Carol Drinkwater's bestselling book, THE OLIVE FARM, told the lyrical tale of her real-life romance with partner Michel and an abandoned Provencal olive farm which they fell in love with and bought - a double love story, recounting with wit, warmth and alluring detail the couple's attempts to bring their dreams to life. THE OLIVE SEASON begins with their realisation of another dream, a tropical island wedding. Returning to France, they find ever-reliable Arab gardener Quashia is leaving to marry off his youngest son. It is a bad blow. To gain the coveted AOC rating, Carol needs to plant a further 250 olive trees. Now, pregnant and often unassisted, she will have to do the bulk of the farm work. She struggles to find a water diviner to check for sources on the property. Then there is the matter of locating an elusive beekeeper who she hopes will place hives on the land in exchange for honey. Now, as the harvest season approaches, dramatic tensions cast dark shadows over the olive farm. With the magnificent humanity and texture of an Impressionist painting, The Olive Season entices readers into Carol and Michel's vibrant Mediterranean world.
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About the Author:
Actress Carol Drinkwater is the author of the highly successful travel memoir THE OLIVE FARM and several novels.
From Publishers Weekly:
Striking a lovely balance of memoir, travelogue and olive-growing how-to, Drinkwater (The Olive Farm) delivers a richly textured account of her enviable life in southern France. She and her husband return from their wedding in Polynesia to their farm: "[P]erched halfway up the slope of the hill, our belle ‚poque villa comes into view. Abounding in balustrade terraces, nestling among cedars and palms... overlooking the bay of Cannes towards the sun-kissed Mediterranean, there it is." The author's roots are in acting, and her dramatic flair turns mundane chores-e.g., spraying olive trees with fungicide; learning the basics of beekeeping-into colorful celebrations of nature. Some of her adventures are quite funny, such as a stuffy dinner at a British Lady's home-it's the French equivalent of a McMansion, in a housing development "where the enormously wealthy and overly paranoid can vacation with peace of mind, secure in the knowledge that armed guards and coded gates keep the rest of the south of France out of sight and at bay." Drinkwater's description of her dinner companion at that gathering-"a convivial, lobster-faced aristocrat" who makes her feel like she's "in the company of a steaming kettle"-typifies her pointed yet kindhearted sense of humor. But at the heart of these optimistic musings lies Drinkwater's desire for a child of her own (her husband has daughters from a previous marriage), and this book is heartbreakingly framed around near-fulfillment of that dream. Drinkwater succeeds in illustrating not only the graceful countryside, but the buoying power of an adopted community and a devoted spouse.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherLittle Brown
- Publication date2003
- ISBN 10 0316861162
- ISBN 13 9780316861168
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
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Rating