BOOKS
EXPATS IN THE SUN
A study of British expat
life in Spain.
By Dr. Karen O'Reilly
The
large expatriate community on the Spanish Costas has inspired plenty of
literature in the English tabloid press, who report with gusto on the
peccadillos of drunken hooligans on the rampage, criminals on the run, and sun-tanned,
gin-and-tonic sipping expats trying to keep alive the memories of lost empire.
The British on the Costa del Sol is the first attempt at a serious, in-depth study of why so many Britons choose Spain to live, and what makes them tick.
Karen O'Reilly, a lecturer in sociology at Aberdeen University, spent 18 months on the Costa del Sol and researched nearly 300 case studies, a sampling of the 700,000 Britons estimated to be living in Spain.
"The Britons in Spain are an identifiable species with a flavor of their own," says Dr. P'Reilly. "People come here to escape the wickedness and the greyness they see in Britain. But they haven't just re-created a little England in Spain, because they also want a little bit of what Spain has to offer."
The British on the Costa del Sol is published by Routledge, UK.