A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France

by Janet Hulstrand

This story, about three generations of women with a passion for reading, writing, and travel, begins in 1992, in an unfinished attic in Brooklyn, as a young writer reads journals written by her grandmother as a schoolgirl nearly 100 years earlier. This sets her on a 30-year quest to uncover the hidden lives and unfulfilled dreams of her mother and grandmother. In this coming-of-middle-age memoir, the author comes to realize that the passion for travel and for literature that has fueled her life's journey is a gift that was passed down to her by the very role models she was determined to escape.

This is a story of the life-changing journey of the author as she comes to terms with the complicated relationships she had with her mother and grandmother; about her travels in the US and France; and the emotional journey she takes as she recovers from the breakup of her marriage. It is also about the journeys—geographic, intellectual, and emotional—of her mother and grandmother.

It is also a story about the tenacity and strength of even difficult family relationships; and about the role of luck, both good and bad, in shaping human lives. It is about the importance of dreams, whether or not they are entirely fulfilled. And it is about the importance of persistence in making dreams come true, as well as the kind of wisdom that allows one to quietly enjoy one's life, accepting its limitations while pushing its boundaries.

"Janet Hulstrand looks back on her life growing up in a Midwestern family, and the road she took to go beyond it to places that are indeed a long way from Iowa, skillfully weaving the threads of her own life with those of her mother's and grandmother's...This is the story of three strong women and the personal challenges they faced…A wonderful accomplishment, and storytelling at its best." Harriet Welty Rochefort, author of French Toast, French Fried, Joie de Vivre, and Final Transgression

"A lovely, lyrical memoir that tells the story of the author's winding path from a childhood in Minnesota to her adventures as an adult in New York, Washington, Paris, and beyond…. Janet Hulstrand is an engaging and empathetic storyteller, and her memoir is a testament to the writing life, and to all the hardship and reward that it entails." Susan Coll, author of Bookish People and five other novels

"Janet Hulstrand's charming memoir will cheer every reader who has dreamed of changing her life, living in Europe, becoming a writer, or just plain having a more lively time than a Midwestern girl usually expects." Diane Johnson, best-selling author of Le Divorce, Lorna Mott Comes Home, and Flyover A Memoir.

"Janet Hulstrand is an adventurer with a passion for travel, and a writer with a gift to teach. Her honest memoir of moving to a village in France will inspire others to think of change as life-enhancing, and courage as a habit we can learn." Elaine Showalter, Professor Emerita of English, Princeton University

"Libraries need this book! This is an all-American story about three generations of Midwestern women with a passion for reading, writing, and travel, and how that passion was passed down from mother to daughter...Descriptions of life in small-town Iowa in the early part of the 20th century are provided through local newspaper accounts; and travels by train and bus come alive through the letters and journals of the author's grandmother and mother. " Ginnie Cooper, former director of public libraries in Multnomah County, Oregon; Brooklyn, NY; and the District of Columbia.

"Janet Hulstrand takes us on a fascinating journey, backward in time as she seeks to uncover the hidden lives of her grandmother and mother, then forward as she forges her own adventurous path out of the Midwest and into a li

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2023

About the author

Janet Hulstrand is a writer, editor, writing coach, and teacher who lives in France. She writes frequently for Bonjour Paris, France Today, France Revisited, and for her blog Writing from the Heart, Reading for the Road. She created and has taught “Paris: A Literary Adventure” in Paris for the City University of New York nearly every summer since 1997, and she teaches online classes for Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington DC.

Janet is the author of "Demystifying the French: How to Love Them, and Make Them Love You," and "A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France;" and coauthor of "Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home."

Reviews

[AZ BOOKS · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes three generations to make a musician- The first to work the fields, the second to go to school, and the third to master an instrument- YO YO MA

[Whitney]

I truly believe that if more people researched their lineage like Janet Hulstrand has done in this memoir, trying to understand their roots, we'd be smarter, kinder and better adjusted as a society. My admiration to the author.

[Janelle Holmvig]

I just finished it! I read it while visiting my eldest daughter in NYC-- which was interesting. Every mother-daughter relationship takes a lot of work and reading Hulstrand's book helps shine a light on the complexity of understanding and forgiveness in mother- daughter relationships. Plus, it was a treat reading about my favorite daughter-of-a-president. I appreciate the very human face the author gives everyone-- and it's with compassion. People she writes about get to make mistakes and have human flaws. Hulstrand puts no one on a pedestal, and people in her story are treated with an honest telling that is not unkind-- but the opposite. I ordered both the eBook and print. ♥️

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story! A saga: from Grandma Effie (b.1892) to mother Carol (b.1926) to Janet (b.1953); from Minnesota to New York City, Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., and—bring out the glasses, sing out the toasts—Champagne, France. It even includes the Kennedy’s—yes, those Kennedy’s, Caroline, John, and Jackie….

For me, the test of a well-written memoir is if I’d want to spend prolonged time with the author. I give bonus points if I like the person, because not all interesting/creative people—even when writing about themselves—are likeable. With Janet Hulstrand, there are bonus points aplenty.

This is a brave, true, honest, honest, honest story and storyteller. The book is a lesson and model of self-exploration and revelation, and like all good stories it ends where the next one will begin. The sequel can’t arrive soon enough.

[Rosemary]

This was an enjoyable and interesting read that made me long to talk to my mother and to my grandmothers. As a ’prairie’ girl coming of age in the sixties there was so much to which I could relate. My grandmothers both immigrated to Canada from Europe. The stories of their difficult lives will remain untold. I loved that Janet Hulstrand gave her ancestors a voice, flaws and all. What a tribute. What a gift to her own children to know their mother as a young, interesting and engaging person, not just as a mother. Well done, Janet.

[Anne Daignault · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Long Way from Iowa is a totally engaging book. Janet Hulstrand tells her absorbing and interesting story of realizing her dreams while staying true to her midwestern values yet stepping away from the continual expectations which limited her grandmother and mother’s lives. She leaves her readers with questions for themselves when faced with life decisions - what is the origin of this decision; how far back in family history does it go; and what would women (and men) have done before me if that could?

[Molly Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all think about our ancestors from time to time. Although the majority of them led pretty average lives, they all have stories to share that are entwined into our current existence. Janet Hulstrand digs into the stories of the women who came before her and brings the readers on a journey through time as she discovers a common bond that connects them. Her story is touching and inspires the reader to stop for a moment in their own busy lives to wonder about their own family story.

[Shaheda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This engrossing account of how the author achieved her dream of living in France is a joyful read. Janet Hulstrand’s autobiography is so absorbing that one ends up rooting for her to to achieve her goal of living in France.
A delightful account of a dream achieved.