The Olive Tree

The Olive Tree chronicles Carol Drinkwater's journey to discover the history and culture of olive cultivation across the Mediterranean. Her quest spans seventeen months and takes her through multiple countries including Lebanon, Syria, Croatia, Greece, and Tunisia. Drinkwater combines travel writing with research into the olive's role in ancient civilizations, religions, and trade routes. She visits remote groves, interviews local farmers, and explores archaeological sites connected to olive oil production. The narrative alternates between her physical travels and her examination of historical records, myths, and archaeological findings about the olive tree. Through conversations with experts and locals, she traces how olive cultivation spread from its origins and influenced Mediterranean societies. This memoir-travelogue hybrid explores themes of cultural connection, agricultural heritage, and humanity's relationship with the land. The olive tree serves as a living link between past and present, connecting modern Mediterranean communities to their ancient roots.

Readers find Drinkwater's memoir engaging for its blend of olive farming details, Mediterranean travel, and personal reflections. Many note her descriptive writing style captures the atmosphere of Provence and its agricultural traditions. Liked: - Rich details about olive cultivation and local customs - Balance of personal story with regional history - Food and recipe descriptions - Environmental and sustainability themes Disliked: - Some found the pacing slow in middle sections - Several mention confusion about timeline jumps - A few readers wanted more focus on farming, less on personal life - Critics note occasional overwrought passages Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (421 ratings) Amazon UK: 4.2/5 (127 ratings) Amazon US: 4.0/5 (89 ratings) Reader quote: "A love letter to both Provence and olive farming, though occasionally gets lost in side stories" - Goodreads reviewer "Great on farming details, but meanders through personal tangents" - Amazon reviewer

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🌳 Carol Drinkwater, before becoming an author, was a well-known actress who played Helen Herriot in the BBC series "All Creatures Great and Small" 🌿 The book is part of a trilogy about the author's life in Provence, France, where she and her husband restored an abandoned olive farm with 300 ancient olive trees 🍃 While researching olive cultivation, Drinkwater traveled over 80,000 kilometers around the Mediterranean basin, exploring olive heritage in countries like Lebanon, Greece, and Tunisia 🫒 The ancient Romans considered olive oil so valuable that they accepted it as payment for taxes and used it as currency in trade 🌳 The book reveals that some olive trees in the Mediterranean region are over 2,000 years old, with a few specimens in Lebanon dating back to the time of Christ