It was the late night Tai Bo fitness commercial warning him that life comes to an end after 40 that prompted Peter Moore to chase a boyhood dream. To go to Italy and seek out its celebrated dolce vita from the back of a Vespa. But it couldn't be just any old Vespa. Peter wanted a bike as old as he was and in the same sort of condition: a little rough round the edges, a bit slow in the mornings perhaps, but basically still OK. And it had to have saddle seats. And temperamental electrics. And a little too much chrome. The sort of scooter you'd imagine a sharp-suited, Ray Ban-wearing young Marcello Mastroianni riding. Her name was Sophia. From picnicking in the Italian alps and rattling through cobbled hilltop to gate-crashing Frances Mayes's villa and re-enacting 'Roman Holiday', Vroom with a View is as much a romance as a travel adventure. For not only does Peter win the woman of his dreams, he falls for a side of Italy others rarely see. Along with Sophia, of course...


Peter Moore

Edit July 12th 2005:
I really liked this book, travelling in Italy on an ancient Vespa seems like a lot of fun!

I will make this an international bookring.
You must be willing to ship internationally to join, economy/surface mail ok. Last date to join Wednesday 20th July.
Please PM me if you want to join!

Ring rules:

1. Please journal the book to say you have received it.
2. PM the next person on the list for their address.
3. Read the book within one month (or PM me if you need longer)
4. Post to next person on list.

Any problems, please PM me.


Participants:
1. juliebarreto-USA
2. cougmax-USA
3. wyldewomin-USA
4. s3rendipity-Greece
5. em64-Finland
6. Myntti-Finland
7. Piiku-Finland
8. YuCCa3-Finland
9. Back to me, Sobergirl-Finland

This just arrived in the mail today from Turku, Finland! Mahalo plenty.

7/31/5 - Just finished this early this morning; I'm leaving on a little holiday of my own and wanted to send this off before I go. His trip sounds like a lot of fun - but with slightly more breakdowns than I'd want to deal with. Actually "break-downs" sounds a little harsh. The way he deals with it, they are opportunities and merely slight mechanical adjustments. Whatever. There's something so bald and out-there about Australians. They boldly go, knowing they will never be cool, yet with good humor and self-deprecation. This guy's got a good schtick going - plan great trips and write about them. He's definitely got a big breast complex, though. Oh well, I suppose he's just more honest than most.

Thanks for a great opportunity for a vicarious Italian holiday. It was nice to read one of these of recent vintage; the cultural allusions and prices are right-on. (But, really....texting?)

I'll media mail this off to Washington state tomorrow. Coincidentally, I'll be visiting there next week myself!

Aloha!

arrived safely! will read and get it back on the road!

juliebarreto- Hope you had a nice visit in Seattle! The weather held out nicely until today...
Well, the book was wonderful, I loved it! My favorite part was the Kinder candy search each day. I badly now want a baby green vespa, yet I am not sure I have ever even seen one!
I was a little bit sad he shipped the vespa back to Australia, I think he should have sold it to another weary soul and handed off the #'s to all the great mechanics he had met along the way.
I too thought the texting was a bit silly. I get cramped up and irritated from texting my husband to "Call Me Now!". But maybe thats marriage and not the texting, lol!
I am glad he told the truth about Tuscany, like everyone else I have wanted to pilgrimage there after Frances Mayes and her experience, but I feared it was not half as wonderful as she made it out to be.
I would love to know if the happy vespa couple are still texting and vespaing now...
off to wyldewomin

sent to wyldewomin

TBR

RELEASE NOTES:

What a fantastic book! This book combined 3 of my favourite things - Vespas, Italy and, of course, Kinder Surprise Eggs! Peter Moore combines all three in a lovingly written tale of travelling through Italy on a 1961 Vespa. As it has always been my dream to return to Italy and spend a few months wandering at a more leisurely pace than the crazed marathon I took in my Senior year of high school, reading this book was like reading my dearest dream. I also understand the disappointment of the puzzle in the KinderEgg :-). I still don't understand why we can't get them in the US though.

Thank you for sharing. I may have to buy my own copy.
Sending to serendipity-gp as next person on list asked to be skipped.

This is just a quick update. Unfortunately, the book seems to have taken its own little side trip. I'd mailed it back in October but ser had given me the wrong house number. Instead of walking 100 meters down the road (from 29 to 37), the postman put a HUGE sticker on it that the address was wrong and they sent it all the way back here. How dumb is that? So I had to package it and mail it all over again - fortunately deadendmind talked to ser and sent the correct address.
I'd started looking off and on for a replacement for about the last 2 weeks with no luck.

VERY FRUSTRATING!!

I just received a PM from s3rendipity, the book is with him but he has problems making a journal entry, the page doesn't work or something. However, he's read the book and is going to mail it to the next participant asap.

One more update from s3rendipity in Greece:
He mailed the book to em64 in Finland but the book was returned, don't know why.
I have now given him my address and have asked him to mail the book to me and I will then mail it on to em64 so the ring can continue.

On the bright side:
Lots of travelling for a travel book :)

Yet another update from s3rendipity:
The book has been returned to him again by the postal service!
He's mailing it today again, this time air mail, maybe it will arrive in Finland finally????!!!
Let's keep our fingers crossed!

The book finally arrived - it has had quite a few adventures along the way :-) Will start reading it this weekend.

What a lovely travel book! The biggest problem with travel books is that makes you want to travel to those places yourself. I really liked Peter Moore's style to write, even if he had negative experiences he still managed to tell about them in a positive way. I'll need to check if my library has any of his other books. Thanks for sharing, sobergirl.

Most probably the book will continue its journey to myntti in our next meetup in June.

I got the book from em64 today when we met at the balletone class. Thanks!

The book was a bit of light, fun reading. Thank you for the bookring, Sobergirl.
I mailed the book to Piiku today.

As I suspected, this book arrived while I was away. There's another bookring with more participants after me, so I think I have to read that one first. Shouldn't take too long, sorry anyway for "stalling" this ring for a while.

I'm one of the few people who never have dreamed about traveling in Italy (although I do travel, and dream of lots of other places). Neither have I driven any kind of motor vehicle with two wheels - and never imagined myself doing it either. Somehow this book made both Italy and Vespas very interesting and desirable for me... weird!

You could really see, scent and taste Italy reading this book. What a fantastic read!

I have PM'd YuCCa3 for address.

More about Peter Moore and his books

Sending to YuCCa3 today.

I've got the book a couple of days ago, thanks for sobergirl and piiku.

I've spent the last school year in Italy, so it will be quite interesting and fun to read this book, or at least I hope so... ;) Besides, I've always wanted a Vespa!!! :D

I try to read this book as soon as possible. Check out for journal entry updates... ;)

UPDATE 6th October 2006

So, now I've read the book and I must say I liked it a lot. I really like Tuscany (been there twice) and I think riding there on a Vespa is just the right way to explore it. Vespa is just so beatiful motor scooter and I want to have one too! *When I am rich...* ;) I also think that author's Italian friends are quite like my image of an ideal Italian, and all the stereotypes of Italians and their way of life mentioned in the book... :) Furthermore I liked author's sarcasm and humor. And the love story was great to read about too. All in all, I must say that I would like to travel in Tuscany the same way the author did!

This book will travel back home soon... :) But not on Vespa! :D

PS. A little particular from the book: it was nice to read about Fiesole (near to Florence), because my Italian study book talks about it, too! But the theme is quite different. The name of the chapter is "Morte a Fiesole" = "Murder in Fiesole"! :D

UPDATE 7th November 2006

I finally posted the book back to Sobergirl. I'm sorry that it's so late, but it's almost like in Italy, isn't it? ;)

The book is now back home!
Thank you everyone for participating in the bookring!

Got this book from Sobergirl in Turku today. Thank you so much! I started reading when heading back to Helsinki and two hours went fast with this book.

I read rest of the book in Christmas when I wanted something lighter. The book was easy going and enjoyable read. First it sounded only just a mad challenge to travel through Italy with Sophia but the more I read the more obvious it was that he is really going to do it. I loved the mixture of travel, silly situations, Italian culture spiced with love.

Thanks again Sobergirl for this book. I'll find a way to pass this on again.

Sending to debnance as part of the "Travel Narratives" bookrelay.

I love travel books. It's cool to see how many people have read and liked this book already. I can't wait to start it!

I couldn't get into this book. Heaven help me if I'm drifting out of my obsession with travel books; travel books are almost all I've read in the last year and a half. Let's hope it's just a temporary malady.

Thank you for sharing the book with me, nevertheless. I will try to find another, more kindly reader.

RELEASE NOTES:

Off Monday in Marsha'w Anything Goes Bookbox.