Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #238204 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Synopsis
For two unforgettable years, writer Chuck Maisel and aspiring painter Carroll Graham lived the dream of a lifetime. Living in a timeless village on the Mediterranean island of Majorca, the two friends discover that fantasy can truly become reality. In this charming memoir, Chuck recalls the high humor and deep profundity of daily life on a foreign island, the heart-swelling beauty of place and people, and the wonderful events that brought him maturity, wisdom, joy, and eternal memories. Meet a captivating cast of characters that includes famous authors, painters, and a movie actress. But those most cherished are the island natives: Margarita, Toni, Pepe, Gaspar, Catalina, and others of the wise and delightful populace. Join the fun and fulfillment of an adventure crammed with the emotional warmth of Under the Tuscan Sun, the wit of A Year in Provence, and the joyous idiosyncrasies of living on an island. Enjoy a beautiful world where serendipity is the norm and still excites seekers of adventure today to Majorca island.

"This delightful memoir is Chuck Maisel's best argument for the thoughtful and well-planned bliss-following that is necessary at some point in each of our lives-not to escape reality but to rediscover it with enthusiasm."-Greg Sarris, Author of Watermelon Nights and both the novel and the screenplay of Grand Avenue produced by Robert Redford

Customer Reviews

A pleasant surprise...
When I saw that the author was American I feared that it would be the normal blinkered and uninformed view of people who often don't understand the rest of the world and feel that the rest of us have yet to achieve enlightenment. WHOOPEE, I was wrong.
It is beautifully written, with gentle humour and observant detail that will interest all who love the island. His descriptions of people and their characters soon takes you under the skin of the place, and the book is an excellently preserved record of life around, I guess, 50 or 60 years ago.
As a sideshow, the book also includes references to the Soller/Deia arty-farty set, many in their infancy of fame - his views on people like Alan Sillitoe and Robert Graves are extremely revealing, some come out of it well, others less so - including the well-known British author who came round for dinner, drank all the gin, and vomited over his table. You'll have to read the book to see who it was!
Many people who write about life on the island parachute in for a while, write their stuff, then go back to their other life...Chuck Maisel did this too, BUT he does not fall into the usual predatory category, and you'll need to read the book to see why. In the end, he, like many travellers, has to return to his roots and that's what he did, but not before setting down a wonderful few years into this sympathetic and highly readable book.

Paradise made tedious
I am afraid that this book was a great disappointment to me. The writer could not understand why Allan Sillitoe became a succesful author and why he didnt. Sad to say to a dispassionate reader it is immediately obvious in the writing. Egocentric, namedropping, and surprisingly catty for a male author.