Carol Drinkwater

This is my first Carol Drinkwater book. I know, right! That's why I was so keen to read The House on the Edge of the Cliff.

It's the story of Grace. The book opens with a terrifying moment in the present, when a man is threatening to hurl her step-grandson over the clifftop near to the home of Grace and her husband, Peter. From there, we are taken back to 1968 when Grace was just 16, away from home for the first time. She travels to Paris, meets Peter, is involved with the Paris revolt and show more then goes with Peter to his aunt's house in Provence, the house where in the present Grace and Peter now live.

It's Grace's meeting with another man in 1968 that changes everything forever though, and it's the consequences of what happened then that are now causing problems in Grace's life in the present day story.

That's a very potted version of the story to give you an idea of what it's about but there's so much more to explore in this book. It's absolutely rich with detail, nothing is left out and that makes it quite a lengthy read (448 pages) and yet thoroughly absorbing. It's quite the combination of adventure and menace, but with a backdrop of daily life in a beautiful place.

I very much liked the way that the story went back and forth between the present and the past, unfolding the story gradually. Although it's fairly clear from the beginning what happened in 1968, it's the detail and the whys and wheres that are filled in as the story progresses.

One thing that absolutely stands out for me is the quality of the writing and the sensations it provided. All the senses are evoked with descriptions of food, smells, sights. I felt like I was there on that clifftop, breathing in the sea air, taking in the ambience of Provençal life. The setting was idyllic.

So, my first Drinkwater done and it left me feeling content. It's a cleverly weaved story in a stunning setting and I enjoyed it very much. show less

First of all, I haven't read `The Olive Farm' but I will now- to find out how actress/author Carol and her film-producer partner Michel initially came to purchase their own piece of Provencal paradise! Lucky them- I am very envious they own such a wonderful home in such a glorious location, though thankfully I don't think you have to read the first book to get hooked on this one as I got into it straight away.

I was first drawn to this book by the seductive picture of the beautiful landscape show more on the front cover and was hoping it would be a bit like Peter Mayle's type of writing with French food, scenery and customs depicted and thankfully it was very reminiscent of that, only a bit more personal. Despite the difference in countries it was actually more similar to `Under the Tuscan Sun' (one of my favourite travelogues) with the Mediterranean lifestyle practically seeping from the pages, funny anecdotes and glorious descriptions of food and the surroundings interwoven in the text. It's not all bright and sparkly though- there are frustrations depicted with maniacal French bureaucracy as well as small-town corruption, which I found fascinating to read about.

Though the book mostly recounts Carol and Michel's journey in trying to have their olive oil specially certified with an AOC, it does touch on other subjects; their unusual wedding in Polynesia, water-divining, bee-keeping and vegetable gardening amongst other things. I particularly enjoyed the details of the vegetable gardening and cooking as these are my hobbies too. It is all recounted in a very down to earth, chatty manner which I welcomed and thankfully didn't seem at all preachy when it went into details of aspects of local history either- or the wealth of detail included about olive farming. There's nothing worse than a travelogue reading like a textbook.

Other reviewers of this book have said that perhaps Carol comes across as a bit `celebrity' or a bit smug but I didn't really feel this through the writing at all, though she does talk about Cannes and its festivals in a lot of detail as well as acting parts she has taken on and a few famous people she encounters in some of the exclusive South of France resorts- to be fair, she's a well-known actress and runs her own Olive Farm in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, I would probably be a bit smug too! Good luck to her, she's been through a lot of tough stuff, some of which was encompassed in this book and was really upsetting to read about.

For me, the only thing that could have made this book better would have been the inclusion of some of the yummy sounding recipes of the meals that Carol discusses in the chapters. They sounded absolutely delicious! Recommended if you enjoy well-written travelogues or are looking for a novel to take you away to another sunnier place on a dull winter's day. I will be reading more by Carol in future- probably if I go somewhere hot and Mediterranean for my holidays, so I don't feel quite as jealous of her wonderful lifestyle!

*This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk* show less

I can't get enough of these moving-and-starting-over stories; should my husband be worried? Here Drinkwater, a British actress, and her French producer boyfriend, Michel, impulsively buy an olive farm in the south of France. The property has an amazing view of the Mediterranean, many ancient olive trees well known for the quality of their oil, and a house that is all but falling down. Various good-for-nothing day laborers and slow-paced French bureaucrats find their way into the story. Yes, show more it's a bit like Under the Tuscan Sun. Quite a bit, actually, but Drinkwater is gifted at describing her world and telling a story; I've already started the sequel. show less

The author is an English actress, and the sound of her voice as narrator added immensely to the pleasure of listening; however, she's also a skillful writer, and though events seem at times overly dramatized, I cared about the outcomes. This is more than just another "travails of buying property on foreign soil" story.