Victoria Twead

This is a delightful book about a British couple moving to Spain. It is professionally written, but not written by a professional, the difference being that it was believable and very entertaining. most everyone who has lived in a Northern location dreams of moving somewhere warm and sunny and this book details how it is a complicated, and confusing but ultimately rewarding decision.[return]I will definitely be reading the follow-up.

Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools proves once again that moving to a foreign country and fixing up an old house never works out quite as you planned. This time the setting is the Spanish Alpujarra mountains and the naive couple are Joe and Vicky, a British couple looking for a place where the sun always shines.

At first the writing struck me as a bit unedited and rough around the edges, but as the book progressed the style grew on me until I wouldn't have had it any other way. Vicky comes show more across with a refreshing frankness, leaving nothing out as she and Joe stumble their way into their idyllic, Spanish life.

You haven't properly described the book until you explain how utterly hilarious it is. From the first meeting with their German estate agent where they have to explain that they would like a house with a roof and walls to their hysterical chickens and wacky building contractor with his team of Equators you will be laughing all the way through. I highly recommend this book for a lovely period of escapism. You will thoroughly enjoy hanging out in Spain with Joe and Vicky! show less

I received a free copy of this e-book from the author.

The title alone promises that Victoria Twead’s Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools is going to be a hilarious adventure, and that’s what you get and more!

Vicky, the author, decides that retirement for her does not include dreary English weather. Instead she envisions a lovely house in sunny Spain and proceeds to talk her husband Joe into the idea. Ultimately, they do relocate to a strange but fascinating house in a tiny Andalucían show more village way up a mountain.

As much as the very nature of the book lends itself to humor, it would all probably be quite pointless without the excellent ‘voice’ of Vicky herself. The author has the absolute knack for seeing the humor in every single thing – from the German real estate agent, to the trials of making the odd house livable, to of course, the inevitable chickens. She also has the ability to relay that humor in an engaging, friendly way that makes you feel that you’re sitting down with an old, dear friend.

This book also has a special place in my heart because I grew up in a small, rural Catholic village in the Caribbean and many of the festivals that the author describes take me right back to my childhood. The many pictures in the book also enhance the storytelling, and helps bring many of the incidents to vivid life. Oh, I loved the addition of the Spanish recipes as well, which I’m slowly working my way through trying.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a quirky look at life, and writing infused with humor and gentle sarcastic wit that will leave you laughing long after you’ve finished reading. show less

t's taken me a long time to write the review for Victoria Tweed's Chicken, Mules, and Two Old Fools: Tuck into a slice of Andalucian Life. The delay was caused by my absolute reluctance to finish the book because finishing the last page seemed like leaving behind people who would be a pleasure to have as neighbors and a privilege to have as friends.

Tweed and her husband and her reluctant to move husband, Joe, make a contract between themselves to find, renovate and live in a house in Spain show more once he retires from the military in England. Victoria is fed up with the climate in England and eager to relax in proverbial sunny Spain. This is the story of their transition. With every new challenge, the reader has to wonder whether, at the end of the five years, Joe will say its time to return to soggy but familiar England.

You find yourself pulling for Victoria to win the bet; they simply have to stay in the small, friendly village up in the mountains. You hope they will be able to survive the challenges of remodeling and building first the run-down home they buy and then the two they build on-site. While you await Joe's decision, you come to know the unique and fascinating villagers and even a few ex-pats who make the village their home and contribute to the warm, welcoming life that comes to envelope the Tweeds.

They have unexpected adventures, from Away Days where they explore the countryside and to wine making with their neighbors. They have to learn to adjust to a different pace of life, a different cultural view of gender roles, and how to relax amid challenges and chaos.

It was a delightful read, and one that I found myself sharing with my husband when he would ask “what are you laughing about.” He, too, came to think of the Tweeds as a couple we'd love to know better because they experience life with a keen eye, an adventurous spirit, and a kind, loving heart. Victoria Tweed has a wonderful way of sharing their life that makes you feel as if you were experiencing with them. Thanks to Library Thing, I was able to escape to the south of Spain through Victoria's book and feel better for having done so. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to more time with this delightful couple.

If you are almost ready to buy, but not quite there yet, may I add that there are about three dozen delicious Spanish recipes in the book as well. So there you have it: part travelogue, part real life adventuring, and part cookbook. What is not to love and enjoy? show less