This posting comes as a result of a recommendation Anchoy Front made in another thread.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, AF! Driving Over Lemons, by Chris Stewart, is a delightful book! My local library has two copies, and I just devoured one. It's all about an English couple who move to Andalucía and buy a mountain farm. It's a fascinating look at how people live in the country and are quite self sufficient. The people they meet are interesting, and their way of life is thought provoking. What I like the most is Stewart's mixture of humility and humor. It's much better than Spanish Lessons, by Derek Lambert, which is also about an English couple's move to Spain. Lambert's writing often sounds forced, and he remains somewhat aloof from Spanish life. Not so with Stewart, an optimist willing to try anything, who then looks back on his successes and fiascos with humor. I highly recommend reading this book to find out about a lifestyle in Spain you probably won't come across as a tourist.

Thanks, Anchovy Front!

Hi Diana! So everything I've heard ONLY good things about Driving Over Lemons (<-- Now found in the Nonfiction section of MadridMan's ALL Spain Market). My mother read it and loved it, giving more fuel to her fire for visiting Spain (thank God! Finally!). I have been reading "Spanish Lessons", but as Diana mentions, is a similar attempt at "I'm British and trying to make a living in Southern Spain"-type story, but I'm not finding it as a "Can't Put It Down" book so it's taking me months to read.

I'll definitely try to get Driving Over Lemons this year. I find these books wonderful reading on airplanes when visiting New Mexico.

As a side note, while writing this, I was ICQ'd by a very good English friend who is living/working in Andalucía and asked her about the book. She said:

Yeah. Well. Still.... hehehe... I look forward to reading it.

Saludos, MadridMan

You're welcome, Diana. Glad to be of service!

I bought this book for a friend of mine for his birthday last September. He has lived on a typical urbanisation on the Costa del Sol for a long time and now he's got his house on the market.

He plans to give up his job, forego the made up roads, convenient bars, shops etc nearby and wants to buy a run down little place in the "campo", up in the hills and drive over a few lemons himself.

"It needs a bit of work.........and we'll have almonds, oranges, lemons, maybe a pig........." Such enthusiasm! Such hard work! Was it wise to give him such a book......??!!

Anchovy - Wonderful, wonderful book! It's been a long time since a book made me laugh out loud time and again. Thank you for the suggestion ...

I'm reading Driving Over Lemons right now and enjoying it very much...
I've got to get out to the Alpujarras!

Anchovy - just wanted to thank you for the recommendation of "Driving Over Lemons". Wonderful wonderful book - it's been a long time since I laughed out loud time and again as I turned the pages. Highly recommend Anchovy's suggested reading - you'll laugh and cry - and wonder just why you're not living in a village somewhere in Andalusia!
Thanks again!!!

For some reason my earlier post didn't register for two days - excuse the redundancy!

[This message has been edited by Puna (edited 02-07-2001).]

You're most welcome - it's a pleasure to think I've made people happy! Now if only I'd agreed a rate of commission with him.........!!

Incidentally, Jen, a girl who works in my office had a few days in the Alpujarras recently (pack your wooly nightshirt!) in a "casa rural" and had a great time. I'll post the web site of the company she used in the lodgings forum if she still has it.

Gerald Brenan's South from Granada (about the years he lived in Yegen in the Alpujarras) is still in print I think (though it was originally published...er, well, at least 50 years ago!). I really enjoyed it.

Madrid Man is a gem, and was a Big Help to my family and I when we travelled Andalucia (and wonderful Segovia) two years ago. Stops included Madrid (of course), Zahahra de los Tunas, the Cork Forest on the way to Granada (three hours of bad roads, bulls, cork trees and only the very occasional herdsman).
Anyway, I am listening to the CD's we picked up in Madrid (Rosana, Amparo Sandino, Ketama ((De Aki A) and Carlos Nunez). I see that Madrid Man now has a music page. What do folks recommend that's new, musically speaking?



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I just finished "Lemons" and passed it along to my husband. If you've read (and liked) the Peter Mayle books about life in Provence or the Frances Mayes' books about living in Tuscany, give it a try. It's much more down to earth. I'm not sure I like what I learned about the general character of the Spanish "peasant."