So this one took a little while to grow on me. But at some point it did. I was a bit nervous going into it. There was a very outsider view of the culture of Spain and some jokes that didn't quite land or were very cliche. But then it turned less of that and more just about life in general, with a gaggle of chickens.

Twead and her husband embark on an adventure for retirement. Buying a house in rural Spain and fixing it up, with the intention to live out their retirement in the milder weather (at least compared to where they're from). Of course shenanigans abound when they don't speak the language perfectly and have different customs from the people around them.

I honestly can hope that some of these people are fake or never read about themselves in this book. I have a feeling a few would be hurt. But largely they seemed to like the people around them and have a close relationship. The chickens were of course wonderful (but then again I love chickens) although without spoiling too much I would have preferred not knowing some of their stories or at least had some lead in to it.

There were recipes, but like most books of this type I don't see myself returning to the book to try to cook from it. But if you like to do that, they're there for you! A slice of life that describes an outsider in Spain, this book took some time to ramp up but was ultimately enjoyable.

Review by M. Reynard 2023