Carol Drinkwater – författare

NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES: CAROL DRINKWATER''S SECRET PROVENCELife and love, olive groves and bee hives in Provence - further adventures in the bestselling Olive Farm series from the author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER''Drinkwater is a rare writer who tackles other people brilliantly...Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside'' BELLAAfter sixteen months of travelling round the Mediterranean in search of the ancient secrets of the olive tree, Carol returns to her beloved olive farm in the south of France, to her husband Michel and his burgeoning family. However, the homecoming celebrations are overshadowed by disturbing discoveries.The plight of the honey bee has become an international crisis and Carol is faced with unsettling news about the hives on her own olive farm.While the multinational companies are pushing for ''bigger, better, bumper'' crops, a small band of farmers and ecologists are calling for a halt to many of the modern farming malpractices that are endangering the planet. Carol is amongst them. But it puts her own farm, her idyll, under threat. At what point do you turn your back on all that you believe in and all that you have been fighting for?This is the story of how Carol and Michel struggle with some difficult choices, and how they decide to deal with the unavoidable disappointments and inevitable responsibilities that come with running an organic farm.

In the bestselling Olive series by writer and actress Carol Drinkwater, author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER

''She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside'' BELLA''Her writing captures the true spirit of the people and places she visits'' THE TIMES

''A thrilling tale tracing the journey of olive cultivation'' THE LADY

THE OLIVE TREE charts Carol Drinkwater''s colourful and often dangerous journey in search of the routes that olive cultivation has taken over the centuries. Set during a springtime Mediterranean that is evocative and perennial, it is above all a tale of our time.

Troubled by challenges her own South of France farm is experiencing, Carol realises new approaches to farming are becoming essential. Her quest takes her south through Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Italy before she finally returns to her farm.

Through her travels and vivid encounters, Carol confronts some of the critical issues of our time - land-care and the harsh realities of diminishing water reserves - and ends her momentous journey in the company of olive growers whose vision for the future is remarkable and ingenious.

NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES: CAROL DRINKWATER''S SECRET PROVENCEThe first in Carol Drinkwater''s bestselling series set on a Provencal olive farm.''She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside'' BELLA''Spellbinding'' CHOICE''Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''All my life, I have dreamed of acquiring a crumbling, shabby-chic house overlooking the sea. In my mind''s eye, I have pictured a corner of paradise where friends can gather to swim, relax, debate, eat fresh fruits picked directly from the garden and great steaming plates of food served from an al fresco kitchen and dished up on to a candlelit table the length of a railway sleeper...''When Carol Drinkwater and her partner Michel have the opportunity to buy 10 acres of disused olive farm in Provence, the idea seems absurd. After all, they don''t have a lot of money, and they''ve only been together a little while. THE OLIVE FARM is the story of the highs and lows of purchasing the farm and life in Provence: the local customs and cuisine; the threats of fire and adoption of a menagerie of animals; the potential financial ruin and the thrill of harvesting their own olives - especially when they are discovered to produce the finest extra-virgin olive oil...

NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES: CAROL DRINKWATER''S SECRET PROVENCEThe third in the bestselling story which began with THE OLIVE FARM - from the author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER''Captures perfectly the dreamy atmosphere of the South of France and its people'' WOMAN AND HOME''Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''The stars shimmer like spilled handfuls of glitter. The day is beginning to rise with a faint mist. As I turn my head, ghostly halos, auras of light, appear and disappear ... The silence is truly awesome. Not a bird, not a whisper of wind, not a breath of life. Only the two of us, a most implausible pair, standing shoulder to shoulder gazing upon an awakening heaven''Returning to their home after an extended absence Carol and her husband Michel are looking forward to summer together on the farm. A shocking blow leaves Carol alone and the future is uncertain. Feeling isolated and with no olives to harvest, Carol ventures beyond the farm to explore other aspects of Provencal life - from hunting to bee-keeping, the ancient language to the ever-present demands of family and friends. And ultimately, Provence''s generous diversity - and Carol''s own persistence in sharing it with those she loves - paves a path to joy.

NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES: CAROL DRINKWATER''S SECRET PROVENCESecond in the bestselling Olive Farm story from the bestselling author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER''She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside'' BELLA''Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''I scan the terraces, planted with row upon row of ancient olive trees. It is April, late spring. Here in the hills behind the Cote d''Azur the olive groves are delicately blossomed, with their tiny, white-forked flowers. Beyond them, perched halfway up the slope of the hill, our belle epoque villa comes into view. Abounding in balustrade terraces, nestling among cedars and palms, facing out at a south-westerly angle, overlooking the bay of Cannes towards the sun-kissed Mediterranean, there it is, Appassionata, awaiting us...''THE OLIVE FARM told how Carol Drinkwater and partner Michel fell in love with and bought an abandoned Provencal olive farm. Now, in THE OLIVE SEASON, Carol is pregnant and their ever-loyal gardener is leaving to oversee the marriage of his son. Often unassisted, and with new challenges to face, Carol takes on the bulk of the farm work alone. Water is, as ever, a costly problem, and she goes in search of a diviner who promises almost magical results. But, as the harvest season approaches, dramatic events cast dark shadows of their olive farm.

In the terrific bestselling olive series by writer and actress Carol Drinkwater, bestselling author of THE FORGOTTEN SUMMER''She writes so well you can almost smell the sun-baked countryside'' BELLA''Spellbinding'' CHOICE''One cannot resist Drinkwater''s courage and joie de vivre, nor the enormous appetite and enthusiasm for her subject'' Wendy Holden DAILY MAILSince Carol Drinkwater moved to an olive farm in France she has developed a passion for the olive tree and the culture that has grown up around it. From the eastern shores of the shimmering Mediterranean to its western coast this fruit is farmed. Its silvery-green branches have inspired painters and poets, but who first pressed its ''bitter berry'' and transformed it into liquid gold?In quest of its secrets and traditions, Carol embarked on a solo adventure round the Mediterranean basin. Transporting readers across the olive''s ancient paths, celebrating its venerable past, tracking trade routes, unearthing unlikely stories, encountering peoples of today and bygone times, Carol comes full circle, back to her farm in the sun-baked Provençal hills.

NOW A MAJOR NEW TV SERIES: CAROL DRINKWATER''S SECRET PROVENCEThe bestselling Olive Farm series by writer and actress Carol Drinkwater, now available as a complete ebook collection.''Vibrant, intoxicating and heart-warming'' SUNDAY EXPRESS''A spellbinding memoir'' CHOICECarol Drinkwater''s much-loved Olive Farm memoirs, THE OLIVE FARM, THE OLIVE HARVEST, THE OLIVE ROUTE, THE OLIVE SEASON, THE OLIVE TREE and RETURN TO THE OLIVE FARM chart the adventures of Carol and her husband Michel on their Provencal Olive farm in the south of France.THE COMPLETE OLIVE SERIES COLLECTION includes all six books in Carol''s vibrant and heartwarming series, from the humble beginnings of the organic olive farm and the highs and lows of life in provincial France; to Carol''s sixteen month journey across the Mediterranean in search of the routes that olive growing has taken over the centuries; and back again to France for more life and love, olive oil and beehives at the farm in Provence.