Travels With Zenobia: Paris to Albania by Model t Ford

by Rose Wilder Lane, Helen Dore Boylston, William Holtz (Editor)

Journal by Rose Wilder Lane and Helen Dore Boylston

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, France, Biography

118 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1983

About the author

Rose Wilder Lane was an American writer, journalist, and political thinker whose work ranged from fiction to biography and social commentary, and who became an influential advocate of individual liberty in the twentieth century. Born to Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder, she grew up amid financial hardship and frequent moves before her family settled in Missouri, experiences that later informed both her own writing and her collaboration with her mother. As the only surviving child, she developed independence early, shaped by a frontier environment that demanded resilience, adaptability, and self-reliance in daily life and work. After completing her schooling, she worked as a telegrapher in several states, gaining practical skills and financial independence while educating herself through extensive reading and study. Her early marriage to Claire Gillette Lane was marked by instability and ended in divorce, a turning point that pushed her toward a more focused literary career and personal autonomy. She gained recognition as a journalist and editor in San Francisco, where her talent for storytelling and observation quickly brought her professional attention and opportunities. Transitioning to freelance writing, she published short stories and articles in major American magazines, building a reputation for clear, engaging prose and strong narrative voice across different genres and audiences. Her novels, including Let the Hurricane Roar and Free Land, explored pioneer life and drew heavily on her family’s experiences, blending historical detail with fictional storytelling in a compelling and accessible manner. Lane also played a significant role in shaping and editing her mother’s Little House series, helping transform early drafts into widely successful books that reached generations of readers worldwide. Alongside her literary career, she developed a strong interest in political philosophy, becoming associated with the libertarian movement and emphasizing individual freedom, limited government, and personal responsibility as core principles. Her book The Discovery of Freedom articulated many of these ideas and became a key text in libertarian thought and discourse. Lane traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, often working with humanitarian organizations and observing social and political conditions firsthand in diverse cultural contexts. She maintained a wide network of intellectual and literary contacts, engaging with prominent writers, thinkers, and public figures of her time in ongoing dialogue and exchange of ideas. Known for her independence and strong convictions, she often chose a simple, self-sufficient lifestyle despite periods of financial success and public recognition. In her later years, she continued writing, lecturing, and mentoring younger thinkers, remaining an active and sometimes controversial voice in debates about freedom, society, and the role of the individual in modern life.

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it is not great literature, it is an entertaining read! The trials of getting from France to Tirana, Albania in a day when travel by auto was not very normal was quite interesting. Three women traveling alone in France and Italy was an amazement to all the people in this country. In Albania, where to this day the lines of demarcation for men's work and women's work are clearly drawn, for them to drive was a social provocation. The writing is light and entertaining; laugh out loud funny at times. Having traveled in all of these countries and lived three years in Albania, I found many things amazing: the backwardness of villages in Italy, the recognizable attitudes, traditions, and customs of Albania, and even the assumption of greater civilization of those in France. As Rose does in this book, I wrung my hands at the loss of the picturesqueness of a country and a people by the incessent march of progress and Westernization of Albania. Would you enjoy it? Good question...probably if you are interesting in how people lived in the years between the wars in these three countries...for this is not history, but an eye-witness account of what it was like. Very enjoyable!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in bits and peices as I do with most books these days. This book is a compilation of writings by Rose Wilder Lane and her friend "Troub" otherwise known as Helen Dore Boylston (author of the Sue Barton Nurse series of books) as they journeyed across Europe to Albania in 1926. For anyone interested in travelouges from this period they would probably appreciate this book, it was never meant to be a book but instead writings to Rose's parents and friends about their misadventures on the trip. I definitely got a feel for how joyous and carefree the 20's were before the great crash of the stock market.

[Yorky Caz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been on my wishlist for years! A shorter read than I thought but excellently laid out. The beginning is the background of Rose and Helen, the end letting us know what happened and the middle just lovely honest writings about american women way ahead of their time driving accross europe in a new Model Ford. They caused excitement and confusion in tiny towns and had adventures galore. I loved picking out their off hand comments about thoughts on world events and leaders. I wish this was longer but loved every page.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can find a copy of this book, I highly recommend that you read it. Rose and a friend (a woman) purchase Model T in Paris in the 1920's and fearlessly travel south through Italy then took their car on a ferry to Durasi, Albania. Zenobia was their car. Rose made several trips to Albania during her lifetime, and adopted an Albanian boy. Albania was the last country in the Ottoman Empire to fall, and the last King of Albania proposed to Rose, but she turned him down. When I was in Albania, I visited the ruins of the home of the last King. Best of all, I have met the descendants of Rose's Albanian son. What a marvelous meet-up that was. Travels with Zenobia reveals much about Rose's life as a writer and her intrepid spirit of adventure. She must have inherited Pa Ingalls' spirt and fearlessness.

[Daven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up in a leave one-take one library. It was an interesting look into southern Europe circa 1920s, but pretty amateur in its writing.

[August · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at early automobile travel in Europe between the world wars. It was a quick, informative, and entertaining read.

[Stacy Allbritton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming set of epistles from Rose and Helen to Rose's parents - Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Rose is a witty writer, humorously describing her travels from Paris to Albania in a Model-T Ford in the 1920's. Having lived in Europe, too, I found myself laughing at their mishaps and adventures - not too much has changed in Europe during the 90 years since these letters were written. A must-read for fans of Laura and Rose.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this slim little book would fit in well with the other "post-little-house" diaries from the author's mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Like West from Home and On the Way Home, this is a travel journal written by Rose Wilder Lane and her companion "Troub" as they drove a model T Ford from Paris to Albania. My only disappointment is that the journal ends, abruptly, upon their arrival. However, it's a great look at automobile travel through France and Italy in the late 1920's.

[Katen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose Wilder Lane was a fascinating character and this is a wonderful account of her travels from Paris to Albania. She inherited her mother's (Laura Ingalls Wilder) eye for description and thoughtful commentary.