Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York, NY Vintage Departures 2001
Description
Over two decades ago we set up Sort of Books to help our friend, the some-time Genesis drummer Chris Stewart, bring his sunlit stories of life on a Spanish mountain farm to print. Ever the optimist, Chris hoped to earn enough money to buy a second-hand tractor for his farm. He got his tractor, as the book spent a year on the Sunday Times Top 10 charts and went on to sell a million and a half copies. His story is a classic. A dreamer and an itinerant sheep shearer, he 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 had no intention of leaving. He meets their neighbours, an engaging mix of farmers, shepherds and New Age travellers, and their daughter Chloe 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?… (more)
Media reviews
Lecturalia
Entre limones es una de esas cosas raras y maravillosas: un libro divertido e intuitivo que encanta desde la primera página a la última…y es que alguien que, sin tener ni idea y sin pensárselo dos veces, se mete a reconstruir y llevar un cortijo en un rincón perdido de una sierra de España,
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claramente no puede estar haciendo nada malo. Chris nos transporta a Las Alpujarras, una excéntrica región del sur de Granada (España), y nos mete en una serie de contratiempos con una combinación simpática de granjeros y pastores campesinos, viajeros New Age y expatriados. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member girlunderglass
The statement Chris Stewart is making with this book can be summarized thus: "I was once the drummer of Genesis but gave up the rock'n'roll lifestyle to become a farmer and lead a quiet but much more fulfilling life in the Spanish countryside". As statements go, this is not particularly deep or
One little caveat: the book is not devoid of its faults. For me, it was the last quarter of the book that started making me annoyed with Stewart. The memoir seems to then suddenly shift from a more pragmatic, albeit idealized at times worldview, to a sentimental and romantic one that gets on your nerves after a while. That's when you can't help but think "I know you're happy and all that, but I really don't want to hear about the joys of fatherhood, okay?? Just stick to the story! I want to hear about the fauna!" (and that last sentence is not something one thinks every day) Even with that warning in mind, I still consider it a worthwhile read and, if nothing life-altering, at least a most enjoyable way to pass an afternoon.
Oh, and the decision has been made:
"I'm gonna move to the country so I can see the stars, the heavenly stars, the heavenly stars..."
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thought provoking but you would be wrong to think that the simplicity of the book should be considered a fault. The writing style fits the book like a glove: simple and straightforward language is used to show the appeal of the "simple country life". The memoir is for some reason described as "travel literature" by most everyone, which is perplexing since, well, there isn't much traveling done in it exempting, of course, The Big Move. Instead, Driving Over Lemons describes the efforts of a family to adjust to a country and lifestyle very much different to their previous London-based, career-focused existence. The appeal of reading this sort of memoir is obvious - I mean, come on, who hasn't at some point wanted to just leave the city, get a house in a remote village somewhere, get some sheep and horses and devote all their time to reading and learning how to grow vegetables? Not many people end up doing it. It's only natural then that many of those will want to read about the real practical issues: the difficulties, the language barrier, the living conditions etc. (So they can then console themselves for not doing it by thinking: "Ha! I knew it wasn't so ideal as everyone makes it out to be!") Some will be interested in another aspect of living in what is more or less an isolated place: what does one do for entertainment? How do the Stewarts manage to fill their days? For those readers, you'll be happy to know that the descriptions of the little daily activities that consume the villagers' time in the Alpujarras is what the book does best. As boring as it might sound, it was simply a delight to read about things like food-foraging and bird-breeding. Yet another group will be fascinated by the social aspect of the move: how are the estranjeros welcomed by the locals, how do they manage to fit into their new community? Whichever you're interested in, there is no doubt this makes for an entertaining read.One little caveat: the book is not devoid of its faults. For me, it was the last quarter of the book that started making me annoyed with Stewart. The memoir seems to then suddenly shift from a more pragmatic, albeit idealized at times worldview, to a sentimental and romantic one that gets on your nerves after a while. That's when you can't help but think "I know you're happy and all that, but I really don't want to hear about the joys of fatherhood, okay?? Just stick to the story! I want to hear about the fauna!" (and that last sentence is not something one thinks every day) Even with that warning in mind, I still consider it a worthwhile read and, if nothing life-altering, at least a most enjoyable way to pass an afternoon.
Oh, and the decision has been made:
"I'm gonna move to the country so I can see the stars, the heavenly stars, the heavenly stars..."
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LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
It's unavoidable making the comparison between this book and Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. Both are memoirs by ex-Pat Brits of their relocation to bucolic parts of Southern Europe, both to be found in my neighborhood book store almost side-by-side under Travel Essays. A blurb from the Daily
A lot of that is that I just plain liked Stewart a lot more than Mayle. Where Mayle comes across as privileged, condescending and effete, Stewart comes across as self-effacing, down-to-earth, and as another blurb put it, speaks of his neighbors with "no hint of patronage." Mayle's wife had no real presence in his book, whilel Stewart's Ana definitely makes her personality felt. While Mayle's biggest worry was getting an over-sized stone table into his home, Stewart and his wife plowed their life-savings and work hard to make their sheep farm a going concern.
It was a fast, pleasant and entertaining read. I don't rate this as high as Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country--another author Stewart is compared to--because this book didn't make me laugh out loud, and it arguably isn't as informative about the history and nature surrounding them. But I certainly found this worth the read: a charmer.
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Telegraph even says Stewart is being talked up as "the new Peter Mayle." Fortunately Stewart compared well--in fact I liked his book quite a bit more than Mayle's.A lot of that is that I just plain liked Stewart a lot more than Mayle. Where Mayle comes across as privileged, condescending and effete, Stewart comes across as self-effacing, down-to-earth, and as another blurb put it, speaks of his neighbors with "no hint of patronage." Mayle's wife had no real presence in his book, whilel Stewart's Ana definitely makes her personality felt. While Mayle's biggest worry was getting an over-sized stone table into his home, Stewart and his wife plowed their life-savings and work hard to make their sheep farm a going concern.
It was a fast, pleasant and entertaining read. I don't rate this as high as Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country--another author Stewart is compared to--because this book didn't make me laugh out loud, and it arguably isn't as informative about the history and nature surrounding them. But I certainly found this worth the read: a charmer.
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LibraryThing member lorax
This very slight book depicts a rather rosy picture of the author's move from England to rural Andalucia. While it's certainly not over-romanticized, describing scorpions, floods, and the primitive conditions on their farm in entertaining if brief detail, none of the hardships actually seem to
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bother the author or his wife, and if they do, any negative moments aren't mentioned in the book. The narrative was disjointed and episodic, skipping years at some points with little indication, so any period of adjustment was glossed over. Show Less
LibraryThing member miketroll
An engrossing account of the move from England by the author and his wife to a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.
When they arrive, they find a ramshackle house with no electricity, running water etc.
The charm of this book is that the couple, and their small daughter born in Spain,
When they arrive, they find a ramshackle house with no electricity, running water etc.
The charm of this book is that the couple, and their small daughter born in Spain,
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make a real success of blending in. The other expats they discover are equally rugged and eccentric, not those whiners who spend their days complaining about the scarcity of cornflakes. Show Less
LibraryThing member Seajack
I read this after reading Peter Kerr's series about being an expat farmer on Mallorca, which I preferred to this one. Stewart's book was a bit too warm and fuzzy for me.
LibraryThing member kjain
Terrific escape for when you are fantasizing about chucking it all and starting over somewhere else. A great story that shows we've lost something by becoming so independent from our neighbors.
LibraryThing member jaygheiser
A witty and entertaining biographical account of an English couple's assimilation into the life of the Andalusian countryside. Subtly sentimental, the author seems to have an endless supply of colorful acquaintances, including local farmers, livestock de
LibraryThing member euang
A really good book: If you have been a fan of Peter Mayle who seems to be the senior statesman of "honey let's quit our jobs and buy a place in a foreign land" genre of literature, then you should also like this book. Although not as humorous or wry as the "Provence" series, the author does well by
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inviting you into his life with a degree of candor and unassuming charm that is much more refreshing than the somewhat tiresome cadence of self absorbed authors such as Francis Mayes ("Under the Tuscan Sun"). Unlike Mayes or Mayle, the author actually attempts to assimilate himself to a greater degree by taking over the farm to become a farmer, as opposed to an author, as so many other books of this type demonstrate. From this perspective, it becomes a refreshing change of pace and perspective for the reader.This book is good, easy to read and enjoy, but will not go down as a classic. Never the less, if you want a fun and easy to take dose of living in a foreign land, this one is for you. The ending page is also special. Show Less
LibraryThing member bowerbird
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes travel, new experiences and humour. Though I have never visited the Alpujarras I feel this gives a true taste of Spain. (My daughter who has spent the last three springs there says the same.) Chris Stewart may have made more money if he had continued
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as drummer with Genesis but his Spanish experiences sound so much more fulfilling. Show Less
LibraryThing member lynndp
Warm, funny, honest, open account of the author's move with his wife to a somewhat neglected farm in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, south of Grenada. Tales of how they made a new life there with the open-hearted help of neighbors, problems and lessons learned. I highly recommend it for the
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traveler or arm-chair traveler who enjoys learning about life in other parts of the world. Show Less
LibraryThing member mazda502001
This was a wonderful book - it was funny, personal and enchanting. Can't wait to read the next of his adventures.
Back Cover Blurb:
Meet Chris Stewart, the eternal optimist.
At age seventeen Chris retired as the drummer of Genesis and launched a career as a sheep shearer and travel writer. He has no
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?
Back Cover Blurb:
Meet Chris Stewart, the eternal optimist.
At age seventeen Chris retired as the drummer of Genesis and launched a career as a sheep shearer and travel writer. He has no
Show More
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....nor 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?
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LibraryThing member Oreillynsf
The travelogue genre is full of tales of people moving to the country seeking simpler lives. Unfortunately, many of the stories are loaded with purple prose and clearly doctored events calculated to drive emotional responses from readers.
I was optimistic about this book both because it was not
The story in Driving Over Lemons is a lot more real and gritty as well. You feel the ups and downs in a vivid way, which is also a welcome contrast. It is charming and truthful, and a great story about great people.
I was optimistic about this book both because it was not
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designed to visually mimic A Year in Provence and because the language in the first pages lacked that sort of sweeping breathlessness that is so common in the "A House in..." books.The story in Driving Over Lemons is a lot more real and gritty as well. You feel the ups and downs in a vivid way, which is also a welcome contrast. It is charming and truthful, and a great story about great people.
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LibraryThing member EmThomas
This book took some time to grow on me, but once I was in, I found it to be a fun read. Like many, I found the author to have a delightful sense of humor, and, befitting the title, a definite streak of optimism! Not many would set out to buy a farm with no modern conveniences such as running water,
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a stove, refridgerator, or even electricity. Not only did he add all of those things with a little help, but he also learned masonry; all from a self professed "not a handyman!" I enjoyed the personal photographs that were included at the begining of each chapter that not only gave insight into what the chapter was going to talk about, but a further intimate glimpse into the world that the author was building for his family. While the premise of this autobiography not only shed light on this budding garden of eden in southern Spain, it also provided a cautionary tale of not letting your optimism become blindness to reality. Show Less
LibraryThing member flydodofly
thoroughly enjoyed it. the author's wonderful, unpretentious writing, great sense of humour, a keen eye for details and his, and his wife's courage made their life adventure so tempting. you read and think - good for them, I am so glad they did it!!
LibraryThing member SimonW11
An enjoyable read about a life that seems to good to be true. If only
once he had written about being cold, miserable, weary and pissed off.
once he had written about being cold, miserable, weary and pissed off.
LibraryThing member eas
Superb - loved it. What a guy .. though 'not a handyman' he definitely knew where to find one when the need arose. Wife Ana has my full admiration - how amazing to not only see the potential of the remote farm, El Valero, in Las Alpujarras in Andalucia ... but to immediately grasp Chris' dream of
Well done Chris - not merely a travelogue but a real slice of life! I thoroughly recommend it if you wish to be uplifted to another sphere!
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the simplest of lives in the wildest of places imaginable.Well done Chris - not merely a travelogue but a real slice of life! I thoroughly recommend it if you wish to be uplifted to another sphere!
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LibraryThing member tbrennan1
A funny book about an Englishman uprooting himself and his wife in rural England to a rundown farm in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Andalucia Spain. The story is part travelogue and part boys own adventure as Chris Stewart ,the author relates his journey in the slow lane of rural Spain and
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his efforts to integrate with the locals ,while improving the house and farm of El Valero for his family. The reading of this book gives the reader a sense of optimism as the human saga described by the author unfolds. A nice gem of a book ,which was unexpected. Thanks Chris ! Show Less
LibraryThing member mtroper
Chris Stewart comes across from this candid book as precisely what the subtitle states: an optimist! I enjoyed reading this thoroughly, but it is perhaps a bit too light-hearted - things that I feel ought to elicit more serious comment, and topics that could have been rewarded with more depth away
All that said, there isn't NO consideration of such issues, it just rather gets lost in the slightly bitty nature of how Stewart has chosen to put it together, and some of this is perhaps due to his innate optimism and adventurous streak. Some vignettes I found gripping, but I confess the accounts of dealings with other expats made me glad I wasn't one, and I rather rushed through them. I do honestly think I would like him if I met him, and that strain of utter likeability makes the book zip along, and keep you interested.
So, I suppose, I liked the book, but can't help wondering if the author is himself being a bit disingenuous at times: I simply can't believe, especially given the opening description of the journey to Spain, and the way in which he describes local habitations, that he hasn't read Gerald Brenan's utterly superb account of living, life and customs in this part of Spain, written some decades earlier (South from Grenada), and this leaves me wondering if a bit more of that kind of insight/depth would have transformed this book into a truly un-put-down-able read.
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from the primarily aurobiographical get a bit left by the wayside. By this I mean that, whilst I do not for one second doubt the honesty and veracity (which shine through in the wiritng), but the slightly narrow scope on the mostly surface concerns of the people living there, both native and expat, is sometimes frustrating, as I would have liked more on how consumerism and globalisation is affecting the way of life of the locals, for example. In this respect the beginning of the book is far stronger, and he is perhaps more defensive, for want of a better word, about the slightly idealised Spaniards whom he has dealings with, particularly as the book/time goes on. All that said, there isn't NO consideration of such issues, it just rather gets lost in the slightly bitty nature of how Stewart has chosen to put it together, and some of this is perhaps due to his innate optimism and adventurous streak. Some vignettes I found gripping, but I confess the accounts of dealings with other expats made me glad I wasn't one, and I rather rushed through them. I do honestly think I would like him if I met him, and that strain of utter likeability makes the book zip along, and keep you interested.
So, I suppose, I liked the book, but can't help wondering if the author is himself being a bit disingenuous at times: I simply can't believe, especially given the opening description of the journey to Spain, and the way in which he describes local habitations, that he hasn't read Gerald Brenan's utterly superb account of living, life and customs in this part of Spain, written some decades earlier (South from Grenada), and this leaves me wondering if a bit more of that kind of insight/depth would have transformed this book into a truly un-put-down-able read.
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LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
With warmth and humor, Chris Stewart describes his move with his wife Ana to a remote spot in Andalucía, a mountainous area of Spain, where he buys a house and starts his own farm. I love his determination and great spirit of adventure as he manages to leave his English roots behind and become a
In particular, I loved reading about the people of the area and how they reacted to this expat from England. The description of the scenery was magnificent, although I really would have preferred to see larger, color pictures within this book. The animal stories were also terrific...from the pets dogs that didn't always behave to the sheep that ran away as a flock. More important than all of these, though, were the friendships that developed in the years that Chris lived in El Valero which is what the author called his farm. Domingo was a friend in the truest sense of the word and probably had much to do with Chris and Ana's successful adaptation to their new country.
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full-fledged member of this Spanish community.In particular, I loved reading about the people of the area and how they reacted to this expat from England. The description of the scenery was magnificent, although I really would have preferred to see larger, color pictures within this book. The animal stories were also terrific...from the pets dogs that didn't always behave to the sheep that ran away as a flock. More important than all of these, though, were the friendships that developed in the years that Chris lived in El Valero which is what the author called his farm. Domingo was a friend in the truest sense of the word and probably had much to do with Chris and Ana's successful adaptation to their new country.
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LibraryThing member pussreboots
I savored the experience of reading this book. It would have been nice if the author included some dates in his memoir just to add a sense of when things happened. I found that the chapters near the end of the book didn't quite have the pluck of the earlier ones. They read more like he was rushing
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to finish. Show Less
LibraryThing member fross
A brilliant book -a really good read. It will make you want to go and live in Las Alpjuharas
LibraryThing member cygnet81
This wasn't a bad story but it wasn't very well developed.
LibraryThing member Bookoholic73
I bought this book years ago, solely based on the cover, and was not too impressed with it. Since I only about started it back in 2004, I brought it with me to Andalusia, as it felt appropriate. And it was!!
I still think who ever did the cover is a genius. But, the book, with its quirky
I still think who ever did the cover is a genius. But, the book, with its quirky
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characters, Chris writing that for me hits the correct line between sarcasm and optimism, the stories, the people.. I have enjoyed every page of this book, even after coming home from Spain. Show Less
LibraryThing member wdwilson3
A charming, gentle read.
LibraryThing member AriadneAranea
Enjoyable.
Subjects
Awards
British Book Award (Winner — Newcomer — 2000)