Vodka and Apple Juice

by Jay Martin

When Jay’s husband lands a diplomatic job in Warsaw, she jumps at the opportunity to escape her predictable life in Canberra for a three-year adventure in the heart of central Europe.

Jay shelves her corporate wardrobe and throws herself into life as a diplomatic wife. Between glamorous cocktail parties and ambassadorial shenanigans, Jay sets out to get to know quirky, difficult, fascinating Poland, with its impenetrable language and sometimes unfathomable customs.

It’s a challenge even for an intrepid traveller with a willing heart. Not to mention a marriage that increasingly doesn’t look as if it will survive its third Polish winter.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Travel, Poland, Biography, Biography Memoir, Polish Literature

312 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2018

About the author

Jay Martin lives in Fremantle, Australia. She has also lived in Poland, Canada, the UK, Vietnam, Japan and India, as well as Melbourne and Canberra.

Her first book, Vodka and Apple Juice: Travels of an Undiplomatic Wife in Poland, was published by Fremantle Press in 2018, winning the TAG Hungerford Award. Boom Town Snap (Fremantle Press 2025) is her first novel and second book.

Reviews

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I enjoyed this travel memoir from Australian Jay Martin documenting her three year stay in Poland. Her husband Tom, who was Australian’s diplomat in Warsaw was supremely busy why Martin struggled with her years “not working”, traveling, learning Polish, and keeping their marriage together. Martin has a good sense of humor and this was a quick read. Recommended for travel and language lovers; Polish and Australians and diplomats.

Pub date Sept 1.

[Nez · Rating 1 out of 5]

She gave her dog away because she planned to live overseas for 3 years.
Straight away not my kind of person.

[Wiola Myszkowska Re:telling]

As a reporter my job is to go, understand people I've met (try at least) and pass it further. Very often I deal with foreigners (therefore I know the feeling when You know that You don't know anything).
I couldn't wait to read similar book about my country and, well, myself. I couldn't wait for her to discover that beautiful absurdity of Poland which I really love (because in country like that there is always something to write about).
For the first part I was a bit disappointed that Mrs. Martin :) speaks very little with Poles (are we really that closed? Or used to be back then?) just scratching the surface. But then, the other part of book gave me what I wanted: things about my country that were new to me: "narodowość" matter, being mean and kind at the same time, our fighter attitude, high position of "babcia" in hierarchy and how everything here has history and deep roots that we cherish so much. Or maybe it wasn't new at all to me but seeing it through eyes of Anglo-Saxon :) was new.
Plus, a human story about lost expat's wife.

P.S. Bardzo the Cat! <3

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Vodka and Apple Juice: Travels of an Undiplomatic Wife in Poland” by Jay Martin won the 2018 City of Fremantle T.A.G. Hungerford Award for Best First Manuscript, deservedly. This engaging memoir recounts three years in the life of a “trailing spouse” who leaves the corporate Canberra world for a challenging stint as a diplomat’s wife in Europe. Written with great grace, candor and good humor. 5/5

Pub Date 01 Sep 2018

Thanks to Fremantle Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#VodkaAndAppleJuice #NetGalley

[Andressa Franca · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an expat myself, I find Jay's difficulties to learn polish particularly relatable. Even though I've been exposed to my target language since I was a child, there are many singularities that are comprehensible only if you've been surrounded by a language (and/or a culture) in every possible opportunity since ever.

Her insecurities are the same as for everyone who has tried or is still trying to learn another language:

"Then we'd moved to Poland, and so much of my ability to communicate had been ripped away. I communicated for purpose in Poland. I could ask questions and understand answers. Give directions, understand the "babcias" that yelled at me. Follow the arguments of people on the street, even tell a story or two. But I couldn't be witty, or insightful, or articulate, or succinct or any of the other things I could be in my own language. I had no sense of humour. I had no personality when I spoke Polish. More and more, I silented. And every time I did, it sliced away a little of my dignity."

There is also her experience as a wife of a diplomat. She's away from her family, and friends, everything she used to know, everything she used to be. That is a big challenge too. That's the biggest challenge of all:

"Where to start.
'This language is really hard! I'm doing my best but I don't know much about German history or World War Two or what an Abwehr is, although I do know some other stuff and in another country people sometimes think I'm actually quite intelligent. And not even a year ago I had an important, well-paid job and now I don't even know how to do the shopping. And I didn't realise how stupid that would make me feel. And I didn't understand how it would be to feel so stupid all the time'.
That's what I wanted to say. But constrained by vocabulary, grammar, confidence, and the exhaustion at having to try so hard at everything, every day, I couldn't. 'Nie wiem,' I mumbled. I don't know."

I had to add these quotes to this review, as the author is always so honest, and truthful. I believe that there are some books for some people, and this might have been the one that I needed to read right now. I'm an expat, I'm a wife, I'm almost 5000 miles away from home. I don't have a cat, but a dog, and many of the things that Jay questions herself about over the book, well, I've asked them myself too every single day. After all:

'It's hard sometimes. Being a guest in someone's house, isn't it?'
I received a copy in return for my honest review.

[kashbot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this and didn’t have an issue with some of things that bothered other reviewers. As an Aussie-raised Pole who recently moved to Warsaw, this book was always going to appeal to me. I actually have passages highlighted because they struck such a chord with me, and some of her observations made me cry.

I love the humour in this book, and observations of Polish people. I personally got a lot out of the recounts of her relationship issues, because for me this wasn’t a fluffy travel book; it’s much more than that. I love that it does many things and covers the expat (and diplomat) experience in all its complex highs and lows.

If I have any criticism it’s with the revolving door of characters. I know each of these was an amalgam of multiple real people, and that expat life involves a steady stream of people coming and going, but I nevertheless struggled to remember who was who and only the most consistent personalities stuck in my mind.

I think if you’re interested in expat life, the diplomat experience, or Poland in general, this is a worthwhile read. I found myself sad to let the story go.

[Chitra Ahanthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a galley from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Jay Martin’s Vodka and Apple Juice is more than just the author’s account as a diplomat’s non working wife in the Australian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland over a period of three years. While she recounts for us what it means to work in diplomatic circles: the punishing hours, the endless protocol and security snares juxtaposed with social events; there are the perks of getting travel opportunities but bringing with it, the after effects on her marriage brought on by hectic hours of work and the stress that comes with it.

The first chapters come across as light reading as Jay Martin takes us through her running commentary of adjusting to life in Poland and trying to make sense of all things Polish. But this light tone soon changes to one of genuine puzzlement as she tries to comprehend the language and the people that she encounters in her daily life even as she is facing the challenge of trying to fit in to the life of household chores but found wanting by her husband.

Trying to fit in and adapt to a new life in a new culture, Jay Martin takes readers on a whirlwind of social gatherings where she is trying to forge the barest minimum of friendships. This part of the book is the most interesting for we get to know more of the landscape of Poland through Martin’s travels and her interactions in a reading group that gives us a brief introduction to Polish literature and writing as also Polish films.

Filled with amusing insights and anecdotes, Vodka and Apple Juice is an engaging read with its heart in the right place. I loved this book for it is definitely more than a memoir but a slice of the author’s life and the lessons she discovers while complaining, learning, assimilating and finally, understanding a new culture. I will recommend this book for people who love reading about different cultures and who are looking at travelling to Poland anytime soon or in the future.

[Sydney]

Disclaimer: I messed up when I started this book. I didn't read the description carefully and didn't realize it was a memoir for about half of it (OOPS). That obviously changed my opinion of the book, since a memoir has its own kind of style and storytelling.

I found a lot of Martin's anecdotes about expat life amusing and relatable, especially in the beginning when she was still learning about the country and trying to figure things out. I lived in Italy for 4 months, so while definitely a different experience than her 3 years abroad, the early days of adjusting to life in a new country were a similar experience. As an American, it was interesting to read about the European expat experience coming from a different country (Australia). I knew very little about Poland besides WWII history in school and absolutely zero about Polish-Australian relations going into this book.

While that was neat, the book did drag at times. Some of the sections ended pretty abruptly. She'd start a new story way too close to the end of the chapter and then--oh! It's a new season and it doesn't continue much from the previous page. So that aspect of it was kind of distracting, hence the "average"/3 stars.

Disclaimer 2: I received a free digital copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Karo · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Pole, it's always interesting to read about Poland through the eyes of a Westerner. I greatly enjoyed reading the author's reflections on being a diplomat and the Polish psyche; however, I found the portion of the book dealing with her relationship with her husband to be the weakest by far. The marital discord portions of the book were not interwoven into the whole particularly well, and I felt that storyline would have been better served by a separate book.

[Liralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing look at the diplomatic life from a position note quite in the trenches: When Martin's husband decided to switch tacks and become a diplomat, she went along for the ride—to Poland, as it turned out. But because diplomacy is no longer (officially) a job requiring both the diplomat and his (or her, but usually his) spouse, and in a pre-plague world remote work wasn't on the table, this also meant Martin setting her work life aside. And that meant figuring out what to do with herself in Poland.

I admit: I was put on guard early on. It was this:

It was the first experience of apartment living for either Tom or I—but with two bedrooms, a single open-plan dining room and kitchen, and small separate study, I thought we could make it work.

‘It’s lovely, although a bit small—just one hundred square metres,’ I said.

Svetlana and Jutta burst out laughing. ‘My apartment is forty square metres,’ Jutta said.

‘Mine’s thirty-five,’ Svetlana said.

What did a thirty-five square metre apartment even look like? (15)

My own flat is, incidentally, forty square metres, and frankly, I struggled to imagine how someone who was dismayed by the thought of having 'only' two and a half times this space would manage to come back to a more relatable place. (Not that it's a bad thing to have more space, obviously; I just wonder how you can relate to the average resident if even living in an apartment rather than a house feels like a brave step into the unknown.)

But Martin surprised me, both by putting in extensive effort to learn and explore and by her willingness to reevaluate her own preconceptions. It must be a strange life, diplomacy. Stranger for trailing spouses. Take this:

Tom had written to Canberra to request extra resources. Canberra refused, citing Tom’s non-working spouse, and so now I was part of the [unpaid] team. (61)

At no point was Martin a paid part of the diplomatic corp (note that some, but not all, countries pay diplomatic spouses, but I can't work out whether or not Australia does and in any case the payment typically amounts to a paltry stipend), but she was expected to, you know, play the supportive wife as needed. Run errands. Speak Polish as required, once her Polish—which she learned on her own time and at her own cost—was up to the task. Smile and look interested and not be offended when she was written off as wife:

I didn’t have to come to any of these events. Most spouses didn’t, and I could understand why. I was used to briefing ministers and heads of government departments on media strategies or complex social issues. But I’d had no training in making chitchat with them over canapés—or how to respond to the bored look they’d give me when I revealed I was just a wife. Spouses were invited to the events, but not into the conversations. (43)

And perhaps I was off base to think that a diplomat should be able to relate to the locals they're living with, because certainly many of the diplomats—and diplomats' spouses—Martin got to know could not. It was not, for many of them, their job: not their job to learn Polish, not their job to travel beyond Warsaw and Kraków, not their job to make an effort to get outside the gilded zone. Rather, it was their job to rub elbows with other diplomats, to make connections, to go to dinner parties and art openings. To set the groundwork for favours being asked and answered. Sometimes that life sounds terribly sad to me:

‘And where is that painting from?’ Harry pointed to one bayside beach scene that took up almost a whole wall.

‘Oh, it’s all from Artbank,’ the Ambassador said. The name of the service senior public officials could avail themselves of to decorate their offices and homes elicited another laughing nod between Harry and the Ambassador. (132)

Not that everyone has to be deeply invested in décor (certainly I am not), but golly, I think I'd feel like I was living in a hotel if I was just borrowing art from a central collection—arbitrary art with no story. And yet, at times, we see the people who seem to get it:

Alex put a canapé in his mouth and chewed. ‘You know that last ambassador [of the US], the one with the baby elephants [on his tie]?’ he said, ‘He also had a map of Poland on the wall of his office. And he put a pin in every place he went to. And by the end of it, you almost couldn’t see anything of the map for all the pins. And the “serious” people at the embassy would grumble about what a waste of time and money it was when they were off doing “real” diplomatic work. But over the years, they realised that people in the remotest corners of Poland were positively disposed towards America, because an ambassador had bothered to go there and shake their hands, and no one had ever done that before.’ (262)

Martin managed to cover an impressive span of the country (and a few others besides—although I must note that while I cannot speak for her Polish, the little German included in the book when she travels to Germany is appalling; as an example, she uses a zo as an interjection multiple times, and I can only assume that ach so is intended) and pick up all sorts of information in her time in Poland. Far and away my favourite story is that of the Eighth Polish (and Sixth International) Hand Scything of Boggy Meadows for Nature Championship. Yes, really. It says something that this exists, but it also says something about those who choose to attend as spectators.

‘I suppose I can tell you something now,’ Julie said, looking at me.

So this is the part where she confessed she hadn’t really wanted to come, I thought.

‘I thought we would be doing the scything.’

‘You thought we’d be doing the scything? And you came anyway?’ I was pretty sure then that our potential friendship was more than just a case of common geographic origins. ‘So that’s why you brought the gumboots?’ (164)

Truly, how great is that?

[Vicki Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admired Jay’s resolve to immerse herself into the language and to learn and experience as much as she could about the people, history and the country that is Poland

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A copy of this book was given to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Vodka and Apple Juice is the fun, fascinating memoir by Jay Martin, who lived in Poland for three years on a diplomatic posting from her native Australia. Now, I’ve never been particularly interested in Poland, per se, but having been an expat for a (very small) amount of time, I do have a thirst for expat memoirs, and this one really hit the spot.

Martin’s voice is friendly and easy, and the book itself, though Martin does explore some of the downsides of living away from one’s home country and having a high-pressure job – or a spouse with a high-pressure job – overall the book is very enthusiastic about Poland and the expat experience. Martin’s enjoyment in exploring her new country is palpable, making for a rollicking adventure of a read. I loved the small bits about finding familiar objects, working out how to function on a day-to-day basis and so on. The author’s exploration of the history of the area piqued my curiosity as well, but mostly, I became very nostalgic for that sense of adventure that one feels when navigating a foreign country, culture, and language.

While Poland was never really on my radar, Vodka and Apple Juice truly brings the country to life. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader interested in travel stories or travel memoirs – or diplomatic memoirs, specifically.

[Ilana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It happened often lately to have on my reading list memoirs written by wives of diplomats, sharing their impressions, frustrations and challenges of their life abroad. Trying - often unsuccessfully - to cope with the liguistic barriers, the sadness of being taken away from their jobs and former social and family responsibilities, with their marriage in a limbo. Maybe it should be created soon a new literary category of 'diplomatic wives memoirs'. At least, they lived to tell the story and almost created a special genre.

Jay Martin's memories of her 3 years accompanying her husband during his diplomatic assignment in Poland on behalf of the Austrialian embassy doesn't differ too much of previous works I've read. Wives able to write a memoir - and even knowing the local language - are obviously a step and a half further than the frustrated housewives spending their time calling their friends and relatives at 'home' and hardly going out of the appartment and appearing at embassy events only to complain about their precarious expat life. But besides the literay add on, the experiences as such are overwhelmingly boring. We all take decisions in life, some bad some good, and we need to get the best of it. More than one episode about the diplomat of husband coming back home early in the morning after spending the night who known where doesn't make it as a story for me, unless there is really something interesting that happened during this time. Or the wife reacted somehow, or whatever can be relevant to a story you share with the world...

But besides adopting a worn out perspective on diplomatic encounters and daily life - 'Poland is cool. It's just that my life here sometimes seems like an endless round of cocktail events with complaining expat wives...' - Jay Martin really used her experience to get the best of it. She went all over the country, revealing travel destinations unfortunately mostly unknown outside the country, learned a language known for her relatively high level of complexity and explored Europe and even the badly famed Kaliningrad. Those part of the book are the best and I really enjoyed in their fullest, before another couple of pages of complaining and experiences of couple alienation.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, if you are interested in European and particularly Polish history and if you are a diplomatic consort that would love one day to write a better memoir.

I personally liked the cover - joyful and appealing to someone curious about Poland and with a call for wanderlust.

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid 5 star read! Not in the sense of a generational lifetime classic, but certainly in the sense of a very well-written book about a situation most do not experience and how this author gets through it and comes out the other side. As someone who has considered moving to another country, albeit not in the diplomatic corps, I found Martin's tale to be entertaining, enlightening, and at times frightening and frustrating. Highly recommended. My thanks to the publisher and to #NetGalley for an advance copy. Greatly appreciated and enjoyed!

[Angela C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Jay Martin documents her three years in Poland as an ambassodor’s Wife in this extremely detailed memoir. I definitely felt for her as she struggled to learn the language, familiarize herself with the city, and learn the customs of a new country. In addition to all of that, she had to attend formal events and support her husband, the Australian ambassador to Poland, in whatever ways that were required. She did all this after giving up her career, family, friends and dog in Australia.

This memoir felt a little too detailed at times, I couldn’t really tell what the point was, other than just a diary of her time in Poland. I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in European history or polish history more specifically.

*thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this memoir. I have never been to Poland and the author's experiences were really interesting. I also was interested in her transition from having a successful career to being the supportive non-working spouse. Not sure how I would do in that role and her experience was very thought provoking.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a lot! In fact, it was the best travel books I've read in a long time. When I read a travel book, I want something intelligent, interesting, a little adventurous, thoughtful but not too critical or controversial. This book hit the mark.

The book gave a realistic tour around the former Eastern Bloc country of Poland, along with side trips to Prague, London, and Kaliningrad. The author painted nice pictures of the charm of Poland, but she also offered a fair portrait of the Polish people and their culture. She detailed her challenges of settling into a totally new city and culture without sounding whiny. She overcame her challenges over the course of the book and ended up speaking Polish like a native. I admire that.

Underlying her descriptions of her travels through Poland were the tensions and struggles of being both a diplomat's spouse and a non-working spouse. These elements of the book provided tension without drowning the book in too much drama and were well handled. I appreciated that the author finally realized that overall, she led quite a nice life during her time in Poland.

Highly recommended! I've read a lot of travel books set in Eastern Europe, and this was one of the best.

[Aggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written memoir. Being born in Poland it was very nice to read about my home country. Entertaining and lightly humorous, it was hard to put down.
Moving to Poland for 3 years from Australia, this memoir shows all the struggles and victories of a wife of a diplomat.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an memoir by the wife of an Australian diplomat living as an expat in Warsaw, Poland. Determined to make the best of her three years abroad, Jay Martin tries to learn Polish (and becomes surprisingly fluent), and tries to make the most of her stay in this very foreign country. She makes friends with some unlikely other expat wives and learns how to make a very satisfying life for herself and her husband. When her marriage seems to be falling apart, she manages to bring it back from the brink of disaster, and both she and her husband return to Australia knowing themselves and each other better than when they left, having, overall, had a grand adventure.

Ms. Martin is a gifted writer and made her experiences both relatable and real. This was a wonderful read.

[Tiffany Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vodka and Apple Juice by Jay Martin is her memoir of her three years she lived in Poland because her husband an Australian Diplomat was sent to live there. This book was an interesting look at a country that isn't usually touched upon in travel memoirs. I enjoyed this fact. I loved learning about life in Poland and reading how they felt in this country as well as their struggle to learn the Polish language. If you want a travel memoir about a country many overlook this is it. I loved reading about their lives in Poland.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

[D Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poland is a country I have never visited but, having a number of Polish friends, and having partaken of the odd Vodka and Apple Juice or two, I was keen to read this.
Martin's style of writing is not one that encourages thigh-slapping merriment but it is an engaging and honest account of her life in Poland and .the characters she meets. My one regret from my reading is that I am now totally convinced I will never be able to learn the language but, adversely, I am more than ever determined to make a trip there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Fremantle Press for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the dark moments when the marriage is under grave strain, this is a hugely enjoyable memoir of embassy life and an illuminating insight into Polish culture.

Recommended for expats, tourists and anyone who enjoys a good chuckle.

PS This MS was the first creative non-fiction manuscript to win the TAG Hungerford Award.

To see my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/06/29/v...

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of this book. Travel diary of an ‘undiplomatic’ diplomat’s wife’s three-year stint in Poland. Written by a local and published by a local publishing house. Great. Don’t know much about modern Poland. Want to support a local writer and publisher. Let’s make it our next book club book.

It improved somewhat at Page 200. It was a snore before then.

Were there any redeeming features?

Yes, occasionally I learnt something interesting. Like Poland rebuilt the buildings destroyed in the second world war so it looked like nothing happened. Berlin didn’t. Didn’t know that.

For me the problem with this book was that the author, I think in an attempt to bring drama to the story, overplayed the swings and roundabouts of everyday life in an unknown culture without actually imparting anything interesting. There would, I imagine, be so many things about diplomatic life that we don’t know and yet she glossed over anything really interesting and talked a lot about the things that are not, or that are the same for all of us no matter where we live.

I suspect many readers will love it for this reason. I felt it was a missed opportunity to lift the lid on diplomatic life more fully.

And I didn't like that the drama hinged on the marriage. It all felt a little forced.

Other thoughts:

I suspect Jay Martin is actually a very funny lady and has some funny stories to tell. They just didn’t translate to the page in this forum.

I like the way Jay travels. I think she sounds fun.

The book would’ve been a great blog, facebook page or Instagram post. Maybe even a podcast. Just not a book.

I suspect the stuff Jay says on book tour would be funnier than the actual book.

Which goes to show that picking the right channel for your work is important.

There is simply no actual story. Or there's a very thin one. In Stephen Kings EXCELLENT “On Writing” (which I will bored all and sundry with for ever and ever amen) he reminds us that writing is all about THE STORY. Here there was no story. Just a collection of experiences with no point.

Needs a good re-write and a strong edit.

It’s a no from me and that breaks my parochial West Australian heart. Technically I should give it a 2 star rating ("It was ok") however I feel real Goodreads convention demands a 3 star rating ("I liked it"). I reserve the 1 and 2 star ratings for true horrors like Jose Saramago's 'Blindness'.

Jay gets an additional star because I suspect she's a lovely person.

And one last thing: did I miss the Apple Juice reference somewhere in the book?

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jay Martin’s husband accepts a diplomatic post in Poland so she leaves career to share the experience with him, of living in a country vastly different to Australia.
Her memoir Vodka & Apple Juice catalogues their journeys to many countries bordering Poland, as well as her involvement assisting Tom with his job at the embassy. From glamorous cocktail parties and dining with presidents, to snowy sleigh rides and drinking vodka in smoky bars, Jay is thrown into all that embassy life has to offer. She sets herself a goal of learning the Polish language and starts simply ordering coffee etc until eventually she is able to hold a conversation and confident to explore the country on her own, as well as venturing in Eastern Europe. At times Martin struggled with living in Poland as she felt she was living “multiple lives”, doing the mundane living things about the home, or staying in five star hotels while on embassy work but she was also living as a foreigner, trying to identify food items in the supermarket while “finding my way around on buses and dealing with obstructive post office officials.” Interesting to note she felt her husband Tom wasn’t having the same “disjointed experience” as he was in the embassy all day and often into the evening. But her writing for the Warsaw Insider and volunteering at the museum as well as the addition of a cat called “Very’ gave her more satisfaction about her Polish experience.
An engaging read, with touches of humour which help to lighten the enormous challenges the couple find themselves having to deal with, in a very different culture to what they are used to. It will be enjoyed by anyone who travels, especially to a country where English is not the spoken language. Martin’s inclusion of historical facts also add a depth to the book without making it a heavy read, as the author’s wit is evident in every chapter. I loved the book, its name is captivating, and the cover splendid, inviting the reader to turn the pages to read of the “Travels of an Undiplomatic Wife in Poland.”
Jay Martin grew up in Melbourne and lived in a number of countries overseas before settling in Canberra where she worked as a policy analyst and married her husband Tom. On their return from Poland the couple settled in Fremantle Western Australia, with the cat called Very.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thoughtful and humorous memoir about an Australian couple who move to Warsaw, Poland is a quick and interesting read. Disclaimer: I'm probably biased as I know the author personally. However, I found it a well-written and entertaining account of Australian ex-pats adjusting to life in Poland, and adjusting to diplomatic circles for the first time. Besides giving a lot of insight into Poland, the Polish people, and the history of that area of Europe, it also deals with the struggles of being isolated in a strange country, trying to learn a new language, and being away from the familiarity of a home country where you know how everything works without having to think about it. It's also an interesting insight into the diplomatic world, which may sound glamorous from the outside but which is clearly very hard work, lots of frustration, and extremely difficult for both the diplomats and their spouses - and we meet several other spouses dealing with this struggle with varying degrees of grace.

Having moved to a new country several times myself, including one where I didn't speak the language and had a very steep learning curve to acquire it, I was very sympathetic to all the difficulties Jay experienced and how overwhelming it can feel. Overall an interesting read and probably of particular interest to Australians and Poles, anyone thinking of moving to Poland, and anyone who has or will try living in a different country learning another language.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jay tends to complain a lot (such as about the lack of vegetarian food options in Poland, and her marriage troubles). But because she’s Australian, it’s interesting to read about her challenges of learning Polish, traveling to a foreign land, and balancing work life with a social life.

“‘Once you’re an adult, let’s face it, eighty percent of your life is pretty boring,’ I said. ‘Washing dishes, making dinner, and watching terrible if somewhat addictive reality TV. And maybe twenty percent is fun and exciting. Going out with friends, having a nice meal, going on holiday down the coast. And maybe one percent is something really new. Starting a new job, going overseas. Except now it seems like that one percent is the eighty percent. Everything’s new and different and exciting. All the time” (57).

“I’d thought Poland was going to be something we were doing together. It was starting to feel like our Polands were, well, poles apart” (100).

“He may have been paid to deal with international conflicts. But his training didn’t extend to the domestic sphere” (194).

“Time was like money: you were always just a little short of it, no matter how much you had” (182).

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jay's husband, Tom, works in the diplomatic corp in Australia. He accepts a 3 year assignment to the Australian embassy in Poland. Jay goes with him. This is the story of their time but mostly her time and how she fills it. Tom is kept busy all hours of the day and night with various duties so Jay decides to immerse herself in her new home. She joins a book club, travels throughout Poland and learns the language.

During their 3 years there are a lot personal changes and challenges for both Jay and Tom. Told from Jay's point of view this is a very interesting look at the life a wife who decides not to merely follow her husband but to have a life of her own while supporting him and his work.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jay’s husband, Tom, decided to quit his career in IT and become a diplomat. Jay opens the story with organising to move their lives to Warsaw, Poland, for 3 years for Tom to be a diplomat. Jay is not going to work for 3 years and instead be a stay at home wife and travel. This story is a summary of their 3 years in Warsaw and how they overcame the language and cultural barriers.

I don’t know much about Poland and this book does not make me want to go live there but I love hearing about unique ways of living.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is what I would expect from a diplomats wife who moves abroad to live with thin. While relatable for me in some manners, since I have lived abroad, this book misses the mark for regular people. Jay’s biggest struggles are learning the language and finding friends during her daily volunteering and sightseeing.

I think everyone should travel abroad often and for as long as possible, and I appreciate her efforts to immerse herself in local culture, this book missed the mark a bit for me.

[Zoe Deleuil · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Australian diplomat's wife, Jay Martin has a unique insight into Poland when she goes to live in Warsaw for three years. However she doesn't just live in an expat bubble, she learns the language, travels all over the country, makes new friends and works as a freelance writer.

She also writes with great honesty about the impact that living in a new culture and, in her partner's case, managing a hugely demanding job, has on their marriage.

This is a lively trip to Poland in the company of a warm, funny and adventurous writer.