Driving over lemons

Lu:

I was writing an exhibition review of the gallery I visited with Tracey and Adrien in Brixton; Photofusion. And I am likely to upload this review, but I came across with the one I wrote last year for the BIII course, and here it is:

Driving over lemons, Stewart, C. London: Penguin Books, 2006. 247.

Chris Stewart, ex-drummer of the English rock band Genesis, wrote the novel Driving over lemons at El Valero, a cottage in the Alpujarras ―the foothills of Southern Sierra Nevada in Spain. He and his wife Ana had purchased it ten years ago and they continue making a living there, with their sweet daughter, Chlöe. This is the first book of a trilogy, since after the success it had, Stewart released A Parrot In The Pepper Tree in 2002 and The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society in 2006. 

Driving over lemons tells the story of the drastic decision Chris made without seeking advice from Ana: leaving the United Kingdom in order to live in a cottage, El Valero, in the Southern foothills of Granada, in which they had to learn how to stock up to survive. Nevertheless, the neighbours living around did not hesitate to help them as much as they could. Bearing in mind that El Valero lacked drinking water, electricity and it was almost inaccessible ―neither by car, nor on foot―, the Stewart faced the construction of a bridge over the close and unpredictable river Trévelez, they first attended the well-known matanzas, learnt how to water the acequias, made a smooth transition to the rural-Spanish gastronomy: papas a lo pobre and costa wine. Apart from that, they harvested their first olive crop, aided their sheeps to lamb, sheeps which were sheared by Stewart and the neighbours together. Besides, they got used to the changeable weather of the zone, which some days covered their land with heavy rainfalls, so that they could stay isolated for weeks! Finally, their last adventure at El Valero was bringing a baby to life, Chlöe. Furthermore, they fitted into the group of Granadinos that inhabited the valley, they felt part of them and what is more, they discovered more foreigners in their very same situation. 

The way the novel is written makes it easier to read; the book has a linear narrative, which means that it does not contein either flashback or flash-forward. Apart from that, the landscapes are perfectly described. In fact, they are so well narrated, that we manage to escape from the daily skyscrapers and tubes to place ourselves into the breathtaking Andalusian valleys. Therefore it is a tireless description, not very deep so that the dynamic dialogues the author has created make the reading pleasant and enjoyable. Stewart adds a touch of humour to every new sitatuation that should not be forgotten. What can be clearly seen in this extract, where he introduced the hippy Welsh couple Amanda and Malcolm: «There seems to be a preponderance of eccentric women among the foreigners here [...] Amanda and Malcolm are one Duch couple: typical, in their way, of the Órgiva New Agers. Malcolm has long white hair and a penchant for loose flowing clothes. Rodrigo, whose flock of goats ravages the wilderness around Amanda and Malcolm’s land, is unable to accept that Malcolm is a man [...] and he refers to them, as ‘those two Englishwomen’». 

Chris Stewart –known as Cristóbal by his Spanish friends-, is the main character of the novel and he shows himself as a humble human being, interested in what surrounds him, well-behaved, who fights nail and tooth for transforming El Valero into an habitable place for his family. As soon as the reader begins turning the pages of the book, they realize how Stewart treats his wife; he does it as if she was an angel fallen from Heaven, he is very caring with her, sometimes a little henpecked though. As a whole, these are the keys of the success Driving over lemons has had: it is impossible not to take a liking to Chris throughout the story.

Otherwise Ana seems distrustful when it comes to meeting the inhabitants of the valley, as it is shown in the following piece of text ―which is a conversation about Pedro (the former owner of El Valero) Ana and Chris are having:  «‘It’s one thing buying a peasant farm, it’s quite another thing buying the peasant¹ with it’ [...] ‘You know I don’t like that word, Ana. I really do think it would be as well not to use it’». Despite this kind of reactions she could have had at the beginning, she ended up getting on like a house on fire with some neighbours, such as Belinda or Expira. 

The reader’s attention is attracted by a vast command of rural vocabulary, understandable at every moment. Besides, the recipient of the book appreciates the usage of Spanish words trhoughout the plot, that Stewart bothers to translate into English; papas a lo pobre «poor man’s potatoes». After this one, he writes a mini recipe, since the reader may be interested in how to cook them. There are many other examples, take; matanzas «Everyone around here keeps pigs, fattening them throuhg the year and killing them at the traditional matanzas in the fly-free days of winter», chumbos «prickly pear» or acequias «watering channels» among many others.

Moreover, the book incorporates a physical features map showing the Alpujarras, in order to help the reader to locate each scene when reading.

The purpose of the author may have been to catch the reader’s eye to  the simple things of life; the modest people living in Órgiva, the stories the shepherds tell him,... At least once, the people living in the noisy and polluted atmosphere of a metropolis have dreamt to escape from it, to feel the wildlife the country offers. Maybe, that is why this novel had such an outstanding acceptance, since it achieved the number 1 in the UK sales. 

Despite the fact that Driving over lemons has amazing descriptions and a rich vocabulary, this book leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. Althought it is not a marvel, it is an entertaining work, that is true ―with which you learn the geography of the Alpujarras and the rural tasks mentionned, with just a few strokes of the brush. Therefore, I would recommend it just in case you like country life, or if you are looking for a novel with a hilarious touch or even if you want to escape from daily life for an afternoon. So, do you belong to any of these groups? Then, give it a go. You have nothing to lose.

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[1] Here we can see that the word peasant has two different meanings: country people and country bumpkin. The first one has no negative connotations, but the second one does.