The Olive Tree of Provence

Description

THE OLIVE TREE charts Carol Drinkwater's colourful and often dangerous journey in search of the routes that olive cultivation has taken over the centuries. Set during a springtime Mediterranean that is evocative and perennial, it is above all a tale of our time. Troubled by challenges her own South of France farm is experiencing, Carol realises new approaches to farming are becoming essential. Her quest takes her south through Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Italy before she finally returns to her farm. Through her travels and vivid encounters, Carol confronts some of the critical issues of our time - land-care and the harsh realities of diminishing water reserves - and ends her momentous journey in the company of olive growers whose vision for the future is remarkable and ingenious.

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 and her subsequent travels.

Her writing captures the true spirit of the people and places she visits * THE TIMES * Carol Drinkwater has gone in search of olive growers in the west Mediterranean, documenting her travels and travails with good humour and not a little fortitude * CHOICE * An honest tale that brings to life the sights, smells and tastes of the Mediterranean * LIVING SPAIN * Drinkwater's passion and curiosity are contagious...lively prose holds unexpectedly poetic bursts and an insightful account of how the Mediterranean treats a woman travelling alone * THE TIMES * THE OLIVE TREE is a thrilling tale tracing the journey of olive cultivation * THE LADY * Gripping and passionate * GOOD BOOK GUIDE * The story contains some wonderfully evocative vignettes, written in prose that ignites the reader's imagination * GLOBALISTA * A tale of one lady's courageous, unusual and intrepid journey around the Mediterranean in the pursuit of something so many of us give little thought to in this country * REAL TRAVEL * Her writing is often lyrical and unexpectedly poetic, making this book a sure-fire hit on many levels * THE WEEKENDER (South Africa) * One cannot resist Drinkwater's courage and joie de vivre, nor the enormous appetite and enthusiasm for her subject * DAILY MAIL * Her writing captures the true spirit of the people and places she visits -- Carolyn Boyd * TIMES * An honest tale that brings to life the sights, smells and tastes of the Mediterranean. * LIVING SPAIN * `the story contains some wonderfully evocative vignettes, written in prose that ignites the reader?s imagination' -- Jane Duru * GLOBALISTA * Drinkwater's passion and curiosity are contagious...lively prose holds unexpectedly poetic bursts and an insightful account of how the Mediterranean treats a woman travelling alone -- Kathleen Wyatt * TIMES * Carol Drinkwater has gone in search of olive growers in the west Mediterranean, documenting her travels and travails with good humour and not a little fortitude. -- CHOICE 'The Olive Tree is a thrilling tale tracing the journey of olive cultivation' -- Paul Blezard * THE LADY * a tale of one lady's courageous, unusual and intrepid journey around the Mediterranean in the pursuit of something so many of us give little thought to in this country * REAL TRAVEL * The Olive Tree is travel writing of the highest order -- Jenny Crwys-Williams * The Book Show, Radio 702 (South Africa) * Gripping and passionate * GOOD BOOK GUIDE * Her writing is often lyrical and unexpectedly poetic, making this book a surefire hit on many levels. * THE WEEKENDER (South Africa) *