The Crinkle Crankle Wall: Our First Year in Andalusia - Paperback

by Sabina Ostrowska (Author)

A humorous account of a couple's trials and tribulations in search of the good life

"I could not put this book down and despite a mountain of jobs to do I kept convincing myself 'just one more chapter'."

"How brave, or was it foolhardy? Sabina and Robert set off to a country they didn't know and a language that they didn't speak - could this be a recipe for disaster or an amazing adventure? I gasped and laughed and almost cried at various points in their story. Do read it you won't be disappointed and the good news is that there is more, as this is only the first year!!!"

"I was transported to another place that was idyllic and yet took perseverance and determination to survive."

"I have read an inordinate number of books by people starting a new life in France, Spain, Outer Womberbumboojah and for the most part, they are not well written and seldom as amusing as their authors think they are. This book is different."

"Sabina describes the local area and people with great passion, bringing everything to life for the reader.
Adapting to a new way of life in rural Andalusia, throwing themselves into learning the ways of the village, embarking on harvesting their olive trees, delighting at the production of their own olive oil. Harvesting and learning how to preserve figs and tomatoes, there is never a dull moment."

"I loved this book and found the trials and tribulations of Sabina and Robert really interesting. It was so well written and had some really humorous parts. I felt quite sad when I finished the book and I'm looking forward to the next instalment."

"Written in wonderful prose with a great sense of humour the book had me glued to its pages wondering what would be their next pitfall, their next mad idea." author Louise Davis

"Sabina Ostrowska has a sharp eye for the eccentricities of British ex-pats (including those of her English husband) and an even keener eye for the customs and foibles of her new rural neighbours in rural Andalucia." author Ronald Mackay

After years of dreaming of living close to nature, free from a daily commute and noisy neighbours, Sabina and Robert decide to travel from Abu Dhabi to Spain in search of their dream home. As soon as they drive across Andalusia, they fall in love with its rugged beauty, whitewashed villages, red geraniums, giant aloes, and endless olive trees. Enchanted with the place, they buy a little stone cottage in a mountain valley in the middle of nowhere and decide to reform it into a guest house. With little foresight or planning, they exchange cushy expat lives for a life in the sun.

Quite quickly, however, they find themselves battling cowboy builders, no electricity, a dry well, torrential rain storms, and freezing cold winters. Through all these adventures, they develop relations with their neighbours who have lived in the valley for many generations. As they begin to settle in, financial problems confront our somewhat naïve couple, and their idea of the good life starts to fall apart. Written with a wry sense of honest humour, this story is filled with twists and turns that take the reader on a journey from a life where every day was monotonously repetitive to a place where every day presents a new challenge.

A perfect read for the fans of Driving Over Lemons, Under the Tuscan Sun and A Year in Provence