Driving Over Lemons - Book 7

Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart is about a man and his wife who decide to move from England and buy a farm in the Andalucian area of Spain. In fact the subtitle on my edition of the book is "An Optimist in Andalucia", though I notice the Amazon page I've linked to says "An Optimist in Spain." I guess they thought Americans wouldn't know where Andalucia was.

Chris Stewart is an excellent writer. The front book flap and the reviews all mention that he was a drummer for the band Genesis, but he never mentions that fact at all. I think his life is much too rich with his adventures in Spain to dwell very much on his past careers. He is a very funny writer, very self-deprecating, sort of in the manner of James Herriot in the All Things Bright and Beautiful books.

Stewart was making his living doing three things, writing travel books, playing guitar in a Russian restaurant in London and sheep shearing, both in England and as a contract worker in Sweden! Both he and his wife dream of moving to Spain. They both seem pretty comfortable with the language as that doesn't seem to pose much of an obstacle for them. She runs a horticulture business and he, of course, dreams of becoming a sheep farmer. His wife, Ana, bravely sends him off to Spain to buy a farm with all their money. He finds one outside a small village in a gorgeous setting. He is undaunted by the fact that it has no running water or electricity or even something as convenient as a stove. There's also the rascal of an owner who sells the farm but then takes months to actually move out (they live there with him for several comical months).

Stewart is really good at relating the different personalities of his new neighbors and he tells one funny story after another. Oh, I forget to mention the farm doesn't have a road going to it. Stewart has to build a road and a bridge to get to the farm! The adventures deepen when Ana after years of trying, finally gets pregnant. The couple has their daughter Chloe.

I found this book hard to put down. Stewart is a sweetheart of a guy and the book leaves you with warm fuzzies. Plus it was a great peek into a country and culture I know very little of. Two thumbs up!

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