The Pre-Loved edit from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
OR

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Two Old Fools on a Camel: From Spain to Bahrain and back again Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,526 ratings

★ New York Times Bestseller ★

Reluctantly, Vicky and Joe leave their Spanish mountain village to work for a year in the Middle East. How could they know that the Arab revolution was poised to erupt, throwing them into violent events that would make world headlines?

Teaching Arab kids, working with crazy teachers, forming life-long friendships and being placed under house arrest, Vicky and Joe laugh and lurch through their year in Bahrain.

Includes FREE photobook and Arabic recipes from Nadia Sawalha.

    Shop this series

    See full series
    This option includes 6 books. See included books
    1 unreleased or unavailable book is excluded.
    Shop this series
    There are 7 books in this series.
    Bundle price: Kindle price
    Bundle price: Kindle price
    Bundle price: Kindle price
    By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.

    This option includes 3 books.

    This option includes 5 books.

    This option includes 6 books.

    Something went wrong.
    Bundle price: Kindle price
    Bundle price: Kindle price
    Bundle price: Kindle price
    By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.

    Customers also bought or read

    Loading...

    From the Publisher

    Spanish scene from Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools

    VICTORIA TWEAD ~ memoir writer

    Unwind and laugh along with Victoria Twead as her life unfolds in unexpected and heart-warming ways.

    Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools and the Old Fools series

    Books with baby chicks

    "All Creatures Great and Small" meets "Driving over Lemons"

    • Laugh out loud
    • Heart-warming stories
    • Animals, great and small
    • Colourful characters
    • Recipes in every book
    • Still-growing series

    The Telegraph -- "a colourful glimpse of Andalucían life. And a psychopathic chicken or two...charming...funny" (2011)

    The Catalunya Chronicle -- “Weeks later, you will be standing at your kitchen window doing the dishes and recall some fleeting scene with chickens or mules or two old fools and laugh out loud all over again.”(2011)

    HarperCollins -- "laugh-out-loud funny...especially the Spanish women heckling over eggs from the English ... hilarious ... engaging... the interspersion of recipes is charming" (2010)

    Victoria Twead

    New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author

    Victoria Twead, chicken-wrangler and writer, lived in a tiny, remote, mountain village in Spain and owned perhaps the most dangerous cockerel in Europe. This inspired her to write the Old Fools’ series which have sold over a million copies.

    Now "retired" in Australia. She continues to write and publish more books, only pausing to play princesses with her granddaughters.

    The Old Fools series:

    1. Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools
    2. Two Old Fools - Ole!
    3. Two Old Fools on a Camel
    4. Two Old Fools in Spain Again
    5. Two Old Fools in Turmoil
    6. Two Old Fools Down Under

    • Prequel: One Young Fool in South Africa (Joe and Victoria Twead)
    • Prequel: One Young Fool in Dorset

    plus Two Old Fools in the Kitchen (cookbook)

    Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools

    Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools

    BOOK 1

    If Joe and Vicky had known what relocating to a tiny Spanish mountain village would REALLY be like, they might have hesitated...

    • Wall Street Journal Top 10 bestseller

    Two Old Fools - Olé!

    Two Old Fools - Olé!

    BOOK 2

    Vicky and Joe have finished fixing up their house and look forward to peaceful days enjoying their retirement. Then the fish van arrives, and instead of delivering fresh fish, disgorges the Ufarte family.

    Two Old Fools on a Camel

    Two Old Fools on a Camel

    BOOK 3

    Reluctantly, Vicky and Joe leave Spain to work for a year in the Middle East. Incredibly, the Arab revolution erupted, throwing them into violent events that made world headlines.

    • New York Times bestseller three times

    Two Old Fools in Spain Again

    Two Old Fools in Spain Again

    BOOK 4

    Life refuses to stand still in tiny El Hoyo. Lola Ufarte’s behaviour surprises nobody, but when a millionaire becomes a neighbour, the village turns into a battleground.

    Two Old Fools in Turmoil

    Two Old Fools in Turmoil

    BOOK 5

    When dark, sinister clouds loom, Victoria and Joe find themselves facing life-changing decisions. Happily, silver linings also abound. A fresh new face joins the cast of well-known characters but the return of a bad penny may be more than some can handle.

    Two Old Fools Down Under

    Two Old Fools Down Under

    BOOK 6

    When Vicky and Joe wave goodbye to their beloved Spanish village, they face their future in Australia with some trepidation. Now they must build a new life amongst strangers, snakes and spiders the size of saucers. Accompanied by their enthusiastic new puppy, Lola, adventures abound, both heartwarming and terrifying.

    One Young Fool in Dorset

    One Young Fool in Dorset

    PREQUEL

    This light and charming story is the delightful prequel to Victoria Twead’s Old Fools series. Her childhood memories are vividly portrayed, leaving the reader chuckling and enjoying a warm sense of comfortable nostalgia.

    One Young Fool in South Africa

    One Young Fool in South Africa

    PREQUEL

    Who is Joe Twead? What happened before Joe met Victoria and they moved to a crazy Spanish mountain village? Joe vividly paints his childhood memories despite constant heckling from Victoria at his elbow.

    Editorial Reviews

    About the Author

    Victoria Twead is a New York Times bestselling author.

    In 2004 Victoria nagged poor, long-suffering Joe into leaving Britain and relocating to a tiny, remote mountain village in Andalucía where they became reluctant chicken farmers and owned the most dangerous cockerel in Spain. Village life inspired Victoria's first book,
    Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools, which was quickly followed by more, all of which fast became Amazon bestsellers.

    Victoria and Joe continue to enjoy life keeping chickens, writing, helping authors publish their books, sampling the local wine and living alongside their colourful neighbours.


    All three books in the Old Fools series have reached the Amazon Top 50 Bestseller list.

    Product details

    • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ALCKQGA
    • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ant Press (December 23, 2013)
    • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 23, 2013
    • Language ‏ : ‎ English
    • File size ‏ : ‎ 5395 KB
    • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
    • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
    • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
    • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
    • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
    • Print length ‏ : ‎ 312 pages
    • Customer Reviews:
      4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,526 ratings

    About the author

    Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
    Victoria Twead
    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Victoria Twead is an Amazon, New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and works in her pyjamas. After living in a remote mountain village in Spain for eleven years (and owning probably the most dangerous cockerel in Europe), Vicky and Joe emigrated to Australia to watch their new granddaughters thrive amongst kangaroos and koalas. Australia is home now and where another joyous life-chapter began.

    The Old Fools series:

    #1 Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools

    #2 Two Old Fools - Olé!

    #3 Two Old Fools on a Camel

    #4 Two Old Fools in Spain Again

    #5 Two Old Fools in Turmoil

    #6 Two Old Fools Down Under

    #7 Two Old Fools Fair Dinkum

    Also two prequels: One Young Fool in Dorset and One Young Fool in South Africa.

    New - the Sixpenny Cross series

    A is for Abigail

    B is for Bella

    C is for the Captain

    D-Z works in progress

    Victoria explains how 'Chickens' was hatched:

    "I'm famous for my lists and records. I can't help myself; I think I inherited the record-keeping gene from my father. Every day I make a note of the weather, the temperature, the first snowdrop, the day the ants fly, the exchange rate of the euro, everything. I make packing lists, holiday lists, 'To Do' lists and 'Joe, Will You Please' lists. I even make lists of lists. My nickname at work was Schindler.

    Also, I have terrible difficulty throwing anything away. I find my heart racing and my fingers clamp possessively on the object in question. After all, a rusty hostess trolley, or broken watch, or a 1996 calendar, or whatever, may come in useful some day... So I rarely delete old emails and have diaries dating back years.

    Both these dubious character traits of mine, for a pleasant change, proved really useful and helped 'Chickens' to hatch.

    Moving to Spain was undeniably a culture shock. Every new day produced events either hilarious or heart-warming. Food suddenly tasted better, human behaviour was more fascinating, local events more interesting. It was like seeing in colour for the first time, and the book began bubbling in my head.

    Of course, Joe often lost patience with me, and rightly so. 'Stop dreaming, and concentrate! Hold that ladder steady or I'm going to break a leg in a minute!' But the book was relentless. As soon as I could, I unearthed all my records, notes, old emails to friends, and began to write.

    It's funny where life takes you... When I was a little girl and asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered, 'A zoo-keeper.' No, I never realised that ambition, but life in Spain has not been that far removed. Okay, I agree, chickens, mules and all the other animals (including humans) I wrote about may not be very exotic. But their behaviour was just as riveting as that of any grizzly bear or meerkat.

    As I wrote, the book made me laugh and cry. I love Spain. I love the Spanish people. I love Spanish food. I hope all this shines through in my writing, even when I'm describing some of the less pleasant things that happened to us."

    Customer reviews

    4.3 out of 5 stars
    1,526 global ratings

    Review this product

    Share your thoughts with other customers

    Customers say

    Customers enjoy the book's entertaining and interesting content. They find it enlightening to experience a new culture and get an overview of living in a Middle Eastern country. The book is full of humor and laugh-out-loud moments. Readers praise the writing style as well-written and easy to read. They appreciate the great characters and colorful descriptions of people. Overall, customers describe the book as charming, thoughtful, and making light of everyday happenings.

    AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

    247 customers mention "Enjoyment"247 positive0 negative

    Customers enjoy the book. They find it entertaining and interesting, with humorous moments. The story is enjoyable, with first-hand accounts that are full of interesting information and humor.

    "...My thanks to Victoria for a fascinating, informative and very enjoyable read." Read more

    "...This edition was a fun read of her year teaching in Bahrain...." Read more

    "...You are taken on an adventure of culture, language, expectations, friendships and education...." Read more

    "...As usual, the Tweads do their best to make their lives enjoyable and see things in new and different ways despite being homesick for Spain...." Read more

    91 customers mention "Insight"88 positive3 negative

    Customers find the book provides a good overview of living and working in a Middle Eastern country. They appreciate the author's detailed descriptions of the culture and lifestyle. The book is informative and humorous, with tasty Arabic language. Readers enjoy the insights into events in the Middle East from a first-hand account.

    "...For all the problems, they made some wonderful friends in Bahrain and as always, their lives were filled with some highly colourful characters, whom..." Read more

    "...the living conditions are not what they expected, but they manage to make good friends and eventually love their spoiled students...." Read more

    "I love all the 'Old Fools' stories but this one had a really nice political angle to it - not that I would call it 'luck' to have been in Bahrain at..." Read more

    "...I was fascinated with their take on Bahrain where they went to teach for a year after living in Spain. The Tweeds are British nationals...." Read more

    75 customers mention "Humor"72 positive3 negative

    Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find it witty and charming, with many humorous moments. The antics of the students and regular spelling tests are also mentioned as funny.

    "...I loved reading about her cheeky students and the regular results from her spelling tests had me in stitches...." Read more

    "...Politics aside, it was a great read in Victoria's usual honest, humorous and down-to-earth style which lets the reader in on her world...." Read more

    "...Both have a great sense of humor and make the best of situations...." Read more

    "...This is a continual laugh-out-loud book as Vicky describes the antics of her sixth-grade Arabian students who she attempts to teach English,..." Read more

    47 customers mention "Writing style"47 positive0 negative

    Customers enjoy the writing style. They find it well-written, easy to read, and entertaining. The author keeps readers interested as events unfold. They appreciate the humor and humanizing aspects of the book, like the examples of students' writing assignments.

    "...Victoria has the gift to write on a truly human level that gets you to really 'know' each character and their individual foibles...." Read more

    "...I especially enjoyed the examples of her students writing assignments...." Read more

    "...Her writings are absolutely delightful; perfect reading for our long and depressing winters...." Read more

    "As per usual Twead writes a fascinating and very entertaining book...." Read more

    24 customers mention "Character development"24 positive0 negative

    Customers enjoy the book's character development. They find the characters engaging, with colorful and realistic descriptions that make them feel like real people. The book also features an interesting setting and political unrest.

    "...in Bahrain and as always, their lives were filled with some highly colourful characters, whom Victoria describes with great humour and perception...." Read more

    "...There was also a fascinating international cast of characters. And as a bonus you get a long list of really yummy sounding recipies...." Read more

    "...Her characters come to life and while circumstances seem less than comfortable, she and Joe take it all in stride...." Read more

    "...The stories of spoiled school kids, strange characters in the teaching staff, sweltering heat, political unrest... What a culture shock!..." Read more

    22 customers mention "Eye opening"22 positive0 negative

    Customers find the book engaging and humorous. They appreciate the author's down-to-earth style and vivid descriptions of her students and coworkers. The book provides an insightful look into the author's teaching year.

    "...The colorful portraits of her students and coworkers paint a picture of her teaching year in a private school...." Read more

    "...give the story an interesting perspective and to us the readers, a good insight into what goes on in places where they clamp down heavily on the..." Read more

    "...The documentary that the author recommends is a great view of what happened during the Arab Spring...." Read more

    "...this book, and want Vicky back in El Hoyo writing again, but it's a great look at what it's really like to try and settle in a completely different..." Read more

    13 customers mention "Pacing"13 positive0 negative

    Customers find the book's pacing good. They appreciate the brave characters and the realistic take on an otherwise humorous story. The narrative of spoiled school kids, political unrest, and colorful characters are interesting. Readers feel the fear, bewilderment, and tenseness of the Middle East.

    "...It made me feel as if I had been in Bahrain myself. You feel the fear, the bewilderment and tenseness of the middle east...." Read more

    "...The stories of spoiled school kids, strange characters in the teaching staff, sweltering heat, political unrest... What a culture shock!..." Read more

    "...The stories of spoiled school kids, sweltering heat, political unrest, and colorful characters kept me engrossed in this fun book for hours...." Read more

    "...It was a touch of frightening reality to an otherwise funny book. Most people would enjoy this book. I highly recommend it!" Read more

    13 customers mention "Readability"3 positive10 negative

    Customers found the book unengaging and dull. They felt it had too much repetition and filler, with too many drinking episodes with expats.

    "...This book was not as lighthearted as her other books but I enjoyed every word of it." Read more

    "Compared to the first book in the trilogy this one was boring. They were middle of a revolution I miss the personal experiences...." Read more

    "...This was very dull and quite boring by comparison." Read more

    "...It is a sobering, thought-provoking and sometimes moments of fun story of British expats Joe and Vicky and their move to Bahrain to teach school...." Read more

    Top reviews from the United States

    • Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2022
      After finishing and loving Victoria Twead’s second Two Old Fools book recently, I decided I wanted to read the sequel as I was intrigued about the year the couple spent in Bahrain. I am happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the unhappy circumstances Joe and Victoria found themselves in. For all the problems, they made some wonderful friends in Bahrain and as always, their lives were filled with some highly colourful characters, whom Victoria describes with great humour and perception. I loved reading about her cheeky students and the regular results from her spelling tests had me in stitches. The book also deals with the tragic events of the Arab Spring uprisings which occurred during their stay, so I learnt a lot from reading this memoir. For foodies too, there are great recipes included as chapter separators. My thanks to Victoria for a fascinating, informative and very enjoyable read.
    • Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2015
      This was my first time as a reader of Victoria Tweed’s work. This edition was a fun read of her year teaching in Bahrain. The colorful portraits of her students and coworkers paint a picture of her teaching year in a private school.
      Her students were a select bunch taken from parents who could afford private school tuition. Due to this select population it was very hard for me to draw conclusions from her narrative that bear on the people of Bahrain in particular.
      Overall, I enjoyed her story, but, what can we conclude from her story about Bahrain? An educated population will help Bahrain grow in the future, master the wealth of the oil economy and raise living standards for the people.
      Only enlightened leadership on the part of the monarchy will accomplish the goals of economic growth, a mastery of the oil wealth riches and the future development of an educated people will accomplish these goals. But, will this development occur? With the boiling over of unrest in the Middle East, only time will give us the answer to these questions. Has time run out for the monarchies in the Middle East, or, will the monarchies play it safe, or, will they work on a new political path forward for their people. The clock is ticking and the western powers have more than a casual interest in the outcome.
    • Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2015
      I just got through reading this 3rd story in this series. Victoria Twead, the author, and her husband Joe go from living in a small remote Spanish village, to spending a year in Bahrain to be teachers. This book has a totally different feel about it and is more on the serious side due to the fact of taking place in the middle east, and the tense situation that actually took place while they were there. However, with that being said, it is no less enjoyable to read. You are taken on an adventure of culture, language, expectations, friendships and education. Victoria has the gift to write on a truly human level that gets you to really 'know' each character and their individual foibles. You get to really feel like you are right there! By the end of the book, it really made me a bit sad when they had to say their goodbyes to such special friends they whom they had shared a year with in such a foreign and exotic place. The friendships there were very strong because of what they'd all gone through together. It made me think more of on the level of individuals as opposed to generalizing a certain group of people. I have really enjoyed reading her series so far and am now looking forward to her next book in this series. Keep writing Victoria! I absolutely lose myself in your books!
      One person found this helpful
      Report
    • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017
      Very interesting, but very different from the first two books that describe their lovely lives in Spain.

      The Tweads are worried about money and take jobs teaching on the island of Bahrain to fatten their savings. The jobs and the living conditions are not what they expected, but they manage to make good friends and eventually love their spoiled students. Disappointingly, they don't see any camels until the end and they don't travel much, but Bahrain is an island of sand and not much else. There are some scary times with civil unrest where many of their colleagues leave, but the Tweads stay.

      This book is enjoyable and it's fun to read about the unusual people they meet and the people they work with every day. As usual, the Tweads do their best to make their lives enjoyable and see things in new and different ways despite being homesick for Spain.

      I do prefer the first two books about their lives in Catalonia, but this one is interesting in ways different from the earlier books.
    • Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2013
      I love all the 'Old Fools' stories but this one had a really nice political angle to it - not that I would call it 'luck' to have been in Bahrain at such a politically hot time but it did give the story an interesting perspective and to us the readers, a good insight into what goes on in places where they clamp down heavily on the media and use lots of propaganda to appease. Politics aside, it was a great read in Victoria's usual honest, humorous and down-to-earth style which lets the reader in on her world. I really enjoy how Victoria and Joe adapt to their circumstances despite the huge cultural divides (be it in Bahrain or Spain) and seem to fit in wherever they go. 'Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools' was gifted to me by a friend and I have not looked back since. Keep them coming.
    • Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2014
      This is a most interesting book. It is the third in the series about Victoria Tweed and her husband's adventures. I had not read the first two books so I missed out on some of the background but I now intend to read all of the series. I was fascinated with their take on Bahrain where they went to teach for a year after living in Spain. The Tweeds are British nationals. It was the year of the Arab Spring. The author brought out the Tweed's adjustment to the culture of Midwestern Muslim Bahrain with a great deal of humor. There was also a fascinating international cast of characters. And as a bonus you get a long list of really yummy sounding recipies. Oh, and they never get to the camels until nearly the end.
    • Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2024
      I read the whole series and now I want to go back and read it all again.

    Top reviews from other countries

    Translate all reviews to English
    • nicola steinhardt
      5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding point of view on a historical moment
      Reviewed in Spain on April 11, 2023
      Wonderfully told tale of a difficult moment in Arab modern history
      It portrays how much or little is really seen living in a place where events take place
      Interesting comment on how news is made
    • Petra Heyer
      5.0 out of 5 stars Molto divertente e interessante
      Reviewed in Italy on November 5, 2016
      ho letto tutta la serie di questa coppia inglese e trovo le loro storie oltre a molto interessanti anche molto spirituosi. Divertente lettura
      rilassante.
    • Kindle Customer
      5.0 out of 5 stars Victoria Twead is a fantastic story teller
      Reviewed in Canada on October 24, 2014
      I read all four books in this ''Old Fools'' series and I expected that it would start feeling 'old' by the 3rd book. I was wrong. Victoria Twead is a fantastic story teller. I highly recommend this book and the whole series.
    • RH
      5.0 out of 5 stars A rather different story to the first two in the series.
      Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2013
      I read "Chickens, Mules and Two Old" Fools some time ago, and then I noticed that my other half had accidentally downloaded "Two Old Fools - Ole" to my Kindle. I eagerly devoured this story of everyday life for a couple of British expats in a tiny Spanish village, wonderfully written by "Auntie Vikki" Twead. As soon I finished it I was straight on to the next one "Two Old Fools on a Camel"

      "Uncle Joe" gets this hankering for a last stint at teaching, and they leave their cosy Spanish village life for the delights of a school in Bahrain which, of course, is rather different to "El Hoyo" and a bit of a shock to the system! Victoria or "Mees" as she becomes known to her charges and Joe introduce us to a fabulous array of characters, make some very good friends and also meet a few "oddballs". It certainly wasn't all partying as they were there during the "Arab Spring" of 2011 which brought a good deal of violence to Bahrain.

      This book, like the other two, is a very good read. For anyone thinking the "grass is greener" by suddenly following a whim, the books pull no punches. It's not all wine and roses and painful mistakes can be made, but if if you've got the will to succeed and you are prepared to mix with the locals and get to know and understand their way of life, even later in life, a change can be highly satisfying.

      Nice one Victoria, wonder if we will be getting "Two Old Fools Down Under" anytime soon!
    • iceegg22
      5.0 out of 5 stars Angenehm zu lesen
      Reviewed in Germany on February 15, 2013
      Dieses Buch ist weder als Reiseführer noch als politische Expertise gedacht, sondern schildert die Erlebnisse von Victoria Twead und ihrem Mann Joe während des Jahres, das die beiden als Lehrer in Bahrain verbracht haben. Die Erzählung ist humorvoll, aber sensibel und wie schon in den ersten beiden Büchern hat man bald das Gefühl, die Leute zu kennen und dabei gewesen zu sein. Auch die kulinarischen Genüsse kommen nicht zu kurz, im Buch verteilt sind viele Rezepte für arabische Köstlichkeiten, die einem das Wasser im Mund zusammenlaufen lassen. Ideale Urlaubslektüre!

    Report an issue


    Does this item contain inappropriate content?
    Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
    Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?