A Cottage in Portugal

Rating:
Summary: overall pleasant
Review: After having found "A year in Provence" one of the most addictive books I ever read, and having been born and raised in Portugal, I just had to order this book. I give it three stars for the story telling skills and overall pleasant writing style of the author. However, (and I may be biased) I suspect the author may have gone overboard with his assessment of the local culture, describing appalling characters with tiresome and patronizing regularity. Although I have experienced my share of bureaucratic frustrations in Portugal, he was either incredibly unlucky or let his imagination fill in the blanks to make for a more interesting read. Either way, it worked: I enjoyed the book. The beautiful ink drawings are icing on the cake.

Rating:
Summary: For any one comtemplating expatriotism
Review: After our most extraordinary trip to Portugal last fall, I searched Amazon.com for all books that would offer further insight into this unique country. I'm glad we found A Cottage in Portugal for its American perspective on the Portuguese way of life. This is a must read for any one comtemplating moving away from it all. It might not discourage such thoughts, but it will slow them down. It is a well written, humorous, and satisfying read. I would have given it a 10 if only it had been longer

Rating:
Summary: WARNING!
Review: HELLO! IAM READ THIS BOOK AND EVERYTHING IS TRUE. BUT THE EXAMPLES ARE NOT ONLY THE BUREAUCRACY:
EVERYBODY ARE THE SAME. SO, PLEASE, IF YOU WILL GO TO PORTUGAL TO A TRIP ON HOLIDAYS, OK: THE CLIMATE, FOOD AND THE CLICHES.
BUT IF YOU LIVE A PERIOD OF TIME, PLEASE: NEVER, NEVER DO BUSINESS! PEOPLE DOESN'T LIKE TO WORK, REALLY. READ THE BOOK AGAIN AND TRANSFER THE EXAMPLES (BUREAUCRACY, HIS EMPLOYES ON THE HOUSE, ETC.) FOR EVERYBODY: BUSINESSMAN, SHOPS, INDUSTRIES, RICHS, POORS: IT'S ALL THE SAME, DOESN'T LIKE TO WORK, ARE RUDE, TREAT YOU "DRY", ONLY SPEAK ABOUT SOCCER (AND THEY ARE A LOOSERS AND HAVE ZILLIONS OF EXCUSES FOR THAT) AND YOU WILL LOST YOUR TIME, HEALTH AND MONEY. RUN! PLEASE.
PS: AND THIS BOOK IS ONLY A RESUME, BECAUSE ARE MORE AND MORE BAD SITUATIONS THAT YOU COULDN'T IMAGINE. DON'T DO BUSINESS IN PORTUGAL, DON'T WORK, DON'T BELIEVE IN "SMILES": RUN NOW!

Rating:
Summary: A Cottage in Portugal
Review: I loved this book, but I may be biased because I love Portugal and want to live near Sintra, where this story takes place. It's very amusing... chuckles all the way, with an occasional guffaw.

Rating:
Summary: I once lived in Lisbon and found the book enjoyable.
Review: I spent three years living in Lisbon and traipsing along the coast where the Hewitt's restored their cottage. I found the book essentially accurate in portraying the flavor of Portuguese life and the expatriate's experience of it. Richard's sense of humor is good, his prose tight, his persistence in the face of obstacles quite remarkable. Barbara's illustrations are refined, simple and warm without excessive sentiment. If that's not enough ... the two of them give those who read and "listen" a nice lesson in how to find the humor in challenging and essentially frustrating circumstances. For those who look for Mayle and find it not ... if lacking Peter Mayle's amazing thematic flow through circumstance ... still a very good read.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, very funny
Review: I'm "giving" only 4 stars to this book, because I think that the details about the Portuguese Public Services are a bit exagerated sometimes. But Richard and Barbara got the "portuguese spirit" allright... Also the way they describe Sintra (such a special environment), it's very much true. Wait untill you read "A cottage in Portugal II"...

Rating:
Summary: Funny, very funny
Review: I'm "giving" only 4 stars to this book, because I think that the details about the Portuguese Public Services are a bit exagerated sometimes. But Richard and Barbara got the "portuguese spirit" allright... Also the way they describe Sintra (such a special environment), it's very much true. Wait untill you read "A cottage in Portugal II"...

Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: I'm a portuguese student, and I was told to read this book by a teacher... my God, how I enjoyed it. At first, I was a little angry because of his simplistic way to look at portuguese people. But, towards the end, when he realised that the administration is slow, but the people is good-hearted and well-intentioned, I leaned to agree with many of his writing. I also loved the illustrations, and I still hope to come across Richard and Barbara Hewitt somewhere in the streets of Lisbon.

Rating:
Summary: A funny description of the portuguese way of living
Review: This is the story of the first few months in Portugal of Mr. Hewitt, an american who came to Portugal with his wife to live in a small village near Sintra. The descriptions of his deals with the various departments of the portuguese burocracy are definitely hilarious, and sound absolutely true. Although written about events that took place in 1985-6, most of the picture one gets rings true even today. A funny book.