Bitten by Spain: Renovating a Finca in Murcia

by Deborah Fletcher

In search of la buena vida and sunnier climes, Deborah Fletcher and her husband John came to be the proud owners of a large and extremely beautiful piece of land in a river valley in the region of Murcia, southern Spain. There, with an ever-increasing menagerie of dogs, cats and birds, not to mention an awful lot of spiders, they lived between a static caravan and a huge old barn as they battled perpetually - with the elements, the wildlife, the authorities and cultural differences - to build their dream home from a pile of stones. Bitten by Spain began as a series of newsy emails to friends and family in the UK and developed into this intimate, warts-and-all - and often hilarious - take on Spanish rural life and what it's like learning to live in a finca el campo in southern Spain. "... a brilliantly written and funny account of Deborah's move to Spain" Justin Aldridge, Eyeonspain.com "The author faces each challenge with great gusto and a tremendous sense of humour" Reina van Nieuwkerk, Expatcalidocious.com " ...a vivid description of what it is like to live away from the costas, in a Spanish community. I would highly recommend reading this book if you are contemplating moving to Spain." Sue Walker, author of Retiring the Olé The Young Retiree's Guide to Enjoying Life in Spain "A truly delightful read! An honest, down-to-earth and thoroughly entertaining account of a British couple's first years as expats in southern Spain ... It all adds up to a colourful and often hilarious tale" Linda Palfreeman, author of Crisis in Spain's Worst Property Scandal Hotspot

Genres: Travel

188 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2008

Reviews

[Jack Scott]

Once in a while you read a book that makes you laugh out loud. Bitten by Spain is hilarious and the kind of book that is difficult to put down. I loved it. The author moved from her ever so sensible existence in the UK to build a new life in Spain and she describes her adventures, warts and all, with a nice, easy-to-read style. The fact that her dogs, cat and parrots joined the fray added some real pathos for me, and when the menagerie is augmented by an assortment of Spanish birds, animals and creepy-crawlies, the final mix is hilarious. I was struck by Deborah's pluck (her husband was often back in the UK working) and there are some tender and thought provoking moments along with the humour. I couldn't resist including a quote about one of her dogs to demonstrate this.

"Stricken, I knelt down by his side....deeply fearful for this great and proud creature, usually so full of bounce and noise, now looking half-dead. I pulled both eyelids up with my thumbs, but his normally-beautiful steely blue eyes, horribly blood-shot rolled upwards to his skull. I stroked his head gently....I dipped my head alongside his mouth, checking for the feel of his breath on my cheek."

It really is a lovely read and the kind of book you can dip in and out of (the chapters are a bit like bite-sized set pieces). I actually read it in one long sitting (accompanied by a good bottle of Spanish red). It's a perfect holiday book and I'm sure would be of interest to anyone who has moved abroad, is thinking of doing so or just wants to read a good story told well. I'm dying to know what happened next - so hope there's another book on the way?

[Ian]

Was quite interesting... gives u some idea of what the Spanish are like ! Evokes images of olives and wine and mountainous countryside ! Yep not too bad !

[carol taylor]

Spain

Lovely account of what life is truly like enjoyed spending the time with the animals as well as humans well worth a read

[Alan Parks]

I live in Andalucia, in the countryside, and much of what happens to Deborah in this book rings true with my experiences. I read it from start to finish in just over a day, and could not put it down. I would suggest that anyone thinking about moving to live in a rural place in Spain, or anywhere else for that matter reads this. The knowledge you get from it could prove invaluable.

[Ellen]

It's more about parrots than Spain...and btw...the word 'lech' doesn't have a 't' in it. Self publishing at its worst.