The olive season

Carol Drinkwater's bestselling book, THE OLIVE FARM, told the lyrical tale of her real-life romance with partner Michel and an abandoned Provencal olive farm which they fell in love with and bought - a double love story, recounting with wit, warmth and alluring detail the couple's attempts to bring their dreams to life. THE OLIVE SEASON begins with their realisation of another dream, a tropical island wedding. Returning to France, they find ever-reliable Arab gardener Quashia is leaving to marry off his youngest son. It is a bad blow. To gain the coveted AOC rating, Carol needs to plant a further 250 olive trees. Now, pregnant and often unassisted, she will have to do the bulk of the farm work. She struggles to find a water diviner to check for sources on the property. Then there is the matter of locating an elusive beekeeper who she hopes will place hives on the land in exchange for honey. Now, as the harvest season approaches, dramatic tensions cast dark shadows over the olive farm. With the magnificent humanity and texture of an Impressionist painting, The Olive Season entices readers into Carol and Michel's vibrant Mediterranean world.