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Life After My Saucepans: Lifting the Lid on Living in the Dominican Republic
In What About Your Saucepans? Lindsay de Feliz gave up marriage, and a successful career in the UK, to follow her dreams as a scuba diving instructor in the Dominican Republic. She met, and married, her Dominican man, and went on an incredible adventure involving political corruption, and being shot in her own home.
Life After My Saucepans continues the story with Lindsay, and Danilo, living in hiding, away from the beaches and tourist resorts, in the mountainous, remote, sparsely populated north-west of the country. Will Danilo return to politics, will they turn their lives around and will they adapt to their new surroundings?
While visitors will recognise the descriptions of local men who scam foreign women (sanky pankys), they will also experience a different side of the country from Lindsay’s colourful narrative where the friendly, yet quirky, nature of the Dominican people is uncovered.
Full of incident, adventure, laughter and tears Lindsay describes her day-to-day life with her indomitable husband, Danilo, as she comes to realise this is where she was always meant to be.
Life After My Saucepans continues the story with Lindsay, and Danilo, living in hiding, away from the beaches and tourist resorts, in the mountainous, remote, sparsely populated north-west of the country. Will Danilo return to politics, will they turn their lives around and will they adapt to their new surroundings?
While visitors will recognise the descriptions of local men who scam foreign women (sanky pankys), they will also experience a different side of the country from Lindsay’s colourful narrative where the friendly, yet quirky, nature of the Dominican people is uncovered.
Full of incident, adventure, laughter and tears Lindsay describes her day-to-day life with her indomitable husband, Danilo, as she comes to realise this is where she was always meant to be.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2017
14 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay De Feliz
2 books15 followersLindsay de Feliz was born, raised and educated in the UK, gaining a degree in French and German at Wolverhampton University, and an MBA at Bradford University. She worked as a marketing lecturer and was Marketing Director for various financial service companies. She then decided to follow her dreams and travel the world as a scuba diving instructor, ending up in the Dominican Republic.
Arriving in the Dominican Republic only for a six month contract, she ended up staying and married a Dominican, becoming a stepmother to three young boys. She was then shot in her own home during a burglary and following a long fight against corruption along with her husband, left the life of an expat in a tourist resort to live first in a Dominican town and then in the mountains
Lindsay published the highly successful memoir, What About Your Saucepans? in 2013 about the first 10 years of her life in the Dominican Republic and now lives high up in the Dominican mountains, on a small farm, along with her husband Danilo, three dogs, two cats, one permanent and one temporary foster child and too many chickens to count. She works as a writer, translator and marketing consultant.
Lindsay writes a blog about the Dominican Republic and daily life at www.yoursaucepans.blogspot.com
Arriving in the Dominican Republic only for a six month contract, she ended up staying and married a Dominican, becoming a stepmother to three young boys. She was then shot in her own home during a burglary and following a long fight against corruption along with her husband, left the life of an expat in a tourist resort to live first in a Dominican town and then in the mountains
Lindsay published the highly successful memoir, What About Your Saucepans? in 2013 about the first 10 years of her life in the Dominican Republic and now lives high up in the Dominican mountains, on a small farm, along with her husband Danilo, three dogs, two cats, one permanent and one temporary foster child and too many chickens to count. She works as a writer, translator and marketing consultant.
Lindsay writes a blog about the Dominican Republic and daily life at www.yoursaucepans.blogspot.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 10, 2017
As Lindsay de Feliz explains with unflinching honesty in her gutsy follow-up to What About Your Saucepans?, the Dominican Republic takes no prisoners. From the outset, we find the author ensconced in her dusty roadside house with Danilo, her Dominican husband, two stepsons, a dwindling back account, a growing menagerie of cats and dogs and swarms of voracious mosquitos. Things start to look up when they move lock, stock and barrel to the superior sounding ‘Pink House’, even if the cooker has to be wheeled round to the new house in a wonky wheelbarrow. But when blocked showers, troublesome septic tanks, a stroppy local ‘witch’ and an unscrupulous vet who moonlights as a taxidermist all take their toll, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary tale about living the dream.
Life After My Saucepans is packed with warmth and infectious humour, even when the clan moves to a pile in the mountains that needs pretty much everything: walls, windows, doors and gates – not to mention an emergency wasp fumigator. We witness in full technicolour the ups and downs of life in Wasp House, the drama and corruption of Dominican politics, the expat women suffering at the hands of their polygamous ‘sankies’, the lush, mountainous landscapes, the pig-roasts, the traditional Noche Buena feasts and a succession of madcap, local eccentrics. In Chivirico, a five-year old barefooted boy who proudly announces he will be the author’s bodyguard, we get a touching and poignant relationship that tugs at the heartstrings from the outset. And in the end, it’s the life-affirming human interest stories that make this book special. Lindsay de Feliz tells it as it is, warts and all, but it’s her affection for her adopted country and the people around her that shines through.
Life After My Saucepans is packed with warmth and infectious humour, even when the clan moves to a pile in the mountains that needs pretty much everything: walls, windows, doors and gates – not to mention an emergency wasp fumigator. We witness in full technicolour the ups and downs of life in Wasp House, the drama and corruption of Dominican politics, the expat women suffering at the hands of their polygamous ‘sankies’, the lush, mountainous landscapes, the pig-roasts, the traditional Noche Buena feasts and a succession of madcap, local eccentrics. In Chivirico, a five-year old barefooted boy who proudly announces he will be the author’s bodyguard, we get a touching and poignant relationship that tugs at the heartstrings from the outset. And in the end, it’s the life-affirming human interest stories that make this book special. Lindsay de Feliz tells it as it is, warts and all, but it’s her affection for her adopted country and the people around her that shines through.
October 21, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a welcome follow-up to Lindsay de Feliz’s first memoir “What About Your Saucepans?” As someone who grew up in and lived almost twenty years in the Dominican Republic myself, I especially related to how the author portrayed the realities of local life in this small island nation. She tells it like it is – the beautiful, the bad, and the ugly – with equanimity and a sense of humor. While some foreigners might believe life in a tropical paradise is all white sand beaches and cool drinks, De Feliz jolts you awake from that dream, and shares her truth about the experience of living like a local with a Dominican husband, assorted step-children, and an ever-changing menagerie of animals. She deals with the frequent lack of services most of us take for granted, such as water and electric power, with the patience of Job. She even manages to counsel foreign women who are seeking island romances, and her tales about their misadventures should be required reading to any such seekers. Expats will particularly appreciate this book, as well as armchair travelers, and anyone contemplating leaving their known universe to fully immerse themselves into a new life in another country.
March 8, 2019
Loved it! This is the perfect sequel to Lindsay De Feliz's first book. Again, this one is packed with humour, emotion and lots of detail about her life in the Dominican Republic.
I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first one, but probably would have gotten more out of it if I was a dog lover. Those who have a pooch will definitely relate to the many circumstances described. However, the cats (thank goodness for me!) are part of this story too!
A word of advice: do not to eat while reading the last chapter! The graphic details are difficult even on an empty stomach. Nonetheless, they are there for a reason as they help the reader really grasp the extent of the realities with which De Feliz has had to cope.
I just can't wait to see what will be in book 3!
I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first one, but probably would have gotten more out of it if I was a dog lover. Those who have a pooch will definitely relate to the many circumstances described. However, the cats (thank goodness for me!) are part of this story too!
A word of advice: do not to eat while reading the last chapter! The graphic details are difficult even on an empty stomach. Nonetheless, they are there for a reason as they help the reader really grasp the extent of the realities with which De Feliz has had to cope.
I just can't wait to see what will be in book 3!
April 22, 2020
I ordered the second installment of Lindsay's life in the Dominican Republic after reading her first memoir. After her husband loses his run for Mayor and they lose everything they own, she and Danilo move to another city to start anew. Her husband is attending University to become a lawyer, Lindsay is doing various jobs to keep them afloat. This book is about their various pets, friends, another run for Major in a different city and the people she falls in love with in the DR. The only thing I hated in this book and the other was the loss of their pets due to poisoning by neighbors. Also, because their pets weren't spayed or neutered, it seemed there was always another set of puppies which often were killed as well. Realize that pet care was sorely lacking in the DR, but it didn't make reading about this cruelty much easier. Whas is so disturbing about these two memoirs is that Lindsay later lost her life there. I don't think I personally could have stayed after enduring so many hardships and corruption.
August 3, 2017
A vivid look at life in the Dominican Republic - not lived in a glitzy apartment or sprawling mansion but in a not-quite finished house in a campo miles from anywhere, surrounded by dogs, chickens, goats and local characters.
Lindsay de Feliz, an English woman married to a charming if infuriating Dominican with grandiose ideas, is an expatriate of the finest order. She rolls with disappointments and sadnesses, and relishes moments of joy and humour - her husband going down for dinner at a grand hotel in his brand new pyjamas made me laugh out loud.
Her business, the DR Sisterhood, offers a glimpse into the poignancy of lonely women everywhere in the world - the blind yearning to be loved, and the sometimes attendant cruelty of being duped.
Life After My Saucepans, is a sequel worth reading and de Feliz may rest assured she is someone who will be remembered for making a difference.
Lindsay de Feliz, an English woman married to a charming if infuriating Dominican with grandiose ideas, is an expatriate of the finest order. She rolls with disappointments and sadnesses, and relishes moments of joy and humour - her husband going down for dinner at a grand hotel in his brand new pyjamas made me laugh out loud.
Her business, the DR Sisterhood, offers a glimpse into the poignancy of lonely women everywhere in the world - the blind yearning to be loved, and the sometimes attendant cruelty of being duped.
Life After My Saucepans, is a sequel worth reading and de Feliz may rest assured she is someone who will be remembered for making a difference.
July 23, 2018
In this follow up to "What About Your Saucepans" Lindsay and Danilo continue to strive for a peaceful life in the Dominican Republic.
Having found a small house in the barrio after everything was taken from them following Danilo's run for Mayor and the corruption that surrounded the run, they find some solace, but things start to go wrong soon after. Water, warm or not at all being a main source of contention. Lindsay surrounds her days with her new found little friend, Chivirico, who states he will be her "Bodyguard". I had many smiles and chuckles reading about Chivirico as their relationship grows, as well as the other cast of characters in their part of the barrio.
Lindsay and Danilo decide it's time to get out of the barrio and look for a home in the country. Prospects are limited as Danilo is going to University and Lindsay is trying to find a publisher for her first "Saucepan" while eeking out a living writing articles for expat magazines and websites. However, they persevere and find the "Wasp House".
I enjoyed following along with Lindsay, Danilo, family and friends in this follow-up memoir. Filled with plenty of humor, warmth and love it's a very enjoyable read.
Having found a small house in the barrio after everything was taken from them following Danilo's run for Mayor and the corruption that surrounded the run, they find some solace, but things start to go wrong soon after. Water, warm or not at all being a main source of contention. Lindsay surrounds her days with her new found little friend, Chivirico, who states he will be her "Bodyguard". I had many smiles and chuckles reading about Chivirico as their relationship grows, as well as the other cast of characters in their part of the barrio.
Lindsay and Danilo decide it's time to get out of the barrio and look for a home in the country. Prospects are limited as Danilo is going to University and Lindsay is trying to find a publisher for her first "Saucepan" while eeking out a living writing articles for expat magazines and websites. However, they persevere and find the "Wasp House".
I enjoyed following along with Lindsay, Danilo, family and friends in this follow-up memoir. Filled with plenty of humor, warmth and love it's a very enjoyable read.
May 9, 2021
This one follows on from ‘What About Your Saucepans’ the story continues.
The pace of life has slowed down a notch, her stepsons have grown up, she’s busy writing her first book and becoming more deeply immersed in everyday life in the Dominican Republic, and seeking full citizenship. Life with a lot less money, and simpler wants/need, up in the mountains, growing fruit and vegetables, rearing chickens and eating freshly laid eggs.
Again, more insights in the strong immunity spirit of Dominican living, long with some of its frustrations.
The pace of life has slowed down a notch, her stepsons have grown up, she’s busy writing her first book and becoming more deeply immersed in everyday life in the Dominican Republic, and seeking full citizenship. Life with a lot less money, and simpler wants/need, up in the mountains, growing fruit and vegetables, rearing chickens and eating freshly laid eggs.
Again, more insights in the strong immunity spirit of Dominican living, long with some of its frustrations.
May 24, 2021
This sequel to 'What about your saucepans?' is as funny and poignant as the first book. Lindsay and Danilo move to the countryside and Danilo tries to run for mayor again. Lindsay's struggles to obtain citizenship and her work with expat women who have Dominican boyfriends show you the ugly underbelly of society. Unfortunately, after this book was published, Lindsay was robbed and assaulted. She was then murdered shortly after. Her love affair with the DR ultimately cost her her life.
December 19, 2019
Great insight of life in the Dominican Republic
Lindsay paints a great picture of her life as a British ex-pat in the Dominican Republic. I enjoyed reading about it, but don’t think I could live it!
Lindsay paints a great picture of her life as a British ex-pat in the Dominican Republic. I enjoyed reading about it, but don’t think I could live it!
December 29, 2019
Wonderful story!
I read both books after I heard about Lindsay murder and was totally taken away by her life within the Dominican Republic. I must find out what happened. She felt so safe where she lived. I will miss you Lindsay.
I read both books after I heard about Lindsay murder and was totally taken away by her life within the Dominican Republic. I must find out what happened. She felt so safe where she lived. I will miss you Lindsay.
April 22, 2020
Another warts and all instalment of Lindsay's life in the Dominican Republic. Despite the trials and tribulations of the first book, Lindsay continues to love her life on the island and copes with everything that is thrown at her. So sad that she is no longer here to share more.
December 20, 2019
Just sort of a continuation from the first book but not as dramatic, life was just going on. Until it ended a few days ago for her.
March 20, 2021
I have a love for the Dominican Republic so I had to read about it especially from an outsider perspective, someone who is very close to home! Lindsay is a good writer and I enjoyed her book. I felt a bit sad as I read it as I happened to just do some digging up on her to see how she is doing, remembering the burglary from her first book and sadly I found that she was murdered. May she rest in peace and at least she found happiness!
December 28, 2017
Loved both books!
I read both of Lindsay De Feliz's books back-to-back; once I started with the first one I couldn't stop. 'Life After My Saucepans' is the follow-up and it is every bit as good as her first book. This book tells of more of her adventures living in the Dominican Republic. She has now been with Danilo, her Dominican husband, for 16 years. I like how she does provide a quick resumé of her first book just in case you haven't read it.
Lindsay says: "Despite the frustration with the locals and the way things were done, life was good and full of laughs". And that's exactly the essence of her books. It's not the luxurious honeymoon paradise you think it might be where Lindsay lives-but they have lots of laughs and there are certainly many chuckles at their various mishaps and dodgy repairman. There are heart-warming tales here, harder times, and lots of laughter too. Hilarious scenes trying to open a new bank account! There are some charming and delightful tales about Lindsay's bodyguard-intrigued? I'm not telling you-you have to read it!
She has a lovely, chatty, interesting way of relating her stories. I also like how she depicts Danilo's accent. She tells of the different way of life, their thoughts and customs in death etc. As Christmas is approaching we have a chapter including some of the local traditions-some are quite unusual!
There is a black and white photo at the start of each chapter, the same format as other book. I also liked that there are little pictures of casserole dishes between scenes-continuing the saucepans theme and a nice little touch presentation-wise. I SO enjoyed these books! I do hope there will be more. Very entertaining reads.
I read both of Lindsay De Feliz's books back-to-back; once I started with the first one I couldn't stop. 'Life After My Saucepans' is the follow-up and it is every bit as good as her first book. This book tells of more of her adventures living in the Dominican Republic. She has now been with Danilo, her Dominican husband, for 16 years. I like how she does provide a quick resumé of her first book just in case you haven't read it.
Lindsay says: "Despite the frustration with the locals and the way things were done, life was good and full of laughs". And that's exactly the essence of her books. It's not the luxurious honeymoon paradise you think it might be where Lindsay lives-but they have lots of laughs and there are certainly many chuckles at their various mishaps and dodgy repairman. There are heart-warming tales here, harder times, and lots of laughter too. Hilarious scenes trying to open a new bank account! There are some charming and delightful tales about Lindsay's bodyguard-intrigued? I'm not telling you-you have to read it!
She has a lovely, chatty, interesting way of relating her stories. I also like how she depicts Danilo's accent. She tells of the different way of life, their thoughts and customs in death etc. As Christmas is approaching we have a chapter including some of the local traditions-some are quite unusual!
There is a black and white photo at the start of each chapter, the same format as other book. I also liked that there are little pictures of casserole dishes between scenes-continuing the saucepans theme and a nice little touch presentation-wise. I SO enjoyed these books! I do hope there will be more. Very entertaining reads.
June 22, 2020
Very easy read. Interesting life story. I wish book number 3 would be published even though sadly Lindsay has passed away. She certainly had an interesting life and I am happy she shared it.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews