Rating: 
Summary: bin the masterplan?
Review: This is a gentle, amusing book which I read in search of useful insights after making a similar bin-the-masterplan decision. The author describes coming to terms with the Andalucian way of life with rich and enjoyable anecdotes and shows how, when you move to a new place, you grow to rely on the community you find yourself in. It doesn't have the same sense of growing closely into the community, however, that Tim Parks shows in his book, Italian Neighbours. Rather it describes how Chris and Ana gave and took from the farm and the area and how they bring some of their ways into the lives of those around them. Their attempts to fit in are not always successful as Chris implies when he describes walking the water. Essentially the book shows how satisfying and worthwhile a change like this can be, and I for one, found that immensely comforting. A pleasing and enjoyable read to which I hope there will be a sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a Lemon
Review: This is usual fare of local landscape, climate, customs, folklore and a series of big and small endeavors and adventures of various sorts, rendered with a lucid style of writing and the English humor. It was fun reading and you vicariously enjoy the charmed life in a peasant farm nestled in the hills of the Spanish Andalucia. I wish there had been a warning at the beginning of the chapter entitled "The Time of Matanzas" which contained a ghastly depiction of the killing of pigs that was a local custom. Although the description was but a few sentences, being of the faint of heart, I wish I had not read it. Another could-have-been-better is that the book has reproductions of some interesting photographs but in pitifully small formats - typically with a short side of only 3.5 cm. All in all, this is one of the best travel memoirs around. Despite my petty complaints, I recommend it highly.
Rating:
Summary: Driving Pleasure
Review: This was a warm, spirited, pleasing book to read. Although, Driving Over Lemons will not indoctrinate the reader into all things Spanish, nonetheless we learn a good deal about Andulucia as seen through Chris Stewart's eyes. I picked up this book because I was intrigued by Stewart's life. I am glad he chose to share it with the public. The book details a rich "neighborhood" of "characters" that really belong in a good fiction book. Eccentric ex-pat English ladies, a Dutch farming-family, scheming sheep dealers and of course, the local hero, Domingo. While some people are only dealt with briefly, others beome the focal point for important events in the Stewart's life. Unlike some authors who spend a year somewhere, and then write an omninscient account of their time, Stewart is going nowhere. Having sunk his life savings into his Spanish farm, Stewart is forced to learn (but not always accept) local ways and customs as he carves out a life with his ever-capable wife Anna, and later, their baby Chloe. So, if you are looking for some good, escapist non-fiction, this book is for you. It is the perfect book to toss in your bag as you embark on vacation.
Rating:
Summary: Warm, touching, uplifting
Review: Those expecting a description of Spain akin to Mayles of Provence or Mayes of Tuscany will be momentarily disappointed. However, one quickly becomes invested in finishing this warm, engaging memoir. There are no descriptions of fine wines, imcomparable meals, or other such rich treats. Instead this is a tale of an English couple that eschews the bourgeois lifestyle and seeks a simpler lifestyle in rural Spain. The leitmotif for the book could be summed up as carpe diem. The result is a touching description of evolving understanding of a different culture, appreciation and respect for the challenges of an agrarian lifestyle, and the importance of human relationships. Throughout one is struck by what a kind hearted, genuinely good, and often frustratingly credulous person Chris Stewart is. He has an endearing capacity for laughing at himself and chalking up losses and set backs as part of the cost of change. Much of the book's humor is derived from the characteristically deadpan British understatement and irony, and the assortment of interesting and eccentric characters to whom the Stewarts are drawn and also attract. Stewart's growing relationship with his laconic, multitalented neighbor Domingo is particularly heart warming. One is struck by the neighor's acumen, unceasing generosity, and ongoing willingness to aid the often fumbling Stewart. There is a particularly moving chapter about "understanding the water" where Stewart reveals his immense gratitude and respect to Domingo by expressing the hope to earn his respect someday. This is a lovely, uplifting, fun book depicting the growth of a family and the development of a new, and perhaps more essential, lifestyle. I felt better for having read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Necessarily Driving Over Spanish Lemons
Review: To be honest, what made me order this title was its very enticing cover design - it begged to be read. Though I enjoyed the book, I wasn't AS intrigued by it as I was by, let's say "The Hills of Tuscany" (F. Mate), or "Under the Tuscan Sun" (F. Mayes). In a way it seemed that "Driving Over Lemons" stayed one-dimensional. Sure, Chris Stewart describes the hardships he and his wife Ana encountered when starting their lives in this run-down farm house named El Valero, he also throws in a good sense of humor, but in my opinion the book lacks a certain local color - something both above-mentioned books on Tuscany offer in abundance... Mate and Mayes couldn't have written their books about France that way. With Chris Stewart's book I wouldn't be so sure... Not much uniquely Spanish in it. However, it is an entertaining read, if simply for the theme itself: Couple starts a whole new, different life in a foreign country - be it Spain, or another (Mediterranean) place... If you're not looking for something uniquely Spanish, go for it. You won't regret!
Rating:
Summary: Not Necessarily Driving Over Spanish Lemons
Review: To be honest, what made me order this title was its very enticing cover design - it begged to be read. Though I enjoyed the book, I wasn't AS intrigued by it as I was by, let's say "The Hills of Tuscany" (F. Mate), or "Under the Tuscan Sun" (F. Mayes). In a way it seemed that "Driving Over Lemons" stayed one-dimensional. Sure, Chris Stewart describes the hardships he and his wife Ana encountered when starting their lives in this run-down farm house named El Valero, he also throws in a good sense of humor, but in my opinion the book lacks a certain local color - something both above-mentioned books on Tuscany offer in abundance... Mate and Mayes couldn't have written their books about France that way. With Chris Stewart's book I wouldn't be so sure... Not much uniquely Spanish in it. However, it is an entertaining read, if simply for the theme itself: Couple starts a whole new, different life in a foreign country - be it Spain, or another (Mediterranean) place... If you're not looking for something uniquely Spanish, go for it. You won't regret!
Rating:
Summary: Making Lemonade
Review: While firmly in the school of "A year in Provence" and other fish-out-of-water travelogues, Chris Stewart's "Driving over Lemons" brings something new to the table. As sheep shearer attempting to set up a working farm in Andalucia, Stewart runs into problems and meets people that a mere ex-pat would not. His apparent success in becoming a part of the community in which he lives has exposed him, and by extension us, to a side of Spanish life (including breakfasts of chicken heads) closed to most visitors.
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