The Bottom Line
An excellent book for the newcomer to Spain, both for visitors and those moving to Spain (though more to the latter), In The Garlic is a humorous, well written and very informative A to Z guide to Spanish life.
Pros
- Humorously written - will raise a smile as well as your eyebrows!
- Genuinely informative
- Easy to read A to Z format
- Written by people who have lived in Spain for a long time...
- ... but who haven't forgotten what it is like for a newcomer to the country
Cons
- Some aspects of the book will only appeal to people living in Spain
Description
- In The Garlic, by Valerie Collins and Theresa O'Shea
- "Your informative, fun guide to Spain
- Published by Santana Books.
Guide Review - In The Garlic Book Review
Valerie Collins and Theresa O'Shea, the authors of In The Garlic, have 50 years of living in Spain between them - and it shows. Though I often cringe when I read Spanish guide books and television programs written by fly-by-night visitors to Spain, this information in this book is accurate and extremely useful to anyone who spends time in the country.
With entries ranging from property tax to the Spanish equivalent to the f-word, In The Garlic would make fun reading on the beach, but would be of more use to someone relocating to Spain to live, as it often concerns itself with mundane matters like ordering gas for your house and the Spanish IRS.
Still, if you like to learn more about the country you're visiting than the words for 'yes' and 'no', this book is ideal. Where else are you going to discover that table football was invented by a Spaniard?
