Driving Over Lemons

Chris Stewart goes out and writes about interesting life situations so I can sit back and enjoy learning about them without the trouble of cleaning up afterward.

Be adventurous and give it a whirl.

I admit to having two goes at finishing this audiobook and I'm not sure if it was worth the effort. The story itself is hardly captivating, but nonetheless it was interesting to hear a recount of the experience of a young family making their escape from "normality" and stepping into a different culture. There's just nothing in the whole story that grabbed me as a listener. The trials and tribulations of the change in lifestyle plot are similar to many other books and movies and the narration is simply uninspiring.
Not on my top 10 list.

I admit - it took me awhile to get into this book. The first chapter or so is a little sluggish and sort of chugs along a bit. The first try I quit. I finally went back to it because I spent money on it and felt I owed it another try. I am SO glad that I did. It starts out slow, but really picks up speed! It is a great story about changing your life and homesteading. When he starts talking about the farm and culture I was really hooked. I am now going to get the rest of the series. The narration is quite good. He has dramatized some of the voices and I usually don't care for this style of narration. It works in this book. So, if you start to read and you get sort of...ho hum...just skip to about the 3rd chapter. I have a feeling that the next books are going to be even better because it appears that as the author progresses in his writing he really finds his voice. I have read a LOT of travel style novels and I have to say, this has some of the more interesting cultural details.

We had a three day trip across country and travelled with two pre-teen sons! Audible saved our lives and Driving over lemons was a highlight. The humor in this story was wonderful and it is a great story about someone following their dreams. The boys still talk about it. A+++++

We have another trip coming up and we have ordered four more of his books as humour played between the more serious books is great fun...

I had read this book several years ago and thoroughly loved it. Even now when I peel an onion I remember the scoundrel Pedro's papas a la pobre, made with hardly-peeled onions, and think wistfully of this part of Spain I've visited only in my mind. Hearing Chris Stewart grant his story the inflections of his choosing, hearing him imitate the many colorful characters so well, I think I actually preferred the audio book to the paperback. Wonderful, and now on to his other books. Can't wait.

The humor in this story was wonderful as read by the author. Great story about someone following their dreams.

Drew me in quickly. Quite a different couple than in "Under the Tuscan Sun, starting with little money and existing happily without it. Chris and Ana purchase a hardscrabble
farm in a rough valley near Granada. They are educated by the land, the weather and the locals (some helpful and some ready to take advantage. Narrated by the author with a terrific and understated, wry sense of humor. Pleasant to listen to, sharing the landscape of olive and orange trees, rosemary, sheep and goats.