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Goats from a Small Island: Grabbing Mallorcan Life by the Horns
Witty, pithy, and brimming with memorable characters, Anna's third book about working between two places is a delightful tribute to Mallorca's rich and varied way of life Life is never simple for PR consultant Anna Nicholas as she attempts to cut loose her ties with London for a rural existence in Mallorca with her family. Despite nearing her dream to open a cattery, she is thrown off course by the abduction of her beloved toad, a scorpion infestation, getting lost in the hills, and a growing fixation with ancient goats. Meanwhile, in London she's coping with loopy new clients—an amorous rock climber, a Bulgarian transvestite couturier, and a couple of warring designers.
- GenresNonfictionMemoir
352 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2009
4 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Anna Nicholas
14 books10 followersAnna is a bit of a wild Celt being of Irish, Scottish and Welsh extraction.
During her childhood, she spent many unconventional yet magical school holidays travelling around Eastern Europe and some off the map destinations in a battered old car and on a shoe string with her older sister, Cecilia, and her inspiring teacher mother and aunts Minny and Della. It is these experiences that have led to her life long love of travel and adventure.
After leaving school, Anna studied English Literature and Classics at Leeds University before joining the national charity, Help the Aged, as a graduate trainee. Promoted to senior press officer, she organised many fundraising and gala events involving high profile celebrities and the late Princess Diana, who at that time was the charity’s patron.
Moving to the Guinness Book of World Records she became International PR spokesman and invigilator, working closely with both the late Norris McWhirter, CBE, and TV presenter Roy Castle and travelled the world judging extraordinary records.
Those she most enjoyed adjudicating included the world’s longest conga line with singer Gloria Estefan in Miami; the tallest tower of bread in Indonesia; the festival of record breaking in Korea; the longest train journey which culminated in Hong Kong, and driving around Finland in the world’s longest limo.
After several years of unadulterated fun and madness at Guinness, Anna became marketing director and then a board director for a luxury bathrooms and aromatics company in Mayfair. Some years later she established her own PR and marketing consultancy with international clients in luxury travel, retail, hotels and spas.
After an impromptu meeting with renowned British explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell, CBE, Anna accompanied him on an expedition to Nepal, and for 10 years served as a trustee and director of his charity, The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and continues – time permitting – to participate in tough scientific expeditions to remote corners of the globe. The most bizarre of these, the subject of BBC2 TV documentary, A Grand Adventure, was when she and the colonel led an expedition to the remote Wai Wai community in Guyana in order to bring them a grand piano for their mud hut church.
She is a keen runner, having completed ten full marathons and 20 half marathons on behalf of her favourite causes. Her most recent international marathon was running in a South African reserve alongside the Big Five beasts. Anna has been a freelance journalist for many years, having written features for the Financial Times, Independent, Sunday Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Express, UltraTravel USA and Tatler among others, as well as several in-flight magazines.
She is the Mallorca destination expert for Telegraph UK and writes for local island newspaper, Majorca Daily Bulletin. Anna lives in Mallorca with her husband, Alan. She has presented her books at the Times Oxford Literary Festival and been guest speaker at numerous events. Her new title, Fallen Butterfly, was published 15, December 2022.
During her childhood, she spent many unconventional yet magical school holidays travelling around Eastern Europe and some off the map destinations in a battered old car and on a shoe string with her older sister, Cecilia, and her inspiring teacher mother and aunts Minny and Della. It is these experiences that have led to her life long love of travel and adventure.
After leaving school, Anna studied English Literature and Classics at Leeds University before joining the national charity, Help the Aged, as a graduate trainee. Promoted to senior press officer, she organised many fundraising and gala events involving high profile celebrities and the late Princess Diana, who at that time was the charity’s patron.
Moving to the Guinness Book of World Records she became International PR spokesman and invigilator, working closely with both the late Norris McWhirter, CBE, and TV presenter Roy Castle and travelled the world judging extraordinary records.
Those she most enjoyed adjudicating included the world’s longest conga line with singer Gloria Estefan in Miami; the tallest tower of bread in Indonesia; the festival of record breaking in Korea; the longest train journey which culminated in Hong Kong, and driving around Finland in the world’s longest limo.
After several years of unadulterated fun and madness at Guinness, Anna became marketing director and then a board director for a luxury bathrooms and aromatics company in Mayfair. Some years later she established her own PR and marketing consultancy with international clients in luxury travel, retail, hotels and spas.
After an impromptu meeting with renowned British explorer, Colonel John Blashford-Snell, CBE, Anna accompanied him on an expedition to Nepal, and for 10 years served as a trustee and director of his charity, The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and continues – time permitting – to participate in tough scientific expeditions to remote corners of the globe. The most bizarre of these, the subject of BBC2 TV documentary, A Grand Adventure, was when she and the colonel led an expedition to the remote Wai Wai community in Guyana in order to bring them a grand piano for their mud hut church.
She is a keen runner, having completed ten full marathons and 20 half marathons on behalf of her favourite causes. Her most recent international marathon was running in a South African reserve alongside the Big Five beasts. Anna has been a freelance journalist for many years, having written features for the Financial Times, Independent, Sunday Telegraph, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Daily Express, UltraTravel USA and Tatler among others, as well as several in-flight magazines.
She is the Mallorca destination expert for Telegraph UK and writes for local island newspaper, Majorca Daily Bulletin. Anna lives in Mallorca with her husband, Alan. She has presented her books at the Times Oxford Literary Festival and been guest speaker at numerous events. Her new title, Fallen Butterfly, was published 15, December 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 4, 2024
The author has a knack for prose, but that’s more or less where my interest stopped. The content was mostly pointing out random goats and sitting in meetings in London. Occasionally some interesting points about Mallorca would be brought up and quickly abandoned. The other main issue is the dialogue. If this is non-fiction, then the author has simply chosen to abandon all efforts in capturing what was actually said. If this is fiction, then why are we manufacturing such mundane events?
May 15, 2023
Gosh this was excruciatingly boring. I picked this up because I like goats, and was fooled by the cover. I liked the Johnny the toad bit in the story but that's about it. Also I cringed every time she described her husband/partner as The Scotsman, whenever I saw it coming on the page I quickly skipped past it just so I wouldn't endure the cringe.
December 6, 2020
Amusing and quirky, a tale of local color and colorful characters in Mallorca.
January 8, 2016
It was hard to work out whether this was fiction trying to be non-fiction or visa versa. If you want a tour guide of Mallorca detailing all of the fiestas, animals and foods, this is the book for you. Otherwise there was no plot or memorable characters.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews