The Crinkle Crankle Wall by Sabina Ostrowska

 The Crinkle Crankle Wall by Sabina Ostrowska



The Crinkle Crankle wall by Sabina Ostrowska was published in 2020. My thanks to the author for sending me a copy to review and Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.


Synopsis

The Crinkle Crankle Wall is an extremely entertaining account of a youngish couple's attempt to live the good life in rural Spain. Enchanted by an old cottage in an olive grove, they devote all of their money and time to reforming it into a guest house. Soon after they move in, the bucolic lifestyle that they had envisaged falls apart, as they are confronted with problems that are unfamiliar to most city dwellers. With the help of their neighbours, they learn about life in the Andalusian countryside and start to settle into their new adventure. But will they be able to make this new place into a home ? Without steady jobs to finance their new venture, will they have to abandon it altogether.




My review

This was such an easy to read book from start to finish that I read it in two sittings and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. For all you die hard Grand Design fans out there this is the perfect read and you can just imagine what Kevin McCloud will be saying at various intervals through the start of their renovations.

There are many moments throughout the start of their living the good life in Andalusia that you will find yourself trying to send telepathic messages to them telling them not to do that e.g don't take your roof tiles off before the winter as the torrential rain will come in !!!!

However this is a story of love, perseverance and friendship from a couple who have been accepted into the rural Spanish community in which they now live. You will smile though and question their judgements, as we all do when we watch the many renovating programmes when the owners advertise, and accept bookings for, guest accomodation well before it is even started yet alone anywhere near habitable. Consequently they are then working solidly until the day their first guests arrive to make it somewhere near habitable.

This is an incredibly entertaining read and, if like me, you are a fan of Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart you will absolutely love this book. I for one am now going to go and look for the second book in the series to find out what happens next in the lives of Sabina and Robert and their lives in Andalusia.

A wonderful 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read and a bonus 🌟 as I now know what a Crinkle Crankle Wall is .




About the Author

Sabina is a textbook writer and an EFL teacher. She has taught English in Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UAE, and Spain and currently runs a language school in the friendly town of Alcalá la Real.  She lives in the middle of the olive groves outside the picturesque village of Montefrio.

Sabina’s debut book, The Crinkle Crankle Wall: Our First Year in Andalusia, has been very well-received by readers worldwide. Since its publication in 2020, it has remained a bestseller in the Travel in Spain and Andalusia categories on Amazon. Following this success, she released A Hoopoe on the Nispero Tree, Book 2 in New Life in Andalusia series, in July 2022. Book 3 in the series, Olive Leaf Tea, will be released in the summer 2023. 

To read free chapters from this series and extracts from her upcoming books, you can visit her blog: www.sabinaostrowska.com, or follow her on Facebook www.facebook.com/sabinawriter or Instagram @cortijob.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Delegate by Ali Carter

Image
The Delegate by Ali Carter   What a tangled web she weaved…   The Delegate by Ali Carter was  published on 29th November 2022 by Matador. My thanks to the author and publisher who sent me a copy and Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.      Synopsis Charlotte… Having been sprung by Mafia family the Zandini’s on a day release the previous year, and managing to ‘despatch’ one of their enemies in New York (plus a few extras), ex killer G.P> Charlotte Peterson was now securely back inside Rampton high Security Hospital. However, her work was unfinished and a second escape quite out of the question. It was why she had the need of a delegate. A killer to complete a very important job…someone she’d control. Annie… She had found the perfect person in Annie. A woman who felt cheated. A woman who was mentally and emotionally scarred in exactly the same way Charlotte had been throughout her own life. Annie was fully ripe for manipulation in t...
Read more

Tristan /Yseulte by Harry Bonelle

Image
 Tristan /Yseulte  by Harry Bonelle Tristan/ Yseult by Harry Bonelle  was published on 31st january 2024 by Unicorn. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Things Tours  for inviting me to take part on the tour. Synopsis Tristan/Yseult is a narrative poem about the yearning for oneness in a world split into fragments. A duel on an empty island sets the course for one of the greatest romances ever told. As the lovers of legend meet, something new is born, and something eternal is revealed. Their names will forever be spoken as one. This modern retelling of Tristan and Yseult sheds a stark light on the beauty of the Celtic tale. “Harry Bonelle’s new version taps into the dark and furious energy of the old saga, surging and juddering with life. Bonelle’s actor’s training has encouraged him to liberate the performance piece that its original author must have intended. Thrilling on the page, but even more so spoken loud....
Read more

My Father & Other Animals by Mike Kirby

Image
  My Father & Other Animals  by Mike Kirby  My Father & Other Animals was published in February 2024.  My thanks to Mike for sending me a copy  in return for an honest review. Synopsis My parents chose the Yorkshire Pennines – a tough place to pursue their dream of having their own farm. Dad, a man of many actions but few words, was as relentless as the farming seasons, and through long hours and lots of mud, sweat and tears, gradually carved out a living, slowly making real the vision that they shared. My Father and Other Animals tells the story of how this driven man, always hand in hand with Mum, and blessed with a unique understanding of his animals, brought their  farming dream to life, building a successful farming business against the backdrop of the South Yorkshire hills.  Together they raised  a family, blessing all four of their sons  with their  common sense and restless work ethic and love of being outdoors, working s...
Read more