Product Description

"I scan the terraces, planted with row upon row of ancient olive trees. It is April, late spring. Here in the hills behind the Cote d'Azur the olive groves are delicately blossomed, with their tiny, white-forked flowers. Beyond them, perched halfway up the slope of the hill, our belle epoque villa comes into view. Abounding in balustrade terraces, nestling among cedars and palms, facing out at a south-westerly angle, overlooking the bay of Cannes towards the sun-kissed Mediterranean, there it is, Appassionata, awaiting us..." THE OLIVE FARM told how Carol Drinkwater and partner Michel fell in love with and bought an abandoned Provencal olive farm. Now, in THE OLIVE SEASON, Carol is pregnant and their ever-loyal gardener is leaving to oversee the marriage of his son. Often unassisted, and with new challenges to face, Carol takes on the bulk of the farm work alone. Water is, as ever, a costly problem, and she goes in search of a diviner who promises almost magical results. But, as the harvest season approaches, dramatic events cast dark shadows of their olive farm.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #201623 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

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.

Review
'The new leader of the pack' - The Times 'Beautifully written with a great sense of humour, it captures perfectly the dreamy atmosphere of the south of France and its people - Woman and Home 'Charming and well written' - Daily Mail 'A spellbinding memoir' - Choice

About the Author
Actress Carol Drinkwater is probably best known for her role as Helen Herriot in the BBC series 'All Creatures Great and Small' Also an accomplished novelist, she has achieved bestselling status with her much-loved memoirs of life on an olive farm in Provence.

Customer Reviews

CANDOR, HUMOR, AND SENSUALITY
Countless readers enchanted with Carol Drinkwater's initial memoir "The Olive Farm" will find themselves similarly captivated with her eagerly awaited follow-up. The candor, humor, sensuality, and gift for the appropriate word, all the qualities we've come to associate with this talented actress/writer are again very much in evidence in her latest offering.

"The Olive Farm" which traces Ms. Drinkwater's passion for an abandoned villa called "Appassionata" in the south of France, and her even greater passion for Michel, a French film director, allowed many to enter a world of which they could only dream. Despite the dire prognostications of friends she joined her financial resources with Michel's to purchase the villa with hopes of restoring it to former glory and overseeing a profitable olive farm.

As "The Olive Season" opens with yet another marriage proposal from Michel, Ms. Drinkwater cannot quite bring herself to take that step and responds with, "Only if the King of Tonga marries us."

She underestimates Michel, and their vows are repeated on an island in the South Pacific. It is more than a fairy tale wedding. Upon returning to their villa they happily learn that she is pregnant. She has miscarried several times, and now yearns to have their child. Yet thoughts of impending motherhood must be set aside as pesky boars are once again intruding. Further, the newly marrieds want the much desired Appellation d'Origine Controlee rating for their olive oil, which necessitates an infinite number of bureaucratic forms, inspections, plus an expansion of their farm. The setting of the Cote d'Azur, evenings on their terrace are incomparably beautiful; their work is exhausting.

Once again Ms. Drinkwater peppers her narrative with vivid descriptions of lush countrysides as well as historical notes. Readers accompany her to villages that Napoleon once roamed and learn the origins of bamboo, which she is surprised to find near Baremme amidst apple and cherry trees.

Bringing her own unique style and perceptions to these descriptive passages Ms. Drinkwater's words fairly sing with verve and rhythm. "And our poppies in the garden," she writes, "so hot is that colour, I hear the heroin cracked voice of a jazz singer, scarlet lips flush against a silver mike, crooning the blues."

Dropping by Cannes for the film festival, the contented couple saunter through the Croisette. This area is described as a haven for swindlers or, in French, for an "escroc." Scoundrels abound, seeking out and bilking foreigners who long for a part of the Cote d'Azur. Escroquerie or swindling "is woven into the fabric of living here," she opines. "How could it be otherwise when money is the god? It is the yardstick by which worth is judged and valued."

Visitors come and go at "Appassionata;" readers will never want to leave. We wish for just a little more time with Ms. Drinkwater, a charming hostess who enchants and delights with her tales. She is a spellbinding contemporary Scharazade who leaves us awaiting another missive from her paradisaical land.

- Gail Cooke

Don't get ripped off
THE OLIVE SEASON and THE OLIVE FARM are excellent as is THE OLIVE HARVEST. When I recently saw A CELEBRATION OF OLIVES, I thought C. Drinkwater published a new book and ordered it. I received it today and was disappointed to find it's a double volume of THE OLIVE SEASON and THE OLIVE FARM combined, both of which I have. According to Amazon.com readers who buy A CELEBRATION OF OLIVES also buy her other books. I feel like I was duped and cannot return the book.

The passion continues, but with a tear
In the Olive Season, Carol Drinkwater continuous Michel and her dream-come-true olive farm experience in the south of France. Other reviewers of her first book, as well as this reviewer, hoped for a sequel and Carol did not disappoint them. Although the book can be read and enjoyed without reading The Olive Farm, this reviewer strongly recommends that readers first read the Farm, as it provides the necessary backdrop and introduction to characters that enhances the enjoyment of the Season.

In the Season, Carol shares a lot more on personal level than in the Farm. Although I have enjoyed the first book specifically because it largely revolved around their farming experience and dealt less with them at intimate level, I can accept the change in focus because it is quite understandable when one reads about their tragic loss halfway through the book. The closing paragraph of the book confirms this conclusion. Do yourself a favour and do not read the last page of the book before you "legitimately" can after you have read the rest of it - apparently some people actually do that! It will not necessarily spoil your reading experience, but the story unfolds very well and pulls the reader closer to the author as it develops. Similar to the first book, the Season is well written and/or edited.

I again enjoyed Carol's description of the French rural characters she and Michel meet during their farming adventure. Although I appreciate her sharing of her research into various aspects of farming and nature, I find that those specific paragraphs tend to clash with the writing style of the rest of the book. Although short, they are almost reference book fact-like descriptions. However, they are far and in between and do not really distract from the overall reading experience. Their exploits into the French countryside and visits to interesting little shops and eating places do a lot to make the reader want to get onto a plane and explore those hide-away places!

If you have enjoyed The Olive Farm, you will also enjoy The Olive Season, although it is somewhat more "heavy" because of the dramatic events referred to earlier. Would I buy the next episode if Carol writes it? Yes, probably, even if only to find out whether they have managed to find a beekeeper! She clearly wrote, or at least completed, this one, inter alia for her own personal healing, but her writing style is such that I would support sequels in the Olive-saga much more positively than I would support Hollywood follow-on's!