Snowball Oranges: One Mallorcan Winter

Snowball Oranges #1

by Peter Kerr

How a Scotsman and his family lived the dream, making their vacation home permanent—and how the local neighbors helped them endure that "dream"

 

I could hardly believe my eyes. A cold mantle of white was rapidly transforming our sunny paradise into a bizarre winterscape of citrus Christmas trees, cotton wool palms and snowball oranges.

 

When the Kerr family leaves Scotland to grow oranges in a secluded valley on the island of Mallorca they are surprised to be greeted by the same freezing weather they left behind. They realize that their new orange farm is a bit of a lemon. Laughter, finds Peter Kerr, is the best medicine when faced with a local dish of rats and the live-chicken-down-a-chimney technique of household maintenance. But their Mallorcan neighbors help them adapt to their new life in this hilarious and revealing memoir, full of life and color, set against the breathtaking beauty of the Mediterranean.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Spain, Humor, Biography, Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Peter Kerr, the award-winning Scottish author of the 'Snowball Oranges' pentad of humorous Mallorcan travelogues, is a former jazz musician, record producer and farmer. He has also written a range of fiction titles, including the 'Bob Burns Investigates' trilogy of humour-spiked mysteries and 'Song of the Eight Winds', a historical novel set in 13th century Spain. 'Thistle Soup' is a set-in-Scotland prequel to 'Snowball Oranges', while 'Don't Call Me Clyde!' is a memoir of his life as a young jazz musician in early-60s London. A comedy-laced caper called 'The Other Monarch of the Glen' is set in the Scottish Highlands and was published in December 2017, while 'Goblin Hall', a humour-peppered fantasy adventure for a family readership, was published in April 2020. July 2021 saw the release of 'Jen - A Border Collie's Tale', the heart-warming life story of an old farm dog, narrated by Jen herself. 'Author - Don't Make Me Laugh', an amusing though frank and revealing account of the long road to becoming a published author at sixty, was published in November 2024. Peter, an accomplished artist, also illustrates his own books. His reputation as an entertaining and amusing speaker has resulted in regular appearances at book festivals and similar literary events throughout the UK and abroad.

Reviews

[Kenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very gentle. Couple buy farm in foreign land. Meet neighbours, who are different as they are foreign. Things go a bit wrong hut they settle in and make great friends. Hardly needs a spoiler warning does it? It's all fine, but having finished it I can't remember 90 per cent, and that will drop further. Nice but unremarkable and ultimately forgettable.

[Bowerbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for a dank February in the UK. Written in the style of Driving Over Lemons and A Year in Provence, this is a book to make you laugh out loud. Peter and his wife Ellie have moved from their Scottish farm to a Mallorcan fruit farm. Their two sons are to join them. Needless to say nothing goes smoothly and the language barrier only adds to the confusion. But in spite of all their misfortunes - and even the toilet stops working over Christmas - the descriptions of the views, the people and the general sense of joie de vivre gives the reader a real feel-good factor. It also offers a beautiful picture of this Mediterranean Island and gets away from the Mallorca of holidaying lager louts.
I have come to this book rather late as I gather there are two follow-ons. I look forward to reading those too.

[Sille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samast ooperist nagu Peter Mayle'i "Aasta Provence'is", Chris Stewarti "Papagoi piprapuu otsas" või Anna Nicholasi "Sisalik pagasis". Kõigis neis tehakse elus kannapööre ning kolitakse kuhugi soojamasse kohta, antud juhul Šotimaalt Mallorcale apelsine kasvatama. Loomulikult selgub, et majaostuga on perel pisut nahk üle kõrvade tõmmatud ning järgneb mitmeid jabur-vaimukaid stseene kohalike olude ja inimestega tutvumisel. Nagu ikka sellistes raamatutes tutvustatakse kohalikke kombeid, värvikaid karaktereid, ilusat loodust ning aetakse palju toidu- ja veinijuttu. Kerge ja ladus lugemine, toob natuke päikesepaistet meelde.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Scottish family buys an orange farm in Majorca....for some reason. They don't appear to have bothered to learn anything about farming, or Spanish, and, gosh, it's difficult! (I grew up surrounded by farmers; it has never occurred to me to want to farm.)

There wasn't anything actually wrong with the book, although it could have done with some editing - I see he got four books out of this little trip; if the next ones are like this one they could have condensed it into two (or fewer). But there really wasn't much there, either. It was fine but not a must-read.

[Simon Yoong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good read but I enjoyed Peter Kerr's A Year in Provence MUCH, much more.

maybe its just me, but the family dialogue parts were really cringe-worthy.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book that painted an honest picture of the ups and downs of a Mallorcan winter. I can't help feel a pang of jealousy, if only I were 30 years younger. I may have read this book years ago, as it is now quite old referring to prices in pesetas but I doubt if much has changed away from the coast. Having visited the island on several occasions I now have a fuller understanding of the life and geography of the island so the book meant much more to me the second time around. I am currently attempting to learn some Spanish, so the many Spanish (and Mallorcan) words put into context have enhanced my limited vocabulary. The descriptions of the countryside, the mountains and the characters that live there were excellent. I wonder if they are still there, over 15 years later and has their Spanish improved? I'm ordering the follow-on book about their first spring and summer and I'm sure it will also be a 'Good Read'

[Jeanette Blain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I enjoyed this book, but then, I generally like entries in the 'ill-advised, farming adventures of hapless expats' genre.

Kerr's writing invites you to slow down to the pace of rural Mallorcan people and hop into the colorful lives of the (often aged) locals who are trying to hang on to a beautifully rich and sometimes riotous traditional lifestyle. "Tranquilo," he is often advised. The same mindset helped me connect with the descriptions of Mallorcan landscape and the cast of interesting neighbors. Even old Pep comes across, in the end, with a glow of endearment.

I look forward to reading the other books in this set.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading these tales of people who move to foreign countries! Driving Over Lemons, A Year in Provence, Under the Tuscan Sun, all come to mind among others. Great tales all! So enjoyable. This book is just as entertaining as a Scots family decides to move to Mallorca to get away from Scottish winters. it follows them to sunny Mallorca! Doesn't matter, all ends well! I do enjoy hearing how they get on with the locals, how they deal with getting what they need, dealing with their new homes and lives, etc.... It makes for a very pleasant, vicarious read. I envy them their bravery.
I received a Kindle ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

[Tony Fitzpatrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A somewhat "rose tinted" account of a Scottish farming families move from cattle farming in the Highlands to Orange farming in Mallorca. Peter Kerr describes in "Toujour Provence" style their first few months in their new home, and the colourful cast of locals that became their neighbours. Amusing but quickly forgettable. You don't get the impression that making the farm pay was ever a serious consideration, and given that Mr Kerr has written quite a lot of books I suspect that publishing them, rather than selling fruit, became the families major source of income. Not sure I will be reading anymore however.

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really entertaining, easy read. It definitely makes me want to go back to Mallorca and visit the less trodden paths. The picture of the culture and local “politics” is really heartwarming, and the author is somewhat aware of his own prejudice and curmudgeonly attitudes… but he’s very traditional and western with many of his views, demonstrated by how he talks to his wife and brushes off his sons’ behavior at one point with “boys will be boys”. I would probably read his other books if I got them in a book swap, as he is a good storyteller, but I don’t think I would spend money on them as he is pretty biased and unkind with a lot of his descriptions of the locals.

[Snicketts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Driving Over Lemons and I enjoyed A Year in Provence so I thought I was going to be charmed by this story of a Scottish family who buy a Mallorcan farm and start a new life of growing oranges. Perhaps the market has been saturated or perhaps this style of memoir has had its day but I found the narrative quite sexist and the author’s descriptions of the locals rather insulting. When he writes about the landscape and the farm itself it is with real passion and originality but the humorous anecdotes about his wife, his neighbours and how he was screwed over by the previous owner sound hackneyed and exploitative for modern tastes in my opinion.

[Agnes Männiste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humoorikalt kirja pandud lugu, kes kolib Šotimaalt Mallorcale apelsiniistandusse. Uues kodus sisse seades tabab neid rida mitte just kõige meeldivamaid üllatusi, ent kirjanik kirjeldab neid läbi huumoriprisma.

Kohati õige pisut häirisid liiga pikad laused ja kirjeldused, mille puhul tundus, et kirjanik on ühte lausesse tahtnud liiga palju ära mahutada. Samas olid kasutatud võrdlused ja kirjeldamise oskus siiski imetlusväärsed. Osa teksti on jäetud tõlkimata ehk hispaania keeles, mis sobib sellise raamatu puhul eriti hästi ja aitab kujutlustes kirjeldatavasse olukorda sisse viia.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple from Scotland decide on a whim to buy an orchard on Mallorca. After getting a small bargain on the asking price from the owners they soon find that they have bought a money pit. As repairs take place they start to meet their neighbors who are quite the characters. There were a few chuckles along the way but there was also some rather crude conversations. My one main criticism, however, is that I felt the portrayal of the people with which the Kerrs became acquainted is often a bit unflattering.

[Carol]

What happens when a Scottish family decides to relocate to a small, somewhat neglected citrus farm in Majorca? Peter Kerr does a good job describing the ups and downs of his family's new life, especially the challenges of fitting into a traditional rural society. He is rather florid at times, and perhaps a bit unkind to some of the characters he meets, but if you have an interest in Majora (c. the year 2000) or are a fan of Peter Mayle, this makes for an entertaining read.

Please note that I don't use the star rating system, so this review should not be viewed as a zero.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK maybe a 4.5, but this was such a fun, refreshing book. I really enjoyed it! The adventures (good and bad) of a Scottish farm family transplanting to a Mallorcan orange grove. Interacting with the natives provided plenty of laugh-out-loud moments due to language barriers, customs and lifestyle differences. But it was the beautiful island descriptions, the characters met along the way and the lessons learned in tranquil living that sold me. So happy I read this! ❤️

[Angela Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shift from Scotland to Majorca which initially appears to be a piece of paradise turns out to have been 'given the pip'. The orangery has been neglected and household appliances not quite up to scratch. The cats and dogs are a pain in more than one respect although the humanity of neighbours saves the day on occasion. Nice little story but I couldn't help thinking of someone used to money having to resort to writing a book.

[ELAINE CROMPTON · Rating 1 out of 5]

This reads more like fiction than fact - there seems to be a lot of poetic licence used here regarding understanding the Spanish language - for people who profess not to know much about the language, there's an awful lot of translation going on. Read it as a story and not too factual and you'll enjoy it more.

[Joke Kolthoff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nederlandse vertaling: besneeuwde sinaasappels. Een boekje in een serie van 4 is meer dan genoeg. leest vlot, oubollige humor met "ik vertrek " elementen. Geeft wel een aardig beeld/ inkijkje van de bewoners van het eiland mallorca ( los van de toeristen).

[Dagne567 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sihandse sisuga raamatuid on ju ennegi kätte juhtunud - briti abielupaar kolib Vahemere äärde, järgnevad äpardused kohanemisel. Aga ajuti ajas täitsa siiralt naerma, nii et võib kolm tärni annetada küll.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mõnus lugemine elust-olust Mallorcal. Endalgi tuli tahtmine asjad kokku pakkida ja kolida kusagile soojemasse kliimasse ja elada tranquilo.

Kogu raamatu vältel tõlkimata jäetud hispaaniakeelsed sõnad olid minu meelest plussiks.

[Joe Kurtek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a good book to inspire wanderlust and give you the ex-pat experience of moving to a new country. Very similar to Peter Mayle’s book on Provence. I liked it. Thought the story was engaging and it definitely transported me to Mallorca. It’s worth a read.

[Wyktor Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable book about the trials and tribulations of moving from Scottland to a small orange estate on Mallorca. Some memorably hilarious moments here, interspersed with a bit of island lore and Spanish words and phrases.
Highly recommended.

[Susan Broad · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are staying in the area of camp de mar this book is of the area just inland and a lovely happy read.

[BillReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic story I love the description of the locals and surroundings, the story transports me to Majorca.
I have the next book ready to read

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scottish family buys an orange farm in Mallorca -- what's there not to love! Lots of funny anecdotes and honest insights about moving to a different country. Great read for a rainy day!

[Ann Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think "A Year in Provence," but in Mallorca. I read this on the plane on our way to the island for vacation, so it was prefect preparation. I'm not sure I would have chosen it otherwise.

[Heete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lahe ja kerge lugemine, aga ei midagi väga erilist.

[Chris B · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Driving over Lemons' but set in Majorca, and not quite as well done - but an enjoyable read nevertheless

[H. Daley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but not as good as Driving over lemons!

[Lorde Idris]

nothing special... alas good to know Mallorca culture from foreigner view