Great stuff – well said Chris. Yes it is easy to moan but it is also time to ‘make a stand’ and support our adopted land. So what happened? Why am I not head over heels for this story? The writing was quite good, the descriptions were also nicely done. There is nothing glaringly obvious throughout the entire length. Of course, there are things that I can still learn form the Spanish locals – after all I have only been living here for 5 years. But those same locals take for granted things that make my jaw drop, such as the ever-present Griffon Vultures.

A celebrated writer's irresistible, candid, and eloquent account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion, and what she really wanted out of life.

Written by Chris Stewart, the novel has sold over two million copies worldwide, inspired by Stewart’s family’s adventures after moving to a remote mountain farm in Southern Spain with his wife to work as a sheep shearer and travel writer. This poor man met really not nice people in Spain. It made me sad to see how poorly he was treated, repeatedly.

I had hoped to find more from this author because I was quite entertained by his take on his experience, but was saddened to find no others. Admittedly, it’s country life that brings us all these delights. Other more urban expatriates might see things differently. It’s in the nature of the expat to grumble and criticise the host country, and lord knows there’s enough to moan about… as there is in whatever land you choose to make your stand. If you don’t like it, you can always leave… but I can’t imagine how bad things would have to be to get us to leave. George Borrow, the 19th-century author, wrote in The Bible in Spain: “I will say for the Spaniards, that in their social intercourse no people in the world exhibit a juster feeling of what is due to the dignity of human nature, or better understand the behaviour which it behoves a man to adopt towards his fellow human beings. It is one of the few countries in Europe where poverty is not treated with contempt, and, I may add, where the wealthy are not blindly idolised.” A: No, I know what you’re driving at though. DRIVING OVER LEMONS may not have the broad appeal of Peter Mayle — it has not sold like the Provence books, and I don’t think it will; it may be a little too raunchy and earthy for the common taste, in a similar way to the fact that Andalucia is a little raunchier than Provence. Phil Mercer commented on Airport strike hell as staff prepare to down tools for 25 days across SpainWhen an author is as modest and humorous as this, his story cannot be told too often. (Elizabeth Buchan The Times) With the money you've got to spend you could afford that place and have some left over to do it up.' I started this book with trepidation as I thought it was going to another Peter Mayle type book, but I was really surprised how much I liked the author (not nearly as egocentric as Mayle). Very enjoyable read. " — Caroline, 12/5/2013

I personally don't find the wind farms ugly, I quite like them, but people tend to either love them or hate them.So, Stewart, I do thank you for the one spark of inspiration in the whole of the book. However, even with that, I just can't lay my recommendation to it. A funny, observant and personal account of what a man can learn, and what there is to appreciate in life. Marvellous. (John S. Doyle Sunday Tribune) Q: You learned many new traditions and customs when you moved to las Alpujarras. For instance, Matanzas — what was that like? historical movement, or even a particuarly fine example of Homo sapiens… and you certainly wouldn’t want to emulate a person like me! Oh lawd no… Well, I do it because I love the writing, because it keeps me at it, and because, judging from the sales of my books, there are quite a few people out there who, unaccountably, enjoy reading this stuff. And that, for me, is one of the greatest pleasures, and a good enough reason to keep on doing it.