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Category: Travel

Review: A Wedding in Haiti by Julia Alvarez

[ 2 ] April 29, 2012

Reviewed by Krista Castner

I’ve been meaning to learn more about Haiti, especially after the devastating earthquake that struck that country on January 12, 2010. When I saw Julia Alvarez’s new book A Wedding in Haiti I thought that it would be a good way to get more insights into the two countries. The book recounts Alvarez’s recent personal experiences in the Dominican Republic and in Haiti before and after the 2010 earthquake.

A Wedding in Haiti was really informative. The many little black and white photos sprinkled throughout the book really helped personalize the people and places that were being discussed on the pages. Through the book I learned more about the desperate poverty in Haiti, some Haitian history, and about the strength of the human spirit to transcend what sometimes seem to be insurmountable obstacles.

As the story opens Alvarez relates how she and her husband Bill befriended a seventeen year-old migrant worker named Piti. Piti had crossed into the Dominican Republic illegally to work on a coffee farm. As their unlikely friendship grew into an almost foster parent role on the part of Alvarez, she promised Piti that one day she would come to Haiti to attend his wedding. That day came sooner than expected in 2009. True to their word Alvarez and her husband Bill returned from Vermont to the Dominican Republic, and along with a rag-tag group of fellow travelers who joined the trip, drove over the border into Haiti in Bill’s new pick-up truck.

The first half of the book is about the journey they took to reach Piti’s small family enclave in a remote part of Haiti in time to attend the wedding; and the return trip from that wedding. The second half of the book describes returning to that same enclave a year later. This second trip took place months after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. This time on the way back the traveling party detoured through Port-au-Prince before returning to the Dominican Republic.

Alvarez also shares what it feels like to visit her parents in the Dominican Republic and witness their further decline into Alzheimer’s dementia. Alvarez writes with honesty and insight even when it comes to disagreements that she has with her husband and how frustrated he sometimes makes her feel. I recommend this book if you want to learn more about Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Alvarez writes with a clear eye and compassion in her heart.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Krista lives just outside the urban sprawl of Portland, Oregon. Lamentably, her work as a technical writer and business analyst often interferes with her reading which is a true passion.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Algonquin Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Close to Paradise by Robert Fisher

[ 3 ] January 10, 2012

Reviewed by F. Scott

When I win the lottery . . . I’ll take Close to Paradise, by Robert Fisher, with me to go house-hunting around the Bay of Naples. A picture book with plenty of text also, its main title is correct, but the subtitle isn’t quite accurate—it really is just as much if not more about the residences and their residents/caretakers, past and present, as about the gardens themselves.

Fisher starts us off just north of Naples on this tour of houses and gardens, which are in the “Italian language with an English accent.” The English are responsible for many of these spots from about the mid-nineteenth century on, having discovered them on grand tours. Many of the little Edens go back 2,000 years to Roman times, or, as Fisher over-repeats himself, to Homer’s Odysseus and the songs of the Sirens. But certainly every shade of royalty from the Angevins to the Bourbons put their stamp on these marvels of nature transformed by human hands.

We shall eventually turn the corner around Sorrento—where, it is again over-repeated—the Italian poet Torquato Tasso lived, but not until we do the 600-lbs. gorilla in the room is Mount Vesuvius. If you don’t have a view of the still-active volcano, you ain’t in this book.

Four parts will eventually lead us to the “Belvedere of Infinity” on the grounds of the Villa Cimbrone in Ravello—“Naples and Environs,” “Capri and Ischia,” “Sorrento and the Sorrentine Peninsula,” and “The Amalfi Coast.” Along the way each villa outdoes the last. Don’t settle on Capri before you’ve seen Sorrento and the little area around the peninsula to the south.

But, of course, the stars of the book are the photos, where I’m struck by the presence of the human hand—ancient, medieval, and modern—in the most enchanting pictures. Plants, trees, and flowers are great and all, but we should remember that gardens are really the work of humans. The English, especially, had a penchant for lawns, which some of us know take a lot of work and plenty of water. Yet, nature does provide the canvas . . . and some pretty good views.

The texts for each location name the flora—of which bougainvillea seems to be mentioned most often—but the people who found, bought, tended, cherished, improved, and inhabited the places are the focus of Fisher’s serviceable prose. Among the more famous of those folks are the Emperor Tiberius (seems he had 12 villas on Capri!), Richard Wagner, the Swedish physician and author Alex Munthe, elevendy billionaire William Waldorf Astor, Greta Garbo, Graham Greene, and Rudolph Nureyev.

And don’t forget the almost-human—seems Munthe’s miniature baboon (didn’t realize there was such a thing), named Billy, used to raid the liquor cabinet when the humans were out and cause havoc on Capri. You can’t make that up.

My main issue here is with the complete absence of maps. After every short chapter, I went looking again for the maps to see where exactly to find the place. But the pictures will have to suffice for now.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

F. Scott has been to Naples, Capri, and Sorrento. He one day hopes to return and turn the corner.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Frances Lincoln. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Sideways on a Scooter by Miranda Kennedy

[ 4 ] December 26, 2011

Reviewed by Alysia George

Leaving one’s home country and starting over again thousands of miles away is daunting, and at the same time exciting. Especially if the move is done all alone, with no friends or family for support and company, in a country with totally different customs and an unfamiliar language. And yet, journalist Miranda Kennedy did just that when she decided to embark on the adventure of a lifetime and relocate to India. Although independent and worldly to begin with, Kennedy learned more about herself and the Indian culture than she probably thought possible when she first set off. Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India, is Kennedy’s memoir chronicling her time in India.

Culture shock set in for Kennedy when she fully realized how different her lifestyle would be in India, yet she stood her ground and carved out a place for herself in Delhi. During the years she spent there, Kennedy gained valuable friendships and slowly figured out the differences, both subtle and obvious, between American and Indian cultures and relationships.

Kennedy dappled in romances of her own while listening to her new friends tell stories of their vastly different romantic escapades, almost unrecognizable as romances by American standards. Kennedy found a niche in India, learning in many regards to live as the Indian people do, but never felt comfortable and courageous enough to fully be herself.

I loved reading about an American’s experiences living in India, a country that has made huge advances over the past few decades, yet is still a world apart from Western cultures. Kennedy’s narrative flowed easily and was interesting and fun to read.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Alysia lives in Metro Detroit with her husband and four children. She writes about family life, parenting issues, and other things of interest to her on her blog, Michigal.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Random House. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Baffin Island by Alastair Lee

[ 4 ] December 16, 2011

Reviewed by Caleb Shadis

Baffin Island is the fifth largest island in the world. The beautiful island is part of Canada and has very long winters. As the title suggests, Baffin Island: The Ascent of Mount Asgard is a photo journal of Alistair Lee’s trip to Mount Asgard on Baffin Island and his ascent to the top.

The pictures in this book are simply incredible! Mount Asgard is a something else, the sides are sheer for thousands of feet and the shape is unforgettable. Lee went with a crew with the intention of climbing this mountain. Complete insanity if you ask me, but I’m just glad he took pictures along the way.

Lee tells two stories through the book: one of the Norse gods, which were on everyone’s mind since many of the mountains are named after them, and the group was planning to climb Asgard, the home of the gods; the other is of his experiences climbing the mountain. Personally, both stories seemed too incomplete – I wanted to know more details or less (mostly more!). Luckily, the photos more than made up for any shortfall in the telling of tales.

Baffin Island is a beautiful book and an excellent coffee table book. I learned a little about geography, rock climbing and Norse Mythology all in one.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Caleb is a software engineer and amature woodworker living in southern Minnesota. He has more hobbies than he has time or money for, and enjoys his quiet time reading.

The review copy of this book was provided free of any obligation by Frances Lincoln. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves

[ 5 ] November 8, 2011

Reviewed by Alisha Churbe

Wanderlust is a memoir of Elisabeth Eaves who “traveled for love, and loved to travel, making it hard to disentangle the two.” Eaves truthfully tells her story which makes her seem at times irresponsible, desperate and emotional. She doesn’t employ rose colored glasses for her story, she exposes her flaws and bad decisions, no matter how misguided they may have been.

The memoir begins with Eaves as a teenager and chronicles her travels to the point where at 34, she “realized I wanted to go home, only to discover I had no idea where that was.” The story follows Eaves to destinations on five continents and countless relationships with random, sometimes exotic and very understanding men. As Eaves confesses in the beginning, the travel and the love are very much intertwined to a point where the story lacks description of the places she visits. Eaves provides a lot of description of her emotions and a fair amount about most of the men. She tells a story of two different desires: love and the unknown.

Eaves seems to dodge responsibility at every turn, but she will surprise you with some of the things she is willing to do to sustain her desires and feed her wanderlust. She has moments of extreme confidence, interspersed with complete vulnerability. Her emotions run as different as the continents she visits.

Wanderlust is a decent, quick read if you go in with the right expectations. Eaves’ memoir is not a travel log of all the places she’s been, but rather a recollection of all the emotions she experienced while traveling, due mainly to her relationships with men, and only sometimes to her interactions with different cultures.

Rating: 3.5/5

Part-time fiction writer, Alisha Churbe lives in Portland, Oregon. In the rare instances when you can pry her away from books, Alisha can be found travelling in foreign countries, cooking, or hiking with her husband Michael and dog Euro.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Seal Press. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Tout Sweet by Karen Wheeler

[ 18 ] September 13, 2011

Reviewed by Jill Elizabeth

Today’s book review is for a fabulous memoir that rang more than a little true for me personally.

Tout Sweet is the story of Karen Wheeler, a rather high-end fashion journalist in London, who decides to pack her entire life up and leave the city to move to a rural village in France and renovate an old farmhouse. The decision is sparked by two things – the devastating end of her latest relationship and an increasing sense of ennui and disillusionment with her fashion-girl life and its obsessive focus on accumulating things. As you would expect, the story runs the emotional gamut – it alternates between hysterical ex-patriot escapades and old house/contractor challenges, heartbreaking moments of loneliness, uplifting tidbits of self-realization and demonstrations of inner strength. It is, in short, a story of everyday life.

As Karen travels down her new, decidedly more casual and less Prada-full path, she comes to realize that wherever in the world you may go, you are still you there – which means you can’t run from your problems, dissatisfactions, or emotions, because they have a nasty tendency to follow you. As someone who has also walked away from city life and a fairly high-powered career and materialistic lifestyle, I cannot tell you how many times I found myself smiling or laughing as I realized how absolutely positively spot-on Wheeler’s words felt. She balances personal drama and emotions with descriptions, facts, and settings in a way that leaves you utterly involved in her life and yet still able to imagine your own self in her (oh-so-fabulous) shoes. And she does so in a way that keeps you as a reader engaged from start to finish.

It is easy to see how Wheeler achieved success in London and managed to maintain her career after her decision to walk away from the urban fashionista world and into the life of a country girl. Her writing is clear and concise yet descriptive, and crisp. The pacing is excellent – the story blends seamlessly from emotional highs to emotional lows (rather the way real life tends to) and Wheeler knows exactly when the reader needs a light-hearted moment or silly anecdote to keep the story from falling into self-pitying territory.

Rating: 5/5

A former corporate attorney and government relations/health policy executive, Jill-Elizabeth walked away from that world (well, skipped actually) and toward a more literary life (equally challenging, but infinitely more enjoyable). If you enjoyed this review, please visit her at Jill-Elizabeth.com, the official home of All Things Jill-Elizabeth – that is, all of the teehees, musings, rants, book reviews, writing exercises, and witticisms of her burgeoning writing career.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Sourcebooks. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs by Heather Lende

[ 10 ] August 16, 2011

Reviewed by Lauren Kirk

Heather Lende’s memoir, Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs, is full of heavy material and well thought-out wisdom. The book, however, never comes across as instructional or falsified, as Lende does an excellent job of bringing the reader right into her personal thoughts and daily life. Lende’s story is unique; she is a resident of the tiny town of Haines, Alaska and its’ strong community. She is active in her life and her surroundings; her conversations in the book with others and her powerful insights into life really reflect the size of her large heart and her even greater strength.

Lende was run over by a truck – driven by someone she knew – shortly before she was to embark on a book tour. The incident and ensuing recovery acted as both a huge challenge and inspiration to her. Instead of pitying herself or succumbing to her injuries, Lende fought on and tried passionately to have her former life restored. Her strength and her faith most likely made this possible. The focus of the memoir is not only on Lende, but also on her relationships with her family, friends, and neighbors. Her faith is also showcased since it helped her not only overcome obstacles but also enabled her to grow as a person.

The devoutness she showcases does not overshadow her story or her message. A non-religious reader should not find this book preachy or overbearing and may even find inspiration in the quotes she includes and her exclamations of faith throughout. Much of it can be interpreted at will; Lende is not pushing her beliefs on anyone.

Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs is an uplifting and excellent memoir told by a brilliant story teller, Lende, who will most likely remind you of the strongest woman in your life. The memoir is definitely told by an author who would listen to the world’s woes and the world would eagerly await her reply.

Rating: 5/5

Lauren Kirk is a graduate student, freelance writer, wine lover, and avid reader. Random musings can be found over at www.goldiesays.com.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by FSB Associates. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Beijing Welcomes You by Tom Scocca

[ 11 ] July 28, 2011

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

Tom Scocca, the author of Beijing Welcomes You, and his wife moved to China follower her job transfer and experienced living in Beijing first hand. Scocca’s descriptions of the city are accurate and intoxicating: he includes information on what the city is like, – ancient city sections juxtaposed with the new sections – the food, the traffic, the polluted air and the amazing mass of native people. He covers real life dilemmas with landlords, the cultural differences (such as the Chinese habit of openly spitting on the sidewalk) and how someone from the states can manage and acclimate to these differences.

Beijing Welcomes You is a real life glimpse into the world of an expat living in Beijing and the extent of a culture shock that awaits anyone moving to this part of the world.

I enjoyed Beijing Welcomes You very much, however, I was expecting a book that discussed the economic and social changes happening in China – and specifically in Beijing. Beijing Welcomes You did deliver some of this information, but all within the context of the changes that China made before the 2008 Olympics.

The information about what it is like to live in China was fascinating, but there were large sections devoted solely to descriptions of the Olympic Games. To me, Beijing Welcomes You would have been more interesting if the Olympics were more in the background, instead of the main focus,  but I enjoyed reading it either way. However, if the reader is not interested in a detailed behind the scenes look at the Olympics, they might be better of grabbing a travel diary of the area instead.

Rating: 4/5

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Riverhead. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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