What do you think?
Rate this book
Without Reservations: The Travels Of An Independent Woman
American journalist Alice Steinbach took a year off to live in five cities - Paris, Venice, Milan, London and Oxford - when she realized she had entered a new phase of life. Her sons had graduated from college; she had been divorced for a long time; she was a successful journalist. While there was nothing really wrong with her life, she felt restless. Could she live independently of her family, her friends, her career?
Steinbach searches for the answer to this provocative question firstly in Paris, where she finds a soul mate in a Japanese man; in Milan, where she befriends a young woman about to marry, and in the evocative cities of Oxford and Venice. Her trip is peppered with accounts of the exotic strangers she meets, her reflections on life and the observational postcards she wrote to herself during her year away.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2000
587 people are currently reading
51552 people want to read
About the author
Alice Steinbach
6 books155 followersAlice Steinbach, whose work at the Baltimore Sun was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1985, has been a freelance writer since 1999. She was appointed the 1998-1999 McGraw Professor of Writing at Princeton University and is currently a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,050 reviews
February 26, 2013
I picked up this book because it was recommended on The Ultimate Reading List. The back cover called Steinback a "Pulitzer Prize-Winning" journalist, so I anticipated something special. Unfortunately, the author inspired the snarky in me right from the introduction. She said she decided to travel because she had dropped into "the habit of defining myself in terms of who I was to other people." Oh, so this was going to be one of those "find myself" books, was it? I'm rather suspicious of that kind of quest--I don't think we can plan self-discovery, and if and when we do it's often in challenging ourselves in some in some way--not by being tourists in comfy vacation spots in Paris, London and Milan. Travel books are interesting for two reasons. Either the traveler--and their voice, their writing--makes it interesting, or the destination does--because it's exotic to the reader or the traveler finds themselves in the midst of exciting, historic times. Neither is the case here. I found the writing, at best, undistinguished. One reviewer noted the overuse of the colon. I thought Steinbach overused the question mark--use of the rhetorical question abounded. I agreed with the reviewer who called Steinbach's metaphors and literary allusions forced. And I found the chirpy postcards she sent to herself heading the chapters--signed, "Love Alice,"--trite and cringe-worthy.
Worse, I found no particular insight into the places she went to. Except for her time in England, she didn't even know the languages, nor did she stay long enough to be more than a tourist. The one place she went to I had personally visited was England. But I didn't feel any pull or identification with her experience of London and other places I had visited. Maybe it's because she had visited before, but I didn't find reflected here all the little details that stood out and made England feel paradoxically at home and yet strange as an American. She might as well been describing my hometown of New York City. After putting down this book, I next read Conway's The Road from Coorain, the memoir of a woman who grew up on an Australian sheep farm and would go on to become the first woman president of Smith College. At one point she visited London and other parts of Europe with her mother--and here, in a memoir not focused on travel per se, in the one chapter about her visit to Europe, I found more keen observations and insights in each paragraph than I did in the whole of Steinbach's book.
Worse, I found no particular insight into the places she went to. Except for her time in England, she didn't even know the languages, nor did she stay long enough to be more than a tourist. The one place she went to I had personally visited was England. But I didn't feel any pull or identification with her experience of London and other places I had visited. Maybe it's because she had visited before, but I didn't find reflected here all the little details that stood out and made England feel paradoxically at home and yet strange as an American. She might as well been describing my hometown of New York City. After putting down this book, I next read Conway's The Road from Coorain, the memoir of a woman who grew up on an Australian sheep farm and would go on to become the first woman president of Smith College. At one point she visited London and other parts of Europe with her mother--and here, in a memoir not focused on travel per se, in the one chapter about her visit to Europe, I found more keen observations and insights in each paragraph than I did in the whole of Steinbach's book.
July 17, 2007
I loved this book! Reading it was like sitting at a table across from the author with a pot of tea between us. Parts of it brought tears to my eyes. This woman has a zest for life and an ability to make friends wherever she goes. I envy her! She falls in love in Paris, meets a bride-to-be in Milan, and learns ballroom dancing in Oxford. What an adventure! What a story!
June 20, 2013
Satisfied. That's how I felt after finishing Without Reservations: The Travels of An Independent Woman. by Alice Steinbach. This book has been on my travel book shelf for ages. Every time I thought I'd read it I'd pass it on by. Originally I thought I'd read it for the travel aspect. Now as I get ready to retire it seemed just the right time to read Steinbach's take on the journey of a lifetime; an exploration of self discovery.
Steinbach, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist considered herself an independent woman in some ways but not in others. I think this describes many women I know, both those working or not. She explains that she had gotten in the habit of defining herself by what and who she was to other people and began to wonder who she was removing this from her life. She decides to take a sabbatical from work and sets off to Paris, Oxford, Milan among other inviting locales in the world to see if she can discover who Alice is.
One thing I absolutely loved is that Steinbach begins each chapter with a postcard sent to Alice from Alice. I have always like doing this...send myself a postcard to remember a place I've been and record feelings it evoked.
I found myself nodding, smiling, laughing, and applauding Steinbach as I read through her thoughts and adventures on this journey. Many, many, sticky book darts graced the pages before I was done. There were so many passages that resonated with me. I just liked the way Steinbach expressed herself. I loved the way she opened herself to what may come, by taking the risk to leave the job and family and by allowing herself to embrace new things and to meet new people, make new friends, if not for a lifetime, for the moment.
A few quotes that stopped me in my tracks and made me think
"looking into the mirror that others hold up to me."
Worrying about children is high on the list, too. And it makes no difference, as I well knew, whether the children are three or thirty. A child is a child, is a child. At least in the the eyes of a parent."
Walking back to Radcliffe Square, I thought of something my mother used to read to me. It was a passage from a book by her favorite naturalist, Wendell Berry. In it he offers advice to those about to enter the wilderness "Always in the big woods when you have familiar ground and step off alone into a new place," he wrote, "there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and its is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into."
These and other passages throughout the book gave me pause to think at my own new journey and how it can be an adventure if I just allow new experiences to wash over me. Let fear go (not without practical caution of course), be spontaneous, impulsive, open minded and open hearted, see who the me is outside of my job, outside of what has defined me to this date. I'm excited and know I'll go back to "Without Reservations" for inspiration.
Steinbach, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist considered herself an independent woman in some ways but not in others. I think this describes many women I know, both those working or not. She explains that she had gotten in the habit of defining herself by what and who she was to other people and began to wonder who she was removing this from her life. She decides to take a sabbatical from work and sets off to Paris, Oxford, Milan among other inviting locales in the world to see if she can discover who Alice is.
One thing I absolutely loved is that Steinbach begins each chapter with a postcard sent to Alice from Alice. I have always like doing this...send myself a postcard to remember a place I've been and record feelings it evoked.
I found myself nodding, smiling, laughing, and applauding Steinbach as I read through her thoughts and adventures on this journey. Many, many, sticky book darts graced the pages before I was done. There were so many passages that resonated with me. I just liked the way Steinbach expressed herself. I loved the way she opened herself to what may come, by taking the risk to leave the job and family and by allowing herself to embrace new things and to meet new people, make new friends, if not for a lifetime, for the moment.
A few quotes that stopped me in my tracks and made me think
"looking into the mirror that others hold up to me."
Worrying about children is high on the list, too. And it makes no difference, as I well knew, whether the children are three or thirty. A child is a child, is a child. At least in the the eyes of a parent."
Walking back to Radcliffe Square, I thought of something my mother used to read to me. It was a passage from a book by her favorite naturalist, Wendell Berry. In it he offers advice to those about to enter the wilderness "Always in the big woods when you have familiar ground and step off alone into a new place," he wrote, "there will be, along with the feelings of curiosity and excitement, a little nagging of dread. It is the ancient fear of the Unknown, and its is your first bond with the wilderness you are going into."
These and other passages throughout the book gave me pause to think at my own new journey and how it can be an adventure if I just allow new experiences to wash over me. Let fear go (not without practical caution of course), be spontaneous, impulsive, open minded and open hearted, see who the me is outside of my job, outside of what has defined me to this date. I'm excited and know I'll go back to "Without Reservations" for inspiration.
October 3, 2014
I think I'm too cynical for books like this. I think I like the idea of them more than I like the reality. The basic premise - middle-aged divorced mother of two suffering from empty-nest-syndrome drops out of her life to travel around Europe alone and 'find herself' - is so overdone, so clichéd, that I almost found myself rolling my eyes on every page.
I found it an enjoyable enough read, don't get me wrong - it's always entertaining to see familiar places through others' eyes, and Steinbach is a lively, engaging writer - but I didn't find it inspiring or motivating, powerful or insightful. Taking six months' out to visit three countries, stay in fine hotels and eat out in restaurants and cafes for every meal is, to me at least, hardly bold or daring, hardly a radical change of life. It's basically the extended holiday we'd all love to take.
Her depictions of Paris, London, Oxford, Venice and Rome may seem exotic to those who have never visited them, but her stereotypical, idealised depictions bear little resemblance to the places I've visited. Every alley is a hidden gem of cobblestones and unique boutiques; all the women are chic and elegant, the men handsome and interesting; the food is always good, the wine excellent, the art and history inspiring, the company apparently immediately friendly and engaging. If only we could all move through life like this!
I feel churlish writing like this - Steinbach clearly found in her travels what she was looking for, and who am I to denigrate someone else's experience? But reading this book it all felt a little too good to be true, a little too air-brushed and white-washed to be credible.
I found it an enjoyable enough read, don't get me wrong - it's always entertaining to see familiar places through others' eyes, and Steinbach is a lively, engaging writer - but I didn't find it inspiring or motivating, powerful or insightful. Taking six months' out to visit three countries, stay in fine hotels and eat out in restaurants and cafes for every meal is, to me at least, hardly bold or daring, hardly a radical change of life. It's basically the extended holiday we'd all love to take.
Her depictions of Paris, London, Oxford, Venice and Rome may seem exotic to those who have never visited them, but her stereotypical, idealised depictions bear little resemblance to the places I've visited. Every alley is a hidden gem of cobblestones and unique boutiques; all the women are chic and elegant, the men handsome and interesting; the food is always good, the wine excellent, the art and history inspiring, the company apparently immediately friendly and engaging. If only we could all move through life like this!
I feel churlish writing like this - Steinbach clearly found in her travels what she was looking for, and who am I to denigrate someone else's experience? But reading this book it all felt a little too good to be true, a little too air-brushed and white-washed to be credible.
March 17, 2008
This was kind of like listening to a friend tell about her trip. You really want to hear about it, you really do, but then she just keeps going on and on about the little details that don't really matter to anyone but her. At one point, it sounded like bragging. I would have enjoyed more about the people and less about the little things she did, like shoe shopping. She didn't even bring back the relevance of buying the shoes. This was a book that I couldn't wait to end.
October 11, 2008
Now that summer is officially over, and I spend most of my waking hours sequestered in a classroom, I seek out travel books so that at least my mind can pretend it is somewhere else. Usually, I am attracted to exotic travel tales, so at first I was not that impressed that Alice Steinbach chose to spend her six months abroad in western Europe. I could not imagine what exciting adventures she could get into in England, France, and Italy, but as I read on Alice explained that the point of her trip was not to discover a crazy adventure but to rediscover the adventurer she used to be before life and responsibilities took over. As a divorced woman with two grown children, Alice decided that she had reached a point where she could go out and find the woman she used to be. Traveling along with Alice was like sitting down and taking some good life lessons from a wiser, older woman. I saw that in her fifties, she was dealing a lot with looking back at the past, at those who she had lost throughout her life, and reconciling those loved ones with the new people she was meeting in her travels. A bittersweet element came out. A big lesson that I try to learn is to say yes to more things than you say no to. Just the other day, as I was taking a walk around the corner from my parents house, I stopped in front of a large McMansion. Its garage was open, and a lady sitting on a lawn chair was barbequing something that smelled delicious. In all my years of growing up in Plainview, I had never seen someone bbq in front of their house. Practically no life happens out front. The food smelled so good, so even though I just had dinner, and I never do things like this, I called out, "It smells really good."
"What?" the lady called back.
"It smells really good," I called back.
"Come," she said waving the spatula. "Come get something to eat." It was with this last sentence that I heard her thick accent and felt things made more sense. I wondered what country she was from, where they make really good bbq and talk to their neighbors. Was I the first neighbor to ever greet her. It was possible in Plainview.
And then I said, "No. No thank you." and I continued walking around the block. The no was a reflex action based on too many demands too many times in too many days. I hated that reflex action. Like Alice, I want to say yes. I want to wander around again and hopefully next time join this woman for a bbq.
I like spending time with women older than me, who seemed to have their life figured out in one way or another. I spent some time with my grandma and her friends at an ORT dinner. They had nothing to prove. THey didn't even do the typical grandma game of one-upping the other == my grandchild is better than yours. Then, when Jenny read her speech on ORT, everyone was proud of her, The biggest question was over who prepared a dinner for their husband and who actually let their husband fend for themselves. Of course, Florida real estate, insurance and the cost of hurricanes came up, but even those who made mistakes, didn't spend too much time discussing it. They all seemed happy just to have a chance to spend time together with each other.
"What?" the lady called back.
"It smells really good," I called back.
"Come," she said waving the spatula. "Come get something to eat." It was with this last sentence that I heard her thick accent and felt things made more sense. I wondered what country she was from, where they make really good bbq and talk to their neighbors. Was I the first neighbor to ever greet her. It was possible in Plainview.
And then I said, "No. No thank you." and I continued walking around the block. The no was a reflex action based on too many demands too many times in too many days. I hated that reflex action. Like Alice, I want to say yes. I want to wander around again and hopefully next time join this woman for a bbq.
I like spending time with women older than me, who seemed to have their life figured out in one way or another. I spent some time with my grandma and her friends at an ORT dinner. They had nothing to prove. THey didn't even do the typical grandma game of one-upping the other == my grandchild is better than yours. Then, when Jenny read her speech on ORT, everyone was proud of her, The biggest question was over who prepared a dinner for their husband and who actually let their husband fend for themselves. Of course, Florida real estate, insurance and the cost of hurricanes came up, but even those who made mistakes, didn't spend too much time discussing it. They all seemed happy just to have a chance to spend time together with each other.
April 24, 2008
The topics of the book-traveling through parts of Europe, and becoming independent as a mature woman-were interesting to me, but I was disappointed in the structure and flow of writing in this book. The story was told in an uneven fashion, with lingering descriptions of seemingly minor incidents, and quick summations of major travel events. The writing often seemed disjointedl ike a list of events, or quick notes on a postcard (which is a device she uses to begin each chapter). Toward the end of the book, the form breaks down altogether, with asides and out of sequence events that seemed to have escaped her notice earlier, making it seem like she was rushinf for a deadline. It's similar in style to "Eat, Pray, Love", but not nearly as well-written.
August 8, 2018
In 1993 Steinbach, then in her fifties, took a sabbatical from her job as a Baltimore Sun journalist to travel for nine months straight in Paris, England and Italy. As a divorcee with two grown sons, she no longer felt shackled to her Maryland home and wanted to see if she could recover a more spontaneous and adventurous version of herself and not be defined exclusively by her career.
Her innate curiosity and experience as a reporter helped her to quickly form relationships with other English-speaking tourists, which was an essential for someone traveling alone. In Paris she fell in love with Naohiro, and in the months that followed she met up with him occasionally at various European locations. From France she continued to London and Oxford, where she completed a course on the history of the English village. Then on to Milan, Venice, Rome, Siena and Asolo; throughout the trip but especially in Italy, the words of Freya Stark (via The Journey’s Echo) were Steinbach’s inspiration.
I enjoyed spotting familiar sites I’ve visited in Paris, England and Tuscany, but I don’t think you need to know these countries or even have a particular interest in them to appreciate the book. Whether she’s attending a swanky party or nearly getting mugged, Steinbach is an entertaining and unpretentious tour guide. Her attitude is impressive, too: “I had surprised myself this year by jumping in to reshape my life before life stepped in to reshape it for me.” You might not be willing to give up your normal existence for nine months, but I suspect that this travel memoir might make you consider how you could be more daring in your daily life.
Her innate curiosity and experience as a reporter helped her to quickly form relationships with other English-speaking tourists, which was an essential for someone traveling alone. In Paris she fell in love with Naohiro, and in the months that followed she met up with him occasionally at various European locations. From France she continued to London and Oxford, where she completed a course on the history of the English village. Then on to Milan, Venice, Rome, Siena and Asolo; throughout the trip but especially in Italy, the words of Freya Stark (via The Journey’s Echo) were Steinbach’s inspiration.
I enjoyed spotting familiar sites I’ve visited in Paris, England and Tuscany, but I don’t think you need to know these countries or even have a particular interest in them to appreciate the book. Whether she’s attending a swanky party or nearly getting mugged, Steinbach is an entertaining and unpretentious tour guide. Her attitude is impressive, too: “I had surprised myself this year by jumping in to reshape my life before life stepped in to reshape it for me.” You might not be willing to give up your normal existence for nine months, but I suspect that this travel memoir might make you consider how you could be more daring in your daily life.
April 20, 2008
I wish I could give this something stronger than a "didn't like it." This book was terrible - the writing and the story are treacly and shallow.
April 10, 2012
The title is the first problem with this book. The author has reservations in almost all of her destinations. I imagined a book about a woman with a backpack and train pass with no specific timeline...wrong. The second problem is that she never pulls the reader in. Steinbach writes as though she were an observer in the experiences, not a participant. It left me feeling cold and lonely...It just wasn't good travel writing. What a disappointment.[return][return]It is possible my experience reading this book is too influenced by having just completed Eat, Pray, Love, which is beautifully written.
September 19, 2008
I LOVED the comments that Alice Steinbach made during her travels. So many astute observations that I found myself nodding in agreement with.
An excellent book to inspire the soul with. As I told the friend that I passed Without Reservations on to, this book retaught me that we are not defined by where we come from, what we do, or the roles we have come to fulfill: we simply are who we are. And that's just how it should be.
"Dangerous": Made me want to sit in a cafe and write in my journal all day long, and inspired me to go on solo adventures.
An excellent book to inspire the soul with. As I told the friend that I passed Without Reservations on to, this book retaught me that we are not defined by where we come from, what we do, or the roles we have come to fulfill: we simply are who we are. And that's just how it should be.
"Dangerous": Made me want to sit in a cafe and write in my journal all day long, and inspired me to go on solo adventures.
November 26, 2007
I'm giving up on this book - it just didn't keep me interested. It's hard for me not to just finish it as I hate leaving a book before the end, but I just can't do it.
July 26, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. It was a very easy read - she writes simply and the chapters are short. If you have ever traveled to Paris or Italy, you'll like her descriptions and how she connected differently to each city/area. Also, it is not just a travel book, but a book about self-discovery at an older age.
A nice bonus: the author offers a great idea for how to keep a diary/document your travels: she write & mails postcards home to herself. What a wonderful idea!
Hope some of you pick this up: very worthwhile.
Tricia
A nice bonus: the author offers a great idea for how to keep a diary/document your travels: she write & mails postcards home to herself. What a wonderful idea!
Hope some of you pick this up: very worthwhile.
Tricia
July 31, 2017
Steinbach refers to this story as her "year of living dangerously" but it's really just 6 months of vacationing in Europe.
November 30, 2010
"Dear Alice,
Each morning I am awakened by the sound of a tinkling bell. A cheerful sound, it reminds me of the bells that shopkeepers attach to their doors at Christmastime. In this case, the bell marks the opening of the hotel door. From my room, which is just off the winding staircase, I can hear it clearly. It reminds me of the bell that calls to worship the novice embarking on a new life. In a way I too am a novice, leaving, temporarily, one life for another.
Love, Alice"
At first I was a little leary of reading this travel memoir. I was afraid of my mental comparison to "Under the Tuscan Sun" (which I could not finish). I'm glad I did not pass up the opportunity to travel with Alice across Europe. Alice observes the countries in the way I would like to--to not get caught up in the "big" things we are all are supposed to see but to relish in the small and everyday beauties different countries/cultures have to offer us. In my younger years, whenever I traveled it became all about the perfect photo, or how much stuff I could cram in the day to make the most of my trip. As I've grown older, I've learned to lay off the camera a little more and just sit back and watch. Oh sure, if I only have a day I still might choose to pack a day with sights but I've decided to give myself permission to just "be" and watch others in the same state.
I love how the author will send herself postcards to remind herself of those tiny, expressive moments years later. This is something I shall have to do in the future. To see a post-card in your own hand, writing about a special moment should surely take you back to that moment.
Each morning I am awakened by the sound of a tinkling bell. A cheerful sound, it reminds me of the bells that shopkeepers attach to their doors at Christmastime. In this case, the bell marks the opening of the hotel door. From my room, which is just off the winding staircase, I can hear it clearly. It reminds me of the bell that calls to worship the novice embarking on a new life. In a way I too am a novice, leaving, temporarily, one life for another.
Love, Alice"
At first I was a little leary of reading this travel memoir. I was afraid of my mental comparison to "Under the Tuscan Sun" (which I could not finish). I'm glad I did not pass up the opportunity to travel with Alice across Europe. Alice observes the countries in the way I would like to--to not get caught up in the "big" things we are all are supposed to see but to relish in the small and everyday beauties different countries/cultures have to offer us. In my younger years, whenever I traveled it became all about the perfect photo, or how much stuff I could cram in the day to make the most of my trip. As I've grown older, I've learned to lay off the camera a little more and just sit back and watch. Oh sure, if I only have a day I still might choose to pack a day with sights but I've decided to give myself permission to just "be" and watch others in the same state.
I love how the author will send herself postcards to remind herself of those tiny, expressive moments years later. This is something I shall have to do in the future. To see a post-card in your own hand, writing about a special moment should surely take you back to that moment.
September 8, 2022
Американска журналистика описва пътешествията си в Париж, Лондон и Италия в края на 20- ти век. Написана е точно по този вдъхновящ начин, по който обичам да чета за тези места в Европа. Любопитен детайл е, че от всяко място авторката изпраща картички до себе си, които да й напомнят преживяното. В него има и любов с японец.
“Има ли място в Париж, което да е специално за Вас и бихте ли ми го препоръчали?
-Да – заяви той без колебание. – Сент Шапел. Трябва да отидете там, за да се изкъпете в светлината.”
„Снощи, на връщане от концерт в Сент Шапел, спрях на моста „Роял”, за да погледам луната на фона на облачното нощно небе. Погледът ми проследи светлините на туристическо корабче, което се носеше като светулка по водата. Тук, в Париж, нямам планове; мога да се възползвам от всяка възможност. Бях забравила колко е прекрасно да стоиш на мост и да долавяш уханието на дъжд във въздуха. Бях забравила колко искам да бъда част от водата, вятъра, небето.”
“Има ли място в Париж, което да е специално за Вас и бихте ли ми го препоръчали?
-Да – заяви той без колебание. – Сент Шапел. Трябва да отидете там, за да се изкъпете в светлината.”
„Снощи, на връщане от концерт в Сент Шапел, спрях на моста „Роял”, за да погледам луната на фона на облачното нощно небе. Погледът ми проследи светлините на туристическо корабче, което се носеше като светулка по водата. Тук, в Париж, нямам планове; мога да се възползвам от всяка възможност. Бях забравила колко е прекрасно да стоиш на мост и да долавяш уханието на дъжд във въздуха. Бях забравила колко искам да бъда част от водата, вятъра, небето.”
August 21, 2022
Meh. A previous reviewer captured it perfectly: It’s like listening to a friend talk about their travels but they go on and on and on and it never ends. It’s less about a woman traveling on her own and more about shoe shopping in Milan or eating pasta in Venice or attending lectures in London. And she always meets people to have dinner with or travel with. The author spent too much time on minute details and not enough time on the cities she visited. She also introduced characters/companions that then just disappeared. I was definitely glad when this book ended.
May 18, 2021
This is one of my all-time favourite comfort books, and an excellent travel memoir to read when thinking about all the places you want to go when lockdown lifts. Alice Steinbach beautifully captures not only the best parts of travelling, but the experience of seeing the world through the female literary voices of writers from Colette to Freya Stark. Reading this book feels like speaking to a kindred spirit.
September 5, 2008
This book seemed bland. I wondered how it got published, versus more deserving books, but I assume the author, a journalist, had a built-in audience. She tells some of WHAT happened, in summary (she gets ill and is helped by people, she has an affair) but she doesn't provide much detail of HOW it happened. The reader doesn't experience it.
September 19, 2013
This is the kind of memoir I hope I never write.
As cruel as that sounds, it's what was going through my head as I read Steinbach's tales of her so-called "Year of Living Dangerously." (Actually, she may have called it something else but I really don't want to re-read any of the book in order to find the correct wording.) Steinbach's telling of her "adventure" consisted almost entirely of pre-made plans that were completely safe and her being chatted up by entirely harmless and friendly people who somehow were all the same.
I consider myself a traveler. I think I have made a great effort in my life to not only see new places but to experience them as well. Because of this, I felt a sharp tang of disgust as a I read Steinbach's supposedly risky adventure. I'm going to go right ahead and sound pretentious and say there really wasn't much risk involved. This woman went to Paris, England, and Italy, staying in hotels and often participating in tour groups. To top it off she clearly had no financial concerns even with being away from work for an entire year.
Please note that, in direct contrast with the book title, she wholeheartedly made reservations for every stop on her trip. Yawn.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for traveling in ways that best suit you. My own "adventures" are in many ways not so different. But if you're going to write a memoir about, there needs to be some pizzazz. By the end of the book I could guess what was going to happen - somewhere in town someone was going to randomly speak to her, they would talk, get tea, connect, maybe hang out for a couple more days, and then the cycle would repeat in another location. Oops, maybe I should say spoiler alert.
Sorry, I didn't even realize how much this book bothered with me until I started writing this review. I should pull back a little because I don't think it's entirely useless. I think Steinbach had a great year of travel and I love that she did it. I just regret I had to read about it in the way I did. I think Steinbach has a good writing style (if quite clipped, likely from years in her profession as a journalist) and she did make some wonderful observations from time to time. Sometimes she really made me think and there is one particular chapter about rain in Rome that allowed me to connect with her.
But one chapter out of an entire book just isn't enough.
If you want a good travel memoir, bypass this book. On that note, in case you were wondering, bypass Eat, Pray, Love, too (I swear, they are almost the same thing). There are so many wonderful tales out there about women adventuring and traveling alone - like Somebody's Heart Is Burning: A Woman Wanderer in Africa or even, Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone.
Read all my reviews at: www.theroamingreader.wordpress.com
As cruel as that sounds, it's what was going through my head as I read Steinbach's tales of her so-called "Year of Living Dangerously." (Actually, she may have called it something else but I really don't want to re-read any of the book in order to find the correct wording.) Steinbach's telling of her "adventure" consisted almost entirely of pre-made plans that were completely safe and her being chatted up by entirely harmless and friendly people who somehow were all the same.
I consider myself a traveler. I think I have made a great effort in my life to not only see new places but to experience them as well. Because of this, I felt a sharp tang of disgust as a I read Steinbach's supposedly risky adventure. I'm going to go right ahead and sound pretentious and say there really wasn't much risk involved. This woman went to Paris, England, and Italy, staying in hotels and often participating in tour groups. To top it off she clearly had no financial concerns even with being away from work for an entire year.
Please note that, in direct contrast with the book title, she wholeheartedly made reservations for every stop on her trip. Yawn.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for traveling in ways that best suit you. My own "adventures" are in many ways not so different. But if you're going to write a memoir about, there needs to be some pizzazz. By the end of the book I could guess what was going to happen - somewhere in town someone was going to randomly speak to her, they would talk, get tea, connect, maybe hang out for a couple more days, and then the cycle would repeat in another location. Oops, maybe I should say spoiler alert.
Sorry, I didn't even realize how much this book bothered with me until I started writing this review. I should pull back a little because I don't think it's entirely useless. I think Steinbach had a great year of travel and I love that she did it. I just regret I had to read about it in the way I did. I think Steinbach has a good writing style (if quite clipped, likely from years in her profession as a journalist) and she did make some wonderful observations from time to time. Sometimes she really made me think and there is one particular chapter about rain in Rome that allowed me to connect with her.
But one chapter out of an entire book just isn't enough.
If you want a good travel memoir, bypass this book. On that note, in case you were wondering, bypass Eat, Pray, Love, too (I swear, they are almost the same thing). There are so many wonderful tales out there about women adventuring and traveling alone - like Somebody's Heart Is Burning: A Woman Wanderer in Africa or even, Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone.
Read all my reviews at: www.theroamingreader.wordpress.com
October 11, 2007
Go on a trip through Europe without leaving your home with famed journalist Steinbach in this wonderful travel memoir. Steinbach does a fabulous job of not only setting the visual scenes of each locale, but also adding her own personal sensibility to each page. She did all of the traveling she talks about in this book all on her own so the stories are, in addition to being about European ways and customs, about the life of the single wanderer. Since this book is more about the author and less about the details of the cities she visits, it’s not for someone looking for in-depth information on Europe. Others wanting a general view of experiences waiting for them abroad will be pleased, though.
October 4, 2020
Immensely satisfying. The author takes us on a journey into her interior and exterior adventures. To me, the book was much more about relationships, past and present, lifelong and transient. Her travels provided a beautiful backdrop to her self realizations. Witty and insightful. I loved it!
February 12, 2009
I read this because I enjoyed "Adventures of a curious woman" so much, and this one came first. You can tell how this one is the precursor -- the warm up journey, a bit more loose and rambling than the precisely scheduled "Adventures"...I had a strange reaction to this book, as the author is in her 50's and is just now taking the time to travel europe on her own, learn about herself outside the context of her fast-paced career (as a pulitzer prize winning journalist) -- as she talks about Paris, Italy, England, I was drawn back into my early 20's, wandering around europe much in the same manner (semi-aimlessly) feeling the pressure to find out more about myself before getting sucked into the false reality of "career world" (which can be kind of like DisneyWorld, a totally constructed facade linking who we are to what we do for a living in a way made to fit the expectations of other people and the universe at large, and can swallow people's soul's wholly into the fantasy of it or of what you think it should be...)
Anyhow, Alice and I were both having parallel experiences, wandering Europe within the same few years, her looking backwards and me looking forwards, and at right now in my 30's i pick up this book from the library and we meet in the middle.... Alice is also my kind of traveller, she is social and has no issues meeting fun people and getting involved with many interesting activities, yet enjoys the freedom and excitement of travelling solo. This book is as much about the inward journey of self-discovery and identity than it is about the outward travels, and it was defintely a pleasure to share Alice's experiences (see, I'm on a first name basis with her already!).
Anyhow, Alice and I were both having parallel experiences, wandering Europe within the same few years, her looking backwards and me looking forwards, and at right now in my 30's i pick up this book from the library and we meet in the middle.... Alice is also my kind of traveller, she is social and has no issues meeting fun people and getting involved with many interesting activities, yet enjoys the freedom and excitement of travelling solo. This book is as much about the inward journey of self-discovery and identity than it is about the outward travels, and it was defintely a pleasure to share Alice's experiences (see, I'm on a first name basis with her already!).
October 12, 2008
Upon turning the first pages of this book, I note the contents. I am planning a trip to Europe in the spring and I notice Steinbach's travels are Paris, London, Oxford, and Italy. I'm excited because these are the EXACT locations I plan to travel to. Paris (not all of France), London (not all of England) and Italy, just as she's named; the entire country. Hmmm....quite interesting; I'm was immediately intrigued.
This book did not disappoint. Alice takes a leave from work and her busy life to travel to Europe with the primary plan of not having a plan. She truly wanders the cities, meets new people, explores random places on a whim. She is successful in her goal to travel as a spontaneous person; so different from her normal self. A great inspiration to pause and appreciate all the little things ...with the backdrop of many gorgeous European cities. This is summarized by a quote from the book, "What adds up to a life is nothing more than the accumulation of small daily moments."
This book did not disappoint. Alice takes a leave from work and her busy life to travel to Europe with the primary plan of not having a plan. She truly wanders the cities, meets new people, explores random places on a whim. She is successful in her goal to travel as a spontaneous person; so different from her normal self. A great inspiration to pause and appreciate all the little things ...with the backdrop of many gorgeous European cities. This is summarized by a quote from the book, "What adds up to a life is nothing more than the accumulation of small daily moments."
December 3, 2019
What a wonderful book. I love the idea of just up and going to Europe for a year. I now have so many new places to see in Paris, England and Italy.
And a new philosophy - M=EA (Mishap = Excellent Adventure) - definitely the way I travel. If you love to travel and to read then this is the book for you. I got it from the library but will be adding it to my collection for future reference.
And a new philosophy - M=EA (Mishap = Excellent Adventure) - definitely the way I travel. If you love to travel and to read then this is the book for you. I got it from the library but will be adding it to my collection for future reference.
August 9, 2022
I loved this book. A combo of introspection and travel adventure, I found it very interesting and entertaining.
February 20, 2025
I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. It was available at my local library and looked like a easy relaxing read.
What I was surprised to find, was that Steinbach’s introspection throughout her travels were often smart and deeply nostalgic—the kind of wisdom that perhaps can only be thoroughly appreciated after age and experience has settled deep in your bones.
Her reflections of motherhood long past are full of depth—she writes about the measurement of time for a young mother is quantified by her children’s milestones and schedules and speaks of the strange transition for a woman when her children have grown and gone, when she must find new ways to meaningfully measure time. She also writes about the process a mother inevitably goes through in letting her children go. When they need you less, that time when they grow up and go, yet your desire for closeness remains. She describes her feelings of being ambushed by her love for her now grown sons in such a tender way, like grasping at a shadow. A notion that is hard to imagine in the throes of young motherhood, yet is around the corner waiting to reveal itself with a certain suddenness. Yet she comes to the realization that her feelings of emptiness frees up more space to love the grown men they have become.
I very much enjoyed how much her solo travels allowed her at every turn to form temporary bonds with strangers, momentary friends that, due to its fleeting nature, often resulted in candid conversations and unguarded moments not usually shared among regular friends. Through her telling she underscores the richness added to the sometimes intimidating act of traveling alone. (Plus a frightful experience on the hazards of doing so.)
It wasn’t necessarily where she travelled that I enjoyed, as much as I savored a few of her revelations and reflections along the way—One particularly smart assessment she made was that the older immigrant feels something the young do not. And when she briefly explains it through her grandmother’s experience, you realize its so profoundly true you feel grateful she helped reveal a kind of truth you may not have fully grasped.
It’s not the perfect travel book, but it seems to be perfectly honest.
And above all...M=EA
What I was surprised to find, was that Steinbach’s introspection throughout her travels were often smart and deeply nostalgic—the kind of wisdom that perhaps can only be thoroughly appreciated after age and experience has settled deep in your bones.
Her reflections of motherhood long past are full of depth—she writes about the measurement of time for a young mother is quantified by her children’s milestones and schedules and speaks of the strange transition for a woman when her children have grown and gone, when she must find new ways to meaningfully measure time. She also writes about the process a mother inevitably goes through in letting her children go. When they need you less, that time when they grow up and go, yet your desire for closeness remains. She describes her feelings of being ambushed by her love for her now grown sons in such a tender way, like grasping at a shadow. A notion that is hard to imagine in the throes of young motherhood, yet is around the corner waiting to reveal itself with a certain suddenness. Yet she comes to the realization that her feelings of emptiness frees up more space to love the grown men they have become.
I very much enjoyed how much her solo travels allowed her at every turn to form temporary bonds with strangers, momentary friends that, due to its fleeting nature, often resulted in candid conversations and unguarded moments not usually shared among regular friends. Through her telling she underscores the richness added to the sometimes intimidating act of traveling alone. (Plus a frightful experience on the hazards of doing so.)
It wasn’t necessarily where she travelled that I enjoyed, as much as I savored a few of her revelations and reflections along the way—One particularly smart assessment she made was that the older immigrant feels something the young do not. And when she briefly explains it through her grandmother’s experience, you realize its so profoundly true you feel grateful she helped reveal a kind of truth you may not have fully grasped.
It’s not the perfect travel book, but it seems to be perfectly honest.
And above all...M=EA
April 13, 2016
Meh. Couldn't finish this book.
When I initially heard about this book, I immediately added it to my "to-read" list. I loved the idea of a woman traveling through Europe. I have fond memories of my European travels, especially my semester abroad at Oxford.
Unfortunately by page 35, I was sarcastic, snarky and hostile to the author. I did not connect with her at all and developed a strong distaste for her. By page 42, when she mentions going "head to head" with William F Buckley Jr (I love him!) - I knew that she was not my kind of person.
As a working single mother, when her adult sons finally leave the house, she takes a year off to travel and rediscover herself. A year?! She seems like one of those rich, clueless women who are dumb as a doorknob but wants to share her wisdom with the unenlightened masses. Despite that fact that she is older and should be more mature, the book has a "Eat, Love, Pray" vibe. The author seems flaky, pretentious, unrooted, transient, fruity and overly dramatic. She tries too hard to be poetic and whimsical in her writing. There isn't enough actual action and narrative to follow the story. There is a lot of pointless emotion-based prattle. Journeys of "self-discovery" are seldom interesting to anyone other than the "self" involved.
There is a subtle feminist, anti-male tone to the writing. Beautiful women are pitied for "not being able to be themselves" around men due to a desire to please men. But of course this doesn't stop the author - an older women - from taking an exotic lover herself while in Paris or referencing casual sex she has had in the past. Ughhh.
I didn't connect with the author or her experience. For example, in Paris everyone seems to talk to her immediately in English. Perhaps she is staying at expensive places that cater to Americans. But in my half a dozen times visiting Paris, locals always start with French then *perhaps* switch to English upon request.
Did I mention that this travel journal comes complete with a READERS GUIDE at the end. How pretentious and self-important can you get?
I definitely have reservations about this book.
When I initially heard about this book, I immediately added it to my "to-read" list. I loved the idea of a woman traveling through Europe. I have fond memories of my European travels, especially my semester abroad at Oxford.
Unfortunately by page 35, I was sarcastic, snarky and hostile to the author. I did not connect with her at all and developed a strong distaste for her. By page 42, when she mentions going "head to head" with William F Buckley Jr (I love him!) - I knew that she was not my kind of person.
As a working single mother, when her adult sons finally leave the house, she takes a year off to travel and rediscover herself. A year?! She seems like one of those rich, clueless women who are dumb as a doorknob but wants to share her wisdom with the unenlightened masses. Despite that fact that she is older and should be more mature, the book has a "Eat, Love, Pray" vibe. The author seems flaky, pretentious, unrooted, transient, fruity and overly dramatic. She tries too hard to be poetic and whimsical in her writing. There isn't enough actual action and narrative to follow the story. There is a lot of pointless emotion-based prattle. Journeys of "self-discovery" are seldom interesting to anyone other than the "self" involved.
There is a subtle feminist, anti-male tone to the writing. Beautiful women are pitied for "not being able to be themselves" around men due to a desire to please men. But of course this doesn't stop the author - an older women - from taking an exotic lover herself while in Paris or referencing casual sex she has had in the past. Ughhh.
I didn't connect with the author or her experience. For example, in Paris everyone seems to talk to her immediately in English. Perhaps she is staying at expensive places that cater to Americans. But in my half a dozen times visiting Paris, locals always start with French then *perhaps* switch to English upon request.
Did I mention that this travel journal comes complete with a READERS GUIDE at the end. How pretentious and self-important can you get?
I definitely have reservations about this book.
March 4, 2011
This one all but leapt into my arms as I walked through the 900 section of the library on a gloomy February day. "You need me!" it said. Did I ever.
I had really enjoyed Ms. Steinbach's "Educating Alice" a few years ago, and this was equally delightful--an account of her year away from her Baltimore journalist job spent in Paris, London, Oxford, and Italy. I've long thought Ms. Steinbach and I would get along famously. We travel much the same way: architectural marvels and museums, yes, but also wandering the streets where the locals live, exploring bookstores, galleries and old cemeteries, and people watching (and occasionally eavesdropping) in cafes. And I too would have jumped at the chance to visit an exhibition of WWII-era love letters at the Imperial War Museum. Her writing is gorgeous, but accessible, and I love how she can find the beauty and soul in the most ordinary things:
"As I stood beneath a street light studying the map, a woman turned the corner and headed for one of the houses. She unlocked the door; a circle of light spilled out. I could see through the door the warm glow of lamps and pictures lining the pale yellow walls. An orange-and-white cat, back arched, tail plumed up into the air, suddently appeared to greet her, rubbing up against her legs. The woman bent to stroke the top of his head; the cat leaned in to her caress. "Did you miss me?" I heard her ask in a voice flushed with affection."
In just a few pages I left a particularly bitter New England winter and a patch of major depression behind for a walk in the sunny streets of Paris. Some books find us at just the right time. That's certainly true of this one.
I had really enjoyed Ms. Steinbach's "Educating Alice" a few years ago, and this was equally delightful--an account of her year away from her Baltimore journalist job spent in Paris, London, Oxford, and Italy. I've long thought Ms. Steinbach and I would get along famously. We travel much the same way: architectural marvels and museums, yes, but also wandering the streets where the locals live, exploring bookstores, galleries and old cemeteries, and people watching (and occasionally eavesdropping) in cafes. And I too would have jumped at the chance to visit an exhibition of WWII-era love letters at the Imperial War Museum. Her writing is gorgeous, but accessible, and I love how she can find the beauty and soul in the most ordinary things:
"As I stood beneath a street light studying the map, a woman turned the corner and headed for one of the houses. She unlocked the door; a circle of light spilled out. I could see through the door the warm glow of lamps and pictures lining the pale yellow walls. An orange-and-white cat, back arched, tail plumed up into the air, suddently appeared to greet her, rubbing up against her legs. The woman bent to stroke the top of his head; the cat leaned in to her caress. "Did you miss me?" I heard her ask in a voice flushed with affection."
In just a few pages I left a particularly bitter New England winter and a patch of major depression behind for a walk in the sunny streets of Paris. Some books find us at just the right time. That's certainly true of this one.
January 2, 2011
Well, here we go with more travel writing. This was one of those books that inspired me with the old idea of picking up my life and completely changing everything by going to some exotic place and starting over. Alice Steinbach is a Pulitzer winning journalist who picked up her life for a year and went to Europe to reconnect with herself. She started out in Paris, went to London, Oxford, and Italy, and her self discovery observations had me dog-earring every other page so I could add them to my quote book. She is insightful and it was really interesting to read what it's like to travel alone. I am terrified to go places alone because my introverted self gets nervous about meeting new people, but Alice's stories of the people she meets along the way are inspiring. She seems to be a friendly sort of woman with a good healthy sense of adventure, but she does discuss a couple of times where she felt like she was in danger, which is always a possibility for a woman who travels alone in a foreign country. I was sad when the book was over, felt like I was saying goodbye to a wonderful traveling companion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,050 reviews