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The Olive Farm
http://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Olive-Farm-Carol-Drinkwater/9780349114743?cf=3
A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil
By
Carol Drinkwater
| Rating: | | | Format: | Paperback, 352 pages | | Published In: | United Kingdom, 07 June 2001 |
This is television actress Carol Drinkwater's lyrical account of a new life in France; about her house, Appassionata, and the trials and tribulations of acquiring an olive farm, restoring it, farming the olives, overcoming the heartaches of taking on a "new" French family and understanding slowly the workings and lifestyle of a vivacious Provencal community. The book opens the door on a bustling Mediterranean world using Carol Drinkwater's old abandoned villa as the gateway to it. It explores the local landscape, the various al fresco jazz festivals, the colourful carnival in Nice, the local cuisine, meals around an oval wooden table, the cycle of olive farming and pressing, local wines, Carol's bizarre friendship with a toothless Arab gardener, hours whiled away in a magnificent hammock lugged all the way from northern Brazil because its colours were an exact match for the slatted wooden shutters, and Picasso's museum at Antibes. It is a celebration of Appassionata and its wonderful olive-groved, sun-drenched world and its unlikely cast of characters. |
About the AuthorAlongside a distinguished acting career - Carol Drinkwater was Helen Herriot in BBC TV's ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and appeared on stage with Julie Christie in Pinter's OLD TIMES - Carol is a novelist and screenwriter. ReviewsHaven't we all thought of finding our own private Shangri-la here on earth? Most people search their whole lives, but British actress Drinkwater found her earthbound Nirvana on the French Riviera. Among some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, Drinkwater and her French lover, Michel, strayed far from the giddy hedonism of Cannes and Nice and ventured into the mountains above these cities. There they discovered an old, abandoned, weed-choked olive farm. With no available water, they had to battle infuriating French landowner laws, watch their money disappear down any number of rat holes, flee in panic from a fierce forest fire caused by deadly Mistral winds-and they loved it! Drinkwater vividly and richly describes their love affair with this challenging bit of land. The result is a charming, sometimes suspenseful, often humorous look at a proverbial "fish out of water" who just happened to make miracles happen. Recommended for medium and large public libraries.-Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc P.L., CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
| Publisher: | Abacus | | ISBN: | 0349114749 |
| EAN: | 9780349114743 | | Dimensions: | 19.0 x 12.0 centimeters (0.29 kg) |
| Age Range: |
15+ years |
|
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