Under a Croatian Sun

Ah....retirement. The proverbial golden pot at the end of the long, decidedly none rainbow like thing that's work. Some take a more creative approach to retirement than others. Meet Anthony Stancomb and his wife. who decided to quit busy England and retire to a quiet Croatian island of Vis, a place abundant with naturally beauty, historically significant past and...not much otherwise. Small minded, rigid in traditions and quite backward, like so many geographically isolated locations around the world, Vis' siren song nevertheless proved irresistible to the author and this is a (for some reason derivatively titled) chronicle of him and his wife trying to fit in, mingle, be productive, enterprising and contributing members of the tiny society. Stancomb's very British jocularity comes in handy and makes for a very amusing read as he describes the numerous culture clashes, climbs the language barrier and fights the windmills of local bureaucracy. Seems like a terribly frustrating experience and yet...every so often he'll talk about Vis' beauty, the beguiling Adriatic outside his windows, a certain sunset or sunrise and you can really see the appeal. After all, everyone is looking for that one place where, to modernize the old adage, they can rest their weary iPhone thumbs, that one place that makes them happy and it's nice to read about someone who found theirs, however untraditional. While I adore all things British, the author's expansive variety of very English references (particularly famous persons) was somewhat distracting, but I'm sure a Brit would get all those. Charming and considerably cheaper than actually visiting Croatia in general or Vis in particular. Thanks Netgalley.

There have been plenty of books written by middle-aged folks pulling up roots and moving to places off the beaten path, but few are as delightful as Stancomb's book. He and his wife change their London=based lives for the life in a small village on Vis, an island off the coast of Croatia.

That in itself is a big enough change. When you combine it with a very old, antiquated house, villagers suspicious of outsiders, and the residue of Communism and the recent wars, you get quite a challenge to overcome, no matter how delightful the setting.

Stancomb and his wife are up to it all in this often funny and often lyrical account of their first year on Vis. It made me ready to move there!

Anthony Stancomb writes in the vein of "A Year in Provence," but his "Under a Croatian Sun" is funnier, more diverse, and more insightful. It chronicles the story of the author and his wife departing England and moving to the island of Vis, Croatia, determined to assimilate into the culture.. Stancomb's ability to delineate the Vis community and its characters is exceptional. The islanders are a unique and memorable lot!. His chronicles diverse facets of community life through short vignettes. While the book is light reading, it's also engaging. It gives unusually vivid insight into a people deeply affected by long Communist control and the Balkan war, but who stamp their own brand of "crazy" on their circumstances. .Numerous parts are so laugh-out-loud funny that one wonders if Stancomb takes dramatic license, "Under a Croatian Sun" has such winsome appeal that I immediately searched for a sequel and found Stancomb's "Notes from a Small Island." Can't wit to read it too!

Under a Croatian Sun is a wonderful memoir of a British man who, along with his Croatian wife, give up the rat race in England and relocate/retire to Croatia. The author has an excellent ability to describe the numerous characters he meets in his new home, many times causing me to snort out loud in laughter. He also has the ability to poke fun at himself. Especially in his descriptions of trying to fit in and be accepted by the locals.
And, without even realizing it, the reader comes away with a bit of understanding about the troubles the area experienced in the war.
All in all, having read many ex-pat memoirs, I find this one to be of a higher standard. Funny, witty, engaging, and even educational. A sure win!

From the hustle and bustle of London, to the Island of Vis in Croatia, is quite a dramatic move for the author and his wife, who are looking forward to a slower paced life. Anthony and Ivana, start their journey when their children have moved out on their own and the two of them feel that they need to get away from their hectic lives in the UK. This book is very well written and a lot of fun to read. We follow them as they try and find their place among the locals and to receive their acceptance of them. This book is very humorous at times as they try not to be considered “the outsiders”, bending over backwards to make themselves useful and helpful in the community. Ivana is Croatian by birth but even she has a hard time being accepted as she is not from the Island, and they are very leery of foreigners, even from their own country. Anthony has many ideas as to how to win people over from, starting a vineyard to a sailing school, restaurant or a cricket team and on and on. You will have to read this book to see what happens to the two of them as they follow their quest to acceptance.
This book has a wonderful group of characters, each so different yet same in some ways, and I loved them all.
Thank you NetGalley and Thistle Publishing

Under a Croatian Sun is a lovely memoir about the author's experience moving with his wife to the Croatian island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea. Similar in feel to A Year in Provence and Under the Tuscan Sun. Stancomb's story is full of love for the island and saturated with lots of humor and good natured tales of culture clash.

Nice read. Not overly exciting but good all the same. Enjoyed reading about the couples travels and its one of those books that draws you in and you wish you were there

I love these expat books about moving abroad and living in a foreign country! Under the Tuscan Sun comes to mind, but I have read several on moving to Italy, France, Spain and Portugal over the past few years! I can't imagine how daunting it would be to actually do it, so I read these accounts bot to cringe and laugh along with the authors! For anyone who has ever contemplated moving abroad- good luck and have fun! For the rest of us armchair readers- enjoy and maybe some of us will someday join the adventurers!

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

Having been living in mainland Croatia I have to say this is so true.
The people are slow to warm to you but once they except you, you have friends for life.
Great.