Escape from the Ordinary

by Julie Bradley

MP3 CD Format When you arrive at foreign shores by sailboat, it's not such a small world after all.

Come along with Glen and Julie as they sail around the world and discover that reality is even bigger than the escape they imagined.

This breathtakingly personal true story will thrill those wanting to sail off into the sunset or enjoy the wonders of the world from the comfort of home. Escape from the Ordinary reminds you of the unlimited possibilities in life and nudges the reader into thoughts of their own dreams. Not a technical book about sailing or storm tactics but vividly described, full-tilt adventures on foreign shores.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, Adventure, Biography, Biography Memoir, Outdoors

326 pages, Paperback

Published December 14, 2018

Reviews

[Carrie L. Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a real page turner for adventure seekers or arm chair travelers!

I like Julie's writing style. Her truly honest portrayal of her feelings and thoughts make it real! I have read many sailing adventure stories but I like this one the best so far and can't wait to read the sequel.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For someone who has never sailed, I tend to read a lot of sailing around the world books... This one was better than the last one I read (which had kids in it, so maybe that's why) but it was a tad slow to start.

However, once the initial wordiness was done (I don't particularly care what type of motor the boat has) this went at a good clip. Visiting different islands, explaining some of the history, the culture, a notable feature was really well done.

Just from the description I realized that Angel Falls in Venezuela, sounded a lot like, Paradise Falls in the Disney movie UP - and - that's what it is based on! Kinda blew my mind and I loved learning all the cool tidbits of information Bradley put in.

Nearing the end, I was getting a bit antsy as I wasn't sure they'd make it all the way around, and now I see why as there is a second book. I do think that the stopping point in Fiji was emotional and really well written. Hearing over a radio broadcast from half way round the world of 9/11 would have been quite a shellshock. So looking forward to picking the story back up for the next leg of the journey.

[Deborah L. Foltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book

I have googled every location that the Bradley’s visited. It was cool to have a visual while reading their adventures. What a brave way to check off your bucket list. Travel the world by sail boat. Fantastic book, highly recommended you read it. Learn a little geography & history along the way.

[Sophie Hogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and inspiring tale about sailing around the world post-retirement. Julie Bradley has a casual but well-spoken manner and it doesn't feel amateurish or too dense. It does feel like some details have been skipped or abridged, especially the land-based travels.
I will be keen to read the next book in this series as they continue from New Zealand out toward Europe.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. More of a travel diary than a sailing book. As a travel writer the author is quite misinformed, full of prejudices and stereotypes.

[Caroline Finlayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting adventure story

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd actually give it 3.25-3.5 stars if I could. It was an interesting book & the author writes well. She's also charmingly frank & she went up in my estimation by admitting her mistakes. (Although side note: Her husband free diving alone isn't a good idea. I'm a scuba diver & I have lots of freediver folks in my life...shallow water blackout is a big concern.)

However, her glimpses of detail made me want more of them & I docked her a star going from 4 stars to 3 because of that. Maybe someone who hasn't traveled to some of these exotic places would be happy with the high-level sketches she included, but I wanted to see more details, descriptions, & feeling.

For example: She talks about swimming with mantas & being afraid of them before noting they are gentle. But I didn't feel like I was with her swimming in the ocean with the mantas (& I've been diving with mantas so I should have easily felt that swim). She also talks about spending time cooking on the boat & occasionally notes something specific, but again I didn't get the full picture. I know random things like she made a pressure-cooked coconut cake once, got a barrel of olives, often went fishing off the boat while sailing, & that they run out of fresh stuff early on after provisioning. But I'm not clear what they normally ate, how she usually cooked, what was involved, etc. Did she usually use her pressure cooker or the stove? (I didn't even know she had a pressure cooker till she mentioned the pressure-cooked cake.) What did they usually eat? Was it always fish? Did she often make things like dried beans, spaghetti, or canned veggies? She talks about catching fish, but some of those fish she mentioned can be huge. How did they deal with all that fish at once? Did she have a freezer? I have no picture in my mind of how all of this worked & it's things like that which add to the story. As another example, there's a couple of paragraphs about being sick of canned fruits & veggies, & loving the fresh stuff on Martinique...but it's a very dry couple of sentences. If she had detailed having to eat canned green beans, canned peaches, canned tomatoes, canned corn, etc. For every single meal & made me feel how boring all of that is for days & weeks on end, then I would have felt her joy at fresh produce.

This book is likely geared for someone who hasn't travelled that much. If you fall into this category & want an "escape from the ordinary", I think you'll love this book. If you do a lot of travel, then like me, you may find yourself wanting more.

Side note: The cover photo is pretty, but the author should hire a designer so it doesn't look like a self published book. For just twenty-five-100 dollars, anyone can get a professional yet inexpensive cover via a site like Fiverr.

[Michael Mendes · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a lifelong sailor, this missed some of the sailing details I enjoy. I understand she was focused on the travels and not the sailing minutiae, which can be irrelevant to non-sailors, so fair enough. But at least a mention of the Amel model and some basic description would not have put off the non-sailors?

The travel logging is interesting and they visited some risky places, well described and shared. My one other confusion was regarding the time setting. "Weather fax" would imply an older story, but the publication was 2018. The last chapter is about 9/11, making the time frame some time ago. And I have to agree with the other reviewer who was confused by the abrupt end. It didn't feel like a good "wrap" for where they were in the adventure. Maybe to leave us wanting more? I will read the next one to see what happens, so 3 1/2 stars is probably fairer.

[Valerie Campbell Ackroyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book!

Julie Bradley writes honestly and beautifully about her and her husband Glen’s two year adventure sailing from France to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and thence to Polynesia, New Zealand, ending with Fiji and the experience of hearing about 9/11 whilst in Fiji. She has written a sequel which I will definitely be buying.

I enjoyed her descriptions of the islands they visited, no sugar coating but honest reflection of what they found fascinating and what they found terrifying. The book inspired me to look up some of the lesser known islands and yes indeed they were beautiful! Still, I wouldn’t want to go on an adventure like that but I surely enjoyed reading about it!!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good book. In a review of one of Hal Roth’s sailing excursions, someone recommended Julie Bradley’s books and I am glad I followed up. I am just beginning the sequel to Escape From the Ordinary and it proves to be every bit as fascinating. For those of us who believe to be land-locked, living vicariously through Julie Bradley’s adventures, make insomnia a welcome treat.

[Jill Kwiatkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape from Reality

I enjoyed reading Julie's book. She has a good sense of writing that helps the reader visualize the people and places she and Glen encountered on their journey. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of their story.

[Jen Hollifield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

Rating would be higher except that the book abruptly ends in mid story. I honestly thought it was a mistake and tried to figure out if there were more pages or a part 2.

[Phillip E Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very descriptive and super enjoyable

I really enjoyed this book. The awesome adventures come to life through some talented descriptive wrigting. I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever thought of not only sailing around the world, but traveling in general. Loved it.

[John Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing real life adventure story

I have read a number of circumnavigation stories these past two years but this was my favorite so far. A great read that kept me up at nights, determined to get just one more chapter before sleep.

[Joelene Swearingen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this travel adventure. The author did a great job combining her personal recollections, some history and culture of the areas visited and using the timeline so it was not strictly chronological but linked to events. She kept me interested and cheering for her the entire time.

[Andrea Clenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I truly enjoyed this book. I felt like I was on this fabulous adventure with them. I highly recommend it.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are snippets of good sailing stories, but overall it reads like a personal diary without an overarching theme or lens.

[Jody Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely - felt I was there with them sailing around the world. I plan to read it again.

[Masie_D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok

Hooked me in with the beginning
Lagged throughout between fearful moments
Good character dev of Glen
Terrible ending - just wrong !

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting this book...the author retired at 40. While I wish I were mature enough to read and respect their life position without judgment and jealousy. I am not. I decided to move past that and it wasn't mentioned much in the rest of the book so it was easy to forget. I can't tell if the book was written for boating people or for non-boating people. You'd think she'd write it for boating people since they'd be the most likely to read it. What makes me think she didn't is that she didn't describe her boat AT ALL. It's an Amel called Super Maramu. She didn't tell me the length, how many cabins, how many heads, NOTHING. I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR BOAT. I also wanted to know what year it was. The boating technology advancements with the internet are so immense. It's different reading a book when you know what sort of equipment they're using for navigation and weather. I understood that they didn't have advanced apps when they spoke about getting weather faxes, but I still wanted to know exact years. At the end of the book she spoke about 9/11 so that finally gave me an idea of when this occurred.

I enjoyed the writing style of the book. It was incredibly detailed but you got a sense of their adventure. There was a lot to go through so even though they may have spent a few months in an area, there might have only been a blurb about it. I'm fine with that style. I don't need intense detail. I just want to know what you did so this book worked pretty well for me.

I have read a few books and watched a few youtube series about sailing. I love how the places they visit intertwine and I just learn more about everyone's different experiences. One of my youtube series family's, Zatara, just spent quarantine during COVID at Musket Cove in Fiji. Musket Cove is the last marina that Julie and Glen are in in this book when all the cruisers gather to mourn 9/11.

I love sailing books and stories.

[Giovanna Pizzoferrato · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incredibly stressful and cringey. A disaster diary.

I did not like the way the author blamed other people while flailing about, acting very entitled, while making incredibly poor decisions right at the beginning of the book. But I hoped that she would grow some self-awareness though her travels, and that would be rewarding, and so I stuck with it… all the way to the weird and unnecessary/confusing ending.

I’m a novice sailor, so I thought I could still learn something from it - and I did learn some, especially what NOT to do, which is why I gave it 2 stars - but she doesn’t go into detail about the craft of sailing, or their boat specifically, or the love/joy of sailing.

What about the boat’s design made it the best and kept them safe through all those storms?

She barely talked about the boat because she was too busy ogling about the various island natives and their “odd customs”. More than a few white savior complex moments in the global south. Cringe.

The author has a couple “quasi-spiritual” moments, that are described like spark notes and conveyed, like most of the book, in a robotic manner, like a list being checked off.

I agree with other reviews that it reads like a travel-log. The author and her husband make the same kinds of life-risking mistakes over and over again. I hoped I would grow to like them by the end because of this cool thing they are doing…. but ultimately I think the author is just obsessed with avoiding storms (understandably!) so the title is way off and the book was frustrating. The one emotion she seems to be truly tapped into and able to convey compellingly is fear. (I do not recommend listening while driving in the rain).

I hoped this book would inspire me to continue sailing and it did the opposite. To be fair, they survived a lot of adventures, and she’s a retired baby boomer former military officer (or commander, or whatever) and she’s not an artist or a writer, so the resulting book is what it is.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

After retiring from their military jobs, Julie Bradley and her husband bought the finest sailboat they could afford, sold all their possessions that wouldn’t fit on their boat, and planned to spend the next years fulltime sailing around the world.

They were seasoned sailors along the US coasts, but had no ocean experience. They took off from France and immediately landed in a hurricane. While their sailing experience saw them through, it definitely wasn’t the beginning they had envisioned for their adventure.

This is the first half of their trip chronicling some two and a half years: from France, across the Atlantic, up the Eastern coast of the US and then south again to explore a wide variety of Mediterranean Islands. From there, they made a quick stop in Venezuela, sailed through the Panama Canal, headed east enjoy various Polynesian Islands and six months in New Zealand. All along the way a variety of adventures involving off the tourist beaten paths on land, interesting people, and amazing sea life.

You’ll enjoy this book if you’ve ever contemplated abandoning your life and taking off for parts unknown. I know nothing about sailing, but enjoyed reading about their unfettered, unscheduled adventures.

The book ends just after the attacks on the US on 9/11. Completing their trip meant heading into waters that aren’t friendly to the US and the west. I enjoyed this enough that I have ordered the sequel, Crossing Pirate Waters.

[Ray Savarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and easily readable story of a early-retired couple selling everything and sailing around the world. Starting in France (though they're American ex-military), they sail to the Caribbean, eastern US, back to Caribbean, northern South America, then thru the panama canal to Galapagos and then many south pacific Islands to New Zealand. Ends around 9/11 with that stunning news, and to be picked up in their second book that looks to cover the rest of the trip back to the US.
For anyone interested in sailing or travelogues of many places seen, interesting.
It does stress places seen over the voyage, with little details of the actual sail other than one really big storm at the beginning, and a close call getting to New Zealand. I'm sure there must have been more interesting occurrences on the trip at sea than she relates (storms, waves, fish, whales, floating debris, what exactly you do for 25 days at sea without land, etc).

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was amazed and a bit frustrated to think Julie and her husband Glen would set off to circumnavigate the globe on a brand new sailboat that they hadn't even boarded yet! And still needed to outfit. And provision. But as the story continued, it became quite clear that they both were experienced, knowledgeable, capable, flexible, and incredibly adventurous . . . all qualities needed in abundance for their incredible voyage.

Her writing style is engaging. She doesn't just recount where they visited and what they did, but she unpacks her own thoughts and feelings, apprehensions, fears, joys. They were aware of and concerned about the history, the people and cultures of each spot they visited.

This around-the-world sailing story illuminates the immense amount of knowledge required to undertake such an adventure. And it put lots of new destinations on my bucket list!

[Andi Caissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of sailing story

Most of the sailing books I’ve read have been disaster stories because I am fascinated by the fact that people voluntarily put themselves in harm’s way. This is not that kind of story. Julie and Glen are well-prepared for their adventure, not just reacting to a whim. I found it very interesting when Julie mentioned entering the Army as a WAC and then transitioning to “regular” Army. I was in the first basic training class where women received the same training as men. She was also a linguist, as was I, and I wonder if our paths crossed at the Defense Language Institute. All in all an enjoyable memoir, but I would have liked to see more pictures.

[Gregory Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boldly honest account of one couple's adventure while living the dream. Ms. Bradley, recently retired from a challenging and interesting military career, embarks on an adventure that many dream about but few accomplish. With her husband Glen, the couple sells everything they own before taking possession of their new sailing yacht to set off on a round the world cruise.

This volume ends shortly after the events of 9/11 are presented from the perspective of the author receiving the news while cruising the South Pacific (all indications are the author will be writing a continuation).

I'm a big fan of arm chair adventuring on the high seas and enjoyed Ms. Bradley's account enough that I will look forward to reading the next volume.

[JoAnn Plante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape from the Ordinary is one of those books that contain so much information, personal stories, and entices the reader to just keep reading. The premise of the book is the story of a retired Army couple, who decided to buy a boat and travel around the world. This book is book one of their travels. The story is told by the wife, who offered personal reflections, comments, and very vivid descriptions of their adventures.
It’s easy to read and realistic. She also adds nautical terms and their definitions, so the reader can follow what’s going on. She describes each island they visit and what makes it so different from the other islands.
This is a good book to relax with. While it is suspenseful at times, it has a great storyline.

[Eyal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent storytelling of what it takes to sail around the world

Honest and riveting reflection of what it takes to go after one’s dream of sailing around the world with all the ups and downs, costly pay for wrong decisions (we are all human) and the lifted spirit when making landfall in far away exotic places. I was drawn to the author’s tell it like it is writing style. Reading this book, I got a good sense of how much continuous planning and adjustments are needed to ensure that your floating home is safe from mother nature’s wrath and how ordinary people can do extraordinary things when they dare to live their dream.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

An excellent first book from author Julie Bradley. The book is equal parts adventure, social commentary, history lesson, the natural world, and moments of self-reflection. You definitely don’t have to be a sailor to enjoy the tales of life on and off “It’s Enough”. Julie uses some sailing and boating terminology but explains each one in landlubber terms for the uninitiated. While the descriptions of surviving bad storms may turn some people away from a sailing life the descriptions of the various islands and countries she and Glen visited will probably prompt a few to book a flight somewhere they’ve not heard of before. You’ll certainly have a list of places to go to and places, perhaps, to avoid. Enjoy.

[Greg Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise

Julie, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Your portrayal of the Kuna Indians on the San Blas islands (where I lived for 18 months in the 1960s) was accurate and insightful. You are lucky to have escaped Venezuela with your health and property. Great story of the Inca trail and the coca leaves remedy to the altitude and hardships of the hike. I, however, was nonplussed by ending that dragged on too much on 911. It left me whirling waiting for a conclusion. I will read the sequel.