A wonderful,well written and funny feel good book. Bought on my way to New York, finished in two days. Travelled to the area of Andalucia many many times since and all down to this book. " — Matt, 9/26/2012 Andalucia’s travel guides and articles full of local interest, history and the finest places to eat and drink by The Olive Press Newspaper

Q: You learned many new traditions and customs when you moved to las Alpujarras. For instance, Matanzas — what was that like? A funny, generous, wonderfully written account of an family making a life and home in remote but enchanting southern Spain. Por mucho que me hubiera gustado describir cómo los dedos encallecidos por el trabajo del viejo Eduardo punteaban las cuerdas de guitarra como ni siquiera el mismo Orfeo hubiera podido hacer jamás, y cómo me había quedado embelesado por el dominio que los campechanos músicos tenían de sus instrumentos y por la sencilla belleza de la canción, no puedo negar la verdad: la múisca era un horroroso canto fúnebre, estropeado por los juramentos ponzoñosos de Eduardo cada vez que, invariablemente, Manuel perdía el compás. Padre e hijo se pasaron toda la actuación mirándose con el ceño fruncido, consumidos de cólera por la incompetencia del otro.That is so true. We live in a mountain village near Ronda and, like Chris, I can never see myself leaving here, except in a coffin. This funny book is required reading for anyone who has ever dreamed of taking up the pastoral life in a foreign country.”- Travel & Leisure

Finally, I arrived in Sevilla, the self-proclaimed Queen of Andalucia, and the only place for a romantically inclined young man to learn the guitar. There, in Triana and the Barrio Santa Cruz, the spell was finally cast, and yet another Englishman was caught by the enchantment of Spain. I feel that they have so much to give me. I hope that, in turn, we can offer them things such as walks in the mountains, bird watching with binoculars, or even political experience (left/green or green/left, depending on the day). My Spanish improves with every passing day, invaluable for living here I find. When an author is as modest and humorous as this, his story cannot be told too often. (Elizabeth Buchan The Times)

A BRIEF BIOG

A humble and enchanting account...Chris Stewart is one of life's bold originals. (Christina Hardyment Independent) Christopher 'Chris' Stewart (born 1951), was the original drummer and a founding member of Genesis. He is now a farmer and an author. A classmate of Tony Banks and Peter Gabriel at Charterhouse School, Stewart joined them in a school band called The Garden Wall, and they later formed another band with schoolmates Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips, called Anon. This band eventually became Genesis in January 1967. Stewart appears on the band's first two singles, "The Silent Sun"/"That's Me" and "A Winter's Tale"/"One-Eyed Hound." Although several demos from Stewart's time with Genesis appear on the Genesis Archive 1967-75 box set, he is not credited with playing on any of them. (Peter Gabriel seems to have played drums on a couple, and the rest do not feature drums.)

Richard also finds out about the acequias, the unique and ancient Moorish watering systems still used on a community basis by the local farmers and growers. They channel and distribute melt and spring water from the Sierra Nevada mountains, lending the Alpujarras its verdant character and underpinning the rich ecosystem in the valleys. For many years we ran the sheep, and I would shear in England and Sweden to make ends meet. But we never made any money at it and eventually we had to sell up just to pay the extortionate demands of the bank. I was heartbroken and went to sea (see “Three Ways to Capsize a Boat”). By the time I got to Valencia, the oranges were ripe and I found work on the harvest. It was not as easy as you’d think; it takes a particular twist of the wrist to free the orange from the tree. 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

Take half a cup of Bill Bryson, mix with three tablespoons of Peter Mayle, then add just a pinch of Monty Python, and what you get is Driving Over Lemons.”-Chicago Tribune But I was pleasantly surprised by the book; indeed, by the end I was thoroughly charmed. Stewart does not idealize the inhabitants Andalucia; for him, they are individuals, not bearers of ancient tradition. He enjoys farming and herding, but he knows it can be rough, tedious, and thankless work. Certainly he plays the role of the inept foreigner—this is inevitable if you’re moving someplace new—but he does not dwell on this overmuch. For somebody who began writing fairly late in life, he is a tasteful and skillful author. He is capable of rich prose, he has a good ear for dialogue, and best of all he does not stretch any subject beyond interest.