm), so this book... Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2005 by saffiebelle

2.0 out of 5 stars The Sugar Farm
It's been said before but it needs to be said again: I'm sorry, Miss Drinkwater, but I just don't find you plausible. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2004 by gb

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as I had hoped...
I rather like the escapism and evocation of places I wish I had the money and courage to sell up and move to. I therefore enjoy reading books of this genre. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2004 by R. A. Lipscombe

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing book
I highly recomend this book, she describes the frenchs way of life very well and it is a nice bedtime reading book, and a very relaxing book. Overall an amazing book
Published on 12 April 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars slicker than olive oil!
Wow! What a book. I could not put it down from start to finish. It had all the emotions whirring.......I giggled, laughed aloud and cried...all in one reading. Read more
Published on 12 Jan 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful
I read this whilst on holiday in the south of France, very near to where Carol and Michael purchased their villa where the book is set. Read more
Published on 29 Jul 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars A treat of a book
I suggest you buy this...take it away to some hot sunny spot in the Med...lie on a sunbed and enjoy!! I did...best book I ever read of this genre.
Published on 30 Jun 2003 by K. Burley

4.0 out of 5 stars The Olive Farm - sumptuous
This wonderful story told by Carol Drinkwater gives such a delicious, evocative and descriptive account of life in Provence that it makes me want to take the plunge and move to my... Read more
Published on 3 April 2003

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