Raising Olives in Provence

A Guide for Body and Soul

By: Kenneth R. Timmerman

Narrated by: Jonathan Yen

Americans have long had a love affair with Provence: its glamour, its mystique, its foreignness. But never have they had a guide like Ken Timmerman. Bursting with humorous stories about local characters and vivid description of French landscapes and customs gleaned from thirty-five years in the country, Raising Olives in Provence tells the story of how the author improbably came to renovate a run-down house and raise olive trees in the hills above Saint-Tropez. From olive presses to truffle markets, from Templar hostelries to lunch at a beachside club with the king and queen of Sweden, Timmerman takes us to places and introduces us to people we would never find on our own.

In his other life as a war correspondent and investigative reporter, Timmerman deals with the horrors and betrayals of a world gone mad, always returning to this hillside in the south of France as a refuge. But even here, intrigue and treachery lie just beneath the surface, along with mysterious visitors on the hillside, an olive thief, phony artists and wannabe aristocrats, and the endless love adventures of his French neighbors.

Love, faith, marriage, and friendship—with a sprinkling of salt, thyme, and some olive oil, please! And don't forget the rose.

©2023 Kenneth R. Timmerman (P)2024 Tantor

Olives

I like French countryside living. The olive orchards make you stay for all seasons. The olives make you happy!

In my early engineering years, I would bring olives to work and told folks that if they have at least 3, they would smile the rest of the day. TRUE! After about a month, I was out of olives by 10am.
Pierce