Rating: 
Summary: ... makes tasty lemonade.
Review: Stewart is self-deprecating (but not sappily so) and self-aware (but not over-ironic, which is a treat by itself in this post-Seinfeld age) as he takes himself and his family into a delightful exploration of life in southern Spain by his not-entirely-planned purchase of a farm so remote that there is no electricity, running water, or roads. The story of how he civilizes (and is civilized by the experience) is one of the best short reads I've had this year.
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Summary: Nice diversionary activity
Review: Stewart moves to Spain and adjusts to life on a farm. A farm that might become part of a dam, that has no running water, and electricity for about one light bulb. The influence of his neighbors is felt here - there are no biting comments - but it's a good way to immerse onself in another lifesytle. Some parts don't even need to be specific to the region - his writing about killing pigs or sheering sheep is amusing without going over the top. Not a bad summer read.
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Summary: Moving to Andalusia: A fantasy Accomplished, by fermed
Review: The theme is an old one: A move from the more civilized (England, US) to the less civilized (Tuscany, Provence, Greek Islands, Spain). Escape from the onerous burdens of civilized life and go to some remote and forsaken corner of the world, were you suddenly find yourself unable to cope with the simplicities of life. The beauty of the people and their kindness; their amusement at your bumbling efforts to adapt to their world, and their common sense about all things, which seems to have abandoned you. It has all been done before, each time a little differently, each time creating a vicarious escape from the humdrum of everyday life that delights the arm chair dreamers. It is a genre, and when it is well done (like this one is) it means a few hours of exotic delights that leave a good taste in your mouth afterwards, and a new set of fantasies to explore. It is a book of that kind, friendly, humorous, easy to read. An English couple buy a ramshackle farm in the hinterlands of Southern Spain. No running water, practically no electricity (solar pannels, and not many of those), no telephone, no TV. Rugged, untidy land full of demands. They plant their gardens, they buy and raise sheep, they have a baby. Surrounded by memorable characters that bring warth and depth to the action. A simple, unpretentious book as satisfying as a meal of meat and potatoes. With a large glass of local wine.
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Summary: A Great Read
Review: 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.
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Summary: A fun read
Review: This book does a great job of letting the reader get to know and love the characters. Its just a fun read!
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Summary: Provence, Tuscany ... try Andalucia!
Review: This book has been huge in the UK - top ten for the past six months -Â and no wonder. It is such a great tale: Chris Stewart, one time drummer of Genesis (he left at age 17) sinks his all (the grand sum of $35,000) into a peasant farm in Andalucia. It has no runing water, no electricity, and gets cut off altogether when the river is in flood. Oh, and it turns out that the man who sells him the farm has no plans to move out himself. But as the subtitle says, Chris is an optimist, big time, and that carries him through, along with a little realism from his wife Ana, and local wiles from Domingo, the best neighbor you could hope to find. The book gains its strength from the fact that Stewart has no money and needs to work (as a sheep shearer), bringing real and often very comic insights into the local life - something I found lacking in the Mayle/Mayes Provence/Tuscany bestsellers. But like those books, this is a perfect holiday read - and a book that makes you yearn to follow the Stewarts' lead, and head for a simpler life in the sun.
Rating:
Summary: Provence, Tuscany ... try Andalucia!
Review: This book has been huge in the UK - top ten for the past six months - and no wonder. It is such a great tale: Chris Stewart, one time drummer of Genesis (he left at age 17) sinks his all (the grand sum of $35,000) into a peasant farm in Andalucia. It has no runing water, no electricity, and gets cut off altogether when the river is in flood. Oh, and it turns out that the man who sells him the farm has no plans to move out himself. But as the subtitle says, Chris is an optimist, big time, and that carries him through, along with a little realism from his wife Ana, and local wiles from Domingo, the best neighbor you could hope to find. The book gains its strength from the fact that Stewart has no money and needs to work (as a sheep shearer), bringing real and often very comic insights into the local life - something I found lacking in the Mayle/Mayes Provence/Tuscany bestsellers. But like those books, this is a perfect holiday read - and a book that makes you yearn to follow the Stewarts' lead, and head for a simpler life in the sun.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet with a few drops of lemon...
Review: This book truly captures some of the essence of Spanish culture, especially in Andalucia. However, if you are looking for a book with a plot, this does not contain it. It reads more like a journal, each chapter sharing some part of Chris and family's life. A great bed-time reader, give it a chapter or two a night and its a quick read.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet with a few drops of lemon...
Review: This book truly captures some of the essence of Spanish culture, especially in Andalucia. However, if you are looking for a book with a plot, this does not contain it. It reads more like a journal, each chapter sharing some part of Chris and family's life. A great bed-time reader, give it a chapter or two a night and its a quick read.
Rating:
Summary: What a book
Review: This has to be one of the best travel books I have read, funny, witty, sad, happy and very very compelling. He manages to keep you interested even through the boring bits (that are relevant to the story). I am looking forward to the next one?
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