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The Angel Tree: The Enchanting Quest for the World's Oldest Olive Tree
The author recounts an assignment to locate and obtain the world's oldest olive tree for an eccentric Frenchman's Provence garden, a quest that takes him through Greece, Spain, and Italy and pits him against botanical world politics. 10,000 first printing.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 9, 2020
I gave the Olive Oil Test to the local raccoons. The little family keeps my large garden free of snails and slugs, but they must occasionally get a treat or they will migrate their labor contract to the next house. Using the same bread, I soaked the pieces using Italian, Spanish, Greek, Tunisian, and California oils. The raccoons have proven to be gourmands previously, so their opinion was going to be worthy. Each dripping slice was laid out in neat rows but in different spots for each row. The kits followed their mother's lead and only touched the slices she touched. The hands-down winner was the fresh cold-pressed olive oil from the California grower.
To understand that result, I turned to this book, hoping to gain a better understanding of the olive tree and its amazing produce. The author is a professional landscape architect, known for his broadcasts and articles for the Beeb and The Times. His search for the oldest olive tree, in order to complete a garden design for a French client, allows the reader to learn the history of Olea Europaea and its link to the ancient gods. Dingwall-Main's snarky remarks throughout the book are a bit of a turnoff, but when he lets nature speak for itself (the middle of the book), the gods are happy.
Good points: The Epilogue and Olive Facts section at the end of the book. Also, the hardback is a beautiful printed product, with proper paper, excellent typesetting, and intrinsic drawings by Don Grant.
In California, the olive tree is an immigrant like the rest of us. In our drought-ridden hills of gold, the nearest equivalent we have to The Shire are the groves of olive trees whispering among themselves in the sun like the true Carthaginians they really are.
Book Season = Spring (best time to plant the treasures)
To understand that result, I turned to this book, hoping to gain a better understanding of the olive tree and its amazing produce. The author is a professional landscape architect, known for his broadcasts and articles for the Beeb and The Times. His search for the oldest olive tree, in order to complete a garden design for a French client, allows the reader to learn the history of Olea Europaea and its link to the ancient gods. Dingwall-Main's snarky remarks throughout the book are a bit of a turnoff, but when he lets nature speak for itself (the middle of the book), the gods are happy.
Good points: The Epilogue and Olive Facts section at the end of the book. Also, the hardback is a beautiful printed product, with proper paper, excellent typesetting, and intrinsic drawings by Don Grant.
In California, the olive tree is an immigrant like the rest of us. In our drought-ridden hills of gold, the nearest equivalent we have to The Shire are the groves of olive trees whispering among themselves in the sun like the true Carthaginians they really are.
Book Season = Spring (best time to plant the treasures)
June 26, 2020
Did not finish it. Did not enjoy it as much as The Luberon Garden
August 29, 2009
At some point during my reading of this book, I thought I wasn't going to enjoy it as much as I wound up enjoying it.
Personally, I've never cared for olives, but, one man setting out on a quest to find the oldest olive tree in existence sounded intriguing. And indeed, it was.
That man is Alex Dingwall-Main, a garden designer living in Provence, France. One fateful day, he quite literally runs into a wealthy man who just happens to be in need of Dingwall-Main's skills as a designer. The wealthy man, Latour, is in need of a centerpiece for his soon-to-be-magnificent garden, and Mr. DM is just the person to help Latour.
It is decided that an olive tree would fit in exceptionally well in the garden, given its storied history and symbolism, as well as sheer beauty. However, not just any olive tree will do. No, Latour needs the oldest olive tree that Dingwall-Main can find.
What follows is an account of Dingwall-Main's adventure across Europe, from France to Italy to Spain to Greece, all in search of The Right Tree. He finds one, in Spain, that is otherwise known as The Angel Tree, for both its shape and heavenly qualities. However, this tree is not for sale, at least not without a few stipulations.
Peppered in between the author's travels are various tangents on how olive trees came to be so revered, brief lessons in world history, accounts of just what an eccentric Frenchman can be like, and myriad other interesting minutiae - which, I love in books like this.
The story itself is endearing, as is its ultimate conclusion, but like many great adventures, the beauty lies in the journey, not just the final destination.
Personally, I've never cared for olives, but, one man setting out on a quest to find the oldest olive tree in existence sounded intriguing. And indeed, it was.
That man is Alex Dingwall-Main, a garden designer living in Provence, France. One fateful day, he quite literally runs into a wealthy man who just happens to be in need of Dingwall-Main's skills as a designer. The wealthy man, Latour, is in need of a centerpiece for his soon-to-be-magnificent garden, and Mr. DM is just the person to help Latour.
It is decided that an olive tree would fit in exceptionally well in the garden, given its storied history and symbolism, as well as sheer beauty. However, not just any olive tree will do. No, Latour needs the oldest olive tree that Dingwall-Main can find.
What follows is an account of Dingwall-Main's adventure across Europe, from France to Italy to Spain to Greece, all in search of The Right Tree. He finds one, in Spain, that is otherwise known as The Angel Tree, for both its shape and heavenly qualities. However, this tree is not for sale, at least not without a few stipulations.
Peppered in between the author's travels are various tangents on how olive trees came to be so revered, brief lessons in world history, accounts of just what an eccentric Frenchman can be like, and myriad other interesting minutiae - which, I love in books like this.
The story itself is endearing, as is its ultimate conclusion, but like many great adventures, the beauty lies in the journey, not just the final destination.
February 1, 2013
A very good, in spite of a number of typos and words misused! From Amazon: A vastly entertaining, utterly charming adventure in search of the oldest olive tree in the world, told by the talented landscape artist assigned to find it no matter the cost.
A serendipitous, fender-bending encounter between the author, a distinguished landscape architect, and a wealthy Frenchman in Provence leads to the strangest, funniest horticultural odyssey in recent memory. The rich, eccentric Frenchman has just finished renovating, with great care and attention, a beautiful house in Provence. But the elegant courtyard looks very empty. “Find me the oldest olive tree in existence,” he challenges the author, “and bring it back to take pride of place in my garden.”
The author’s travels take him to the olive groves of France, the farms of Greece and Spain, and many backyards of Italy. Along the way, he encounters a 3,000-year-old tree, a farmer who won’t sell his tree unless he can sell the farm that surrounds it, mafiosi skullduggery in the plant world, unscrupulous dealers, divided families, local weddings, farcical disasters, and a village that believes a drop of rain that has touched the leaves of the Angel Tree will cure any illness or sadness.
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A serendipitous, fender-bending encounter between the author, a distinguished landscape architect, and a wealthy Frenchman in Provence leads to the strangest, funniest horticultural odyssey in recent memory. The rich, eccentric Frenchman has just finished renovating, with great care and attention, a beautiful house in Provence. But the elegant courtyard looks very empty. “Find me the oldest olive tree in existence,” he challenges the author, “and bring it back to take pride of place in my garden.”
The author’s travels take him to the olive groves of France, the farms of Greece and Spain, and many backyards of Italy. Along the way, he encounters a 3,000-year-old tree, a farmer who won’t sell his tree unless he can sell the farm that surrounds it, mafiosi skullduggery in the plant world, unscrupulous dealers, divided families, local weddings, farcical disasters, and a village that believes a drop of rain that has touched the leaves of the Angel Tree will cure any illness or sadness.
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April 10, 2009
I expected much more from this book but was instead a tad disappointed.
From dust jacket:
"Alex Dingwall-Main, a distinguished landscape architect working in Provence, is accustomed to odd garden requests from his demanding clients. But when a rich and eccentric Frenchman asks him to find the oldest olive tree in the world to grace his exquisite courtyard in southern France, the author finds himself on an improbable adventure spanning the Mediterranean coast of Europe.
In this quixotic, lyrical, and evocative odyssey, we encounter millennia-old olive groves, unscrupulous dealers, mafioso-like skullduggery in the plant world, secret festivals, divided families, hidden villages, farcical disasters, and miracles in holy places. Alex finally locates a three-thousand-year-old olive tree miraculously shaped like an angel, but he is stymied when the farmer tells him he will not sell him the tree unless he buys the two-thousand-acre farm that surrounds it...not to mention the entire nearby village, for the local people believe a drop of rain that has touched the leaves of the Angel Olive will cure anything, from snakebite to the common cold."
From dust jacket:
"Alex Dingwall-Main, a distinguished landscape architect working in Provence, is accustomed to odd garden requests from his demanding clients. But when a rich and eccentric Frenchman asks him to find the oldest olive tree in the world to grace his exquisite courtyard in southern France, the author finds himself on an improbable adventure spanning the Mediterranean coast of Europe.
In this quixotic, lyrical, and evocative odyssey, we encounter millennia-old olive groves, unscrupulous dealers, mafioso-like skullduggery in the plant world, secret festivals, divided families, hidden villages, farcical disasters, and miracles in holy places. Alex finally locates a three-thousand-year-old olive tree miraculously shaped like an angel, but he is stymied when the farmer tells him he will not sell him the tree unless he buys the two-thousand-acre farm that surrounds it...not to mention the entire nearby village, for the local people believe a drop of rain that has touched the leaves of the Angel Olive will cure anything, from snakebite to the common cold."
April 11, 2013
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Quick read and humorous. Interesting how a simple commission could result in such a quest and end up with knowledge as the principle result.
May 8, 2013
This book couldn't decide what sort of a book to be. I got dizzy switching gears trying to figure out what it was... Travel? Science? Memoir? I wish the author had folllowed a clearer choice...
August 8, 2013
Well written. Interesting read about the history and market for olive trees. Author has a sense of humor.
August 13, 2013
3.5 A fun,light read sprinkled with Brit humour, gardening jargon, and the history of the olive tree.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews