Last week's discovery at the book-swap shelf at Pirkkala Main Library. Mysterious are the ways of books...

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A self-published travelogue of a 50-something American couple reinventing themselves over nine weeks in Europe.

It's always hilarious to read generalizations about "Europe", fleetingly seen through foreign eyes, that in 99 cases out of 100 do not apply in Finland or, in fact, most of Europe. I leafed through the book last night and again found quite a lot of this going on, but this time I feel it could be considered more of a genre of humor really; and I do enjoy the consistent, humorous ease with which Michael Barry writes. I've followed quite a few friends along their travels via blog entries and other forms of travelogue, and I realized I'm reading along now with similar sympathy.

Oh, and I love the many pictures. Albeit black-and-white and touristy, they still capture my imagination and add a genuine touch of a personal travelogue, to be shared with close friends.

Yes: so cultural shocks are inevitable, but somehow the author manages to spread out his frustrations in all innocence. Writing for an American audience, he hardly could've envisaged how enjoyable his rantings can be when ANOTHER layer of cultural differences is added! A Finnish reader will certainly experience something of a cultural shock in relation to an American's reactions to France. For sure: while reading, sometimes I was smiling wickedly, sometimes I was making faces, and sometimes I felt like I'd just been given a good trashing.

I'll be keeping the book in my permanent collection.

Book description:

“Vagabonds in France" is a lighthearted book about an unexpected travel adventure to France. Find out how life threw a lemon at us with losing our home, and our attempt to make lemonade. Putting all our furniture in storage, we left everything behind to experience an adventure of a lifetime. With no mortgage or rent to pay, we left with no return date or home to come back to. We traveled from Florida (Tampa and Key West), to Portugal (Funchal, Madeira), to Spain (Malaga, Cartagena, and Barcelona), to the Côte d'Azur in the south of France (Antibes, Nice, Eze, St. Paul de Vence), to Provence (Arles, Avignon), then a month in Paris. Come with my wife and me and see this country’s amazing beauty, along with all the humorous cultural differences and "what the hell" moments you'll get a kick out of. Climb mountains, descend into the Paris Metro, dodge pickpockets, endure nasty weather and illness, and witness the flood of the century with us. Experience some wonderful and not-so-wonderful people. Chuckle with me as we live among the French and try to learn their ways and language. Then make it back home to an empty home we found online. Readers say they feel like they are right there with us on the journey, and laugh out loud, especially from the "Bathroom Reports". This book, with its 75 photograph illustrations, is available now on Amazon in both paperback (black and white illustrations) and Kindle (color illustrations)!

Next stop: Komentoora. Happy reading!

Kirja palautui minulle.