Letters from the Village (Paperback)

"Letters from the Village" is the story of David Somerset, a double ex-pat, relationship-challenged author, who was hired to write a screenplay based on a best-selling book he wrote of the same name. The chapters are interspersed with some of the actual letters that he wrote to friends and family over a five-year period so that they could vicariously experience what it was like for someone who was raised in a fast-moving, hightech, 'go do it' environment, and then moves to an island in the Mediterranean where the term slow takes on a whole new meaning; weaving a story that tells how he copes with relationships, culture, and happiness on the island of Mallorca - and survives. An excerpt from "Letters from the Village": The real trick in saying hello isn't down to making sure that each word is pronounced correctly. The trick is to be able to slur the greeting's words all together. It isn't, 'Hola. Bon Dia'. It is 'holabondia'. Not 'buenos dias', but instead, 'buenosdias'. Or 'muybuenas' instead of 'muy buenas'. This can be a bit of a challenge to anyone who has been taught in a formal classroom setting. Luckily for me, most of my Spanish-language skills have been picked up by surrounding myself with the sounds of languages being spoken, or in some cases, slurred together. Besides, I lived in Houston - 'heyhowyalldoin' - and London - 'hiyayouallright?' - for a few years and am used to hearing greetings that stream together faster than lemmings rushing to the sea.