Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Eliza has a full house! When her three children grew up and moved out, she downsized to a smaller property... but now they're all back. Every room in the house is taken and Eliza finds herself sharing her bed with her eldest daughter and her daughter's pug. Combined with the online course she's trying to finish, plus her job to fit in, there just isn't the peace and quiet that Eliza needs.
So when an ad pops up on her laptop saying 'house-sitters wanted', Eliza can't resist the chance to escape. She ends up moving to a rural finca in southern Spain, looking after the owner's Iberico pigs, learning about secret gastronomic societies... and finding a new zest for life and love along the way.
Many thanks to Random House UK via NetGalley for my copy of Retreat to the Spanish Sun to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Jo Thomas’ books are a breath of fresh air and a slice of pure escapism for when you want to get away from your normal humdrum life and be transported to a different world entirely. I always eagerly await each new publication from this talented author and even more so now that we are treated to two books a year - a summer and Christmas book. As soon as this new book, Retreat to the Spanish Sun, arrived on my Kindle I dove straight in and didn’t leave it waiting as I tend to do with books I know are months away from publication. The fact that I read this well in advance of publication day is testament to how much I love Jo’s writing.
Each book always has such a fabulous setting, which you can tell has been very well researched prior to commencing writing the story. Chances are you may never have visited the setting of Jo’s books but thanks to such wonderful visual writing and of course mouth-watering descriptions of food – which Jo is synonymous for with each book - you feel as if you are whisked away for a few hours to indulge in stories filled with characters that capture a piece of your heart as they learn a few life lessons and experiences many changes over the course of the brilliant stories that unfold.
The Spanish countryside and a rural farmhouse in Andalucía are the setting for Retreat to the Spanish Sun and once again the author nails every aspect of the setting and the conundrums that face our main character Eliza. What this book really reminded me of was the channel four programme, A New Life in the Sun, which I am sure is many people’s guilty pleasure of an afternoon. I mean this comparison in a good way as the group of ex-pats that feature and become friends with Eliza just reminded me of the set up and people featured in that show. Overall, there was just a general feeling of friendships developing and a quest for Eliza to get to the bottom of mysterious things going on in the little village and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. Yes, it’s a quick read with perhaps one or two small lulls where to me it appeared as if not much was happening before things picked up pace and the reader was provided with plenty of laughs and also some tender moments when realisations start to happen and Eliza does her best to reconcile with the fact as to why she came away in the first place.
Eliza lives in a two bedroom flat, having separated from her husband Rob. Her children Luke, Ruby and Edie, had all fled the nest but one by one they have all returned and to say conditions are now cramped would be an understatement. Eliza works from home as a receptionist for an estate agents whilst trying to finish her college course. All she longs for is some peace and quiet. She loves her children but feels like her home as been invaded and with a two-week deadline to complete her final assignment, writing an essay on health, happiness and wellbeing, she certainly feels the pressure mounting and the inspiration is not flowing. She makes a rash and what she feels may turn out to be an idiotic decision when an ad for a housesitting job whilst also minding two sheepdogs pops up on her computer.
Josep Santiago has a farmhouse in the Spanish countryside and also rears Iberian pigs who produce that delectable treat that is Iberico ham. What could be better for Eliza, than to get away from it all? She can get her assignment finished whilst enjoying the sunshine, the stunning vistas and inhaling the scent of jasmine, beeswax, wood and indulging in the sumptuous olive oil. But things won’t go that smoothly for Eliza and the promise of peace and tranquillity isn’t one that is easily fulfilled.
Eliza deserved nothing but admiration for embracing new experiences and I really hoped that her time in Spain would help to fill the empty shell that she believed existed within her. She’s not looking for a relationship but wants to throw herself into work and make a positive and new life for herself. One where she is not always at the beck and call of her children. When she arrives in Spain, there is no doubt that the setting is idyllic but Josep seems a bit stand offish. Almost as if he is hiding something but there isn’t time to get to the bottom of things and soon he is away as planned and Eliza is left in charge of the farmhouse when the man left in charge of the pigs seems to abandon the farm. Eliza although very much clueless has to step in and take charge and it was funny to see her grabble with the pigs and their daily routines and care management especially as she thought her days would be spent brining the dogs for a walk and lounging by the pool as she completes her work. It soon transpires there is a lot more going in with regard to the farmhouse and the nearby village and Eliza can’t but fail to be caught up in the goings on. She is definitely outside of her comfort zone but after all she did want to throw herself into a new life and this was her certainly being thrown in at the deep end.
As I have already mentioned, when Eliza goes to the village for supplies there was real A New Life in the Sun vibes being given off and I was all for it. She stumbles across a group of expats at a local bar run by John/Juan who feels like his food is never accepted in the village. This group of women gather regularly on the pretext of learning some Spanish but really it’s for a gossip and catch up and I suppose it gives them a sense that they are on familiar territory as the villagers with their Gastronomica Society led by Senior Blanco give off an air of superiority and that their club is very much an exclusive one which means the women and John are very much left out. Eliza feels as if she has found her tribe with the group of women and I loved the bond they formed with one another. Jodie, Eileen and Sally are all a scream when they get together and when we get to the crux of the story I loved how they all banded together in a madcap and crazy way to try and save the day when the true goings on of the society are finally revealed.
Things are hush hush in the village and there are lots of strange goings on particularly around the farmhouse and the woods where the pigs roam freely. Eliza’s senses are alerted and you’d almost love to be able to say to her, hey you are here as a holiday with some housesitting thrown in. Focus on your assignment and don’t get involved in things that could turn everything on their head. But when Josep’s livelihood is threatened in a big way, I tossed that sentiment out the window and was all for the actions Eliza and her new found friends were taking. At times, it was like something from a comedy series but then there were a few dark undertones thrown in and I genuinely felt that things were not going to turn out in the way I desperately hoped they would.
Retreat to the Spanish Sun was a fabulous read that will leave you craving some of that Iberico ham not to mention all the other tantalising food described throughout the book. It’s a real feast for the senses which will make you savour the brilliant descriptions and have you wish you could just magically appear at the door of John’s café and he would welcome you with open arms. It’s a story of Eliza finding her way and surprising herself with what she can do. She really doesn’t give herself enough credit for her capabilities but the further the story progress you can see a change in her. Yes, many things go wrong, several of which were her fault, but she does her utmost to right those wrongs and her new found friends do their best to help her find the happiness, health and well being that has prevented her from completing her essay thus far. The development of the plot regarding Josep was excellent and really fitted in well with the themes explored throughout the story and without him placing the advertisement Eliza would have remained stuck in the rut she was in in England. Eliza was a woman scared to find out if the woman she used to be was still there deep inside her and the time she spent in Spain was certainly going to tell her one way or the other and I loved journeying alongside her.
This is definitely another winner from Jo Thomas. If you haven’t read anything by this author make sure you do. I envy those who have her back catalogue to read, what wonderful characters and brilliant locations await you. I meanwhile already have Keeping A Christmas Promise on my wishlist and can’t wait for its publication in October.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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