Witches, Oranges and Slingers

About the Book

Elena Davis left her PR job in the United States and went to live in the town of Sóller on the northwest coast of Mallorca, the biggest of the Balearic Islands, in 1959, ostensibly for four months, but which extended to forty-seven years. The book describes her settling in and adjusting to conditions shockingly different from her previous life in the center of New York . What, no hot water? There are anecdotes about her Mallorquín neighbors and her adjustment to her new life.

As she had to earn a living, she studied Spanish and began to teach English to young people, many of whom were barely literate in their own language. With 300 books Elena opened an English rental library in a bar which became the meeting place for English-speaking foreigners. When she closed the library 35 years later in 1998, she had some 10,000 books. As visitors often asked about accommodations, she got into the housing business, then managed properties for absentee owners, finally holding some twenty powers of attorney.

The book describes the foreigners who came because of the low cost of living (that included booze for many), relationships with the Guardia Civil, Mallorquín feelings about the foreign influx, the attitude of visitors toward their hosts, religion, Elena's purchase of a centuries-old ruin in the village of Fornalutx in 1969 and her struggles as she rebuilt it.

She writes about Franco's regime but does not dwell on the political scene. There are a few prominent people mentioned in the book but she is not a name-dropper.

The approach is factual and down-to-earth but there are many light and humorous touches. The book ends with a brief rundown on the enormous social, political and economic changes which have occurred in half a century and speaks briefly of the author's feelings about her life on Mallorca.

About the Author

The author: English teacher, librarian with 10 000 books, property manager and owner of a 500-year-old ruin which she renovated.