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Mousetrapped: A Year and A Bit in Orlando, Florida
Three big dreams, two Mouse Ears and one J-1 visa. What could possibly go wrong in the happiest place on earth? When Catherine Ryan Howard decides to swap the grey clouds of Ireland for the clear skies of the Sunshine State, she thinks all of her dreams - working in Walt Disney World, living in the United States, seeing a Space Shuttle launch - are about to come true. Ahead of her she sees weekends at the beach, mornings by the pool and an inexplicably skinnier version of herself skipping around Magic Kingdom. But not long into her first day on Disney soil - and not long after a breakfast of Mickey-shaped pancakes - Catherine's Disney bubble bursts and soon it seems that among Orlando's baked highways, monotonous mall clusters and world famous theme-parks, pixie dust is hard to find and hair is downright impossible to straighten. The only memoir about working in Walt Disney World, Space Shuttle launches, the town that Disney built, religious theme parks, Bruce Willis, humidity-challenged hair and the Ebola virus, MOUSETRAPPED: A Year and A Bit in Orlando, Florida is the hilarious story of what happened when one Irish girl went searching for happiness in the happiest place on earth. (PLEASE NOTE A SECOND EDITION OF THIS BOOK WAS RELEASED FEBRUARY 2011. IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON.COM. SEARCH FOR ISBN 978-1456559816)
232 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2010
18 people are currently reading
667 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Ryan Howard
19 books4,298 followersCatherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her debut novel, DISTRESS SIGNALS, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger. THE LIAR'S GIRL (2018) was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. REWIND (2019) was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year and is currently being developed for screen by Clerkenwell Films (Misfits, Lovesick, The End of the F***ing World.) THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 Irish Times bestseller and a no. 1 Kindle bestseller (UK) and was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. Her latest novel, 56 DAYS, was published in August 2021. It is a thriller set in lockdown that Catherine wrote while she was in lockdown.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
January 19, 2011
I feel it necessary to start this review with a simple statement: This book should not be called Mousetrapped.
Instead, it should be called "Unprepared Irish Girl Lives in Orlando for a Year and a Half"...or something along those lines. And just as an FYI, this is coming from a woman who worked for Disney in some capacity or another for about five years and lived in Orlando for a combined total of 15 months (and continues to visit at least once a year, many times more than that).
I'll give the author some credit: Nowhere on the front or back cover does it say that this book is supposed to be mainly about Disney and its inner workings. Unfortunately, the title and the fact that "working in Walt Disney World" is the first thing mentioned in the "what this book is about" blurb on the back cover are a bit misleading. Because first of all, although Ms. Howard worked on Disney property, she worked for an operating participant. And not even in a park. To be specific, she worked for the Swan & Dolphin hotels, and working there didn't even get her free access to the Disney theme parks.
Consequently, it shouldn't be surprising that there is very little about Walt Disney World (and in fact, very little about her job) in this memoir. What few things she does write, she tends to get incorrect--for example, she refers to Walt Disney World as the "happiest place on Earth". Constantly. Disney*land* is actually touted as "the happiest place on Earth". Disney World is actually deemed "the most *magical* place on Earth". And yes, it has always been that way. Another example is when she writes about the Jungle Cruise skippers on page 97, claiming that Disney hires amateur comedians (incorrect: anyone who walks into casting off the street and is hired for attractions could end up at the Jungle Cruise). And just to put a nail in the coffin on this one, Ms. Howard writes about the time she rode Thunder Mountain "while a biblical thunderstorm unleashed hell directly above" her. As this is an outdoor ride, it shuts down during thunderstorms. For the safety of the guests. So.
Of course, Ms. Howard sums up her own memoir in one sentence on page 80. "A cursory glance at my life might lead you to believe that I had arrived in Florida recklessly unprepared and thus found myself in an unfavourable situation designed by my own hand." This is, in fact, exactly what happened. Because who in the world moves across the Atlantic ocean without studying what needs to happen once she gets to the US in order for her to actually have the ability to go to work? Who, with four months to prepare, doesn't get on the internet and look for a place to live? Because had the author done either of these things, a good third--or at least a quarter--of this book would have gone unwritten. Because it wouldn't have happened.
On the same topic of mistakes, this book needs a new editor. Just a few times I noticed spelling, grammar, or general mistakes include at the bottom of page 78, where the word "taunt" is used when I'm pretty sure she meant "taut"; pages 186 and 190, when she spells the last name of the astronaut William Oefelein "Oefelien"; and on page 159 when she names the architect of the Swan and Dolphin hotels and actually calls the hotels by their proper names, despite the fact that throughout the rest of the book she refers to them as the Duck and Tuna. I could go on regarding more issues--mainly spelling and grammar--but I think three examples is plenty at the moment.
Beyond these issues, I was under the impression that even if this isn't a book about Walt Disney World or working there, it is a book about Orlando, but instead of describing places like Universal and Sea World in detail (try extremely brief mentions of them, maybe half a page apiece), Ms. Howard spends approximately 35 pages of her 237 page book writing about the Kennedy Space Center/NASA/the Apollo program/shuttle launches, most of which is information that could be found on Wikipedia. Still, imagine my surprise when she tacks on a chapter about one of those lesser-known Orlando attractions--The Holy Land Experience--and instead of just using those pages to write boring descriptions of what goes on there (a la her chapters on Kennedy Space Center), she uses them for her own atheist diatribe.
To make a point, I am not an atheist. I am a Christian. But I have friends who are atheists and whereas our religious/spiritual views obviously differ, I don't appreciate being lumped into a "people of faith" category that (a) supposedly thinks atheists are all horrible people and (b) is apparently "abnormal" per this gem from page 209: "...they all seemed pretty normal. Outwardly, at least.", which was written about the people who were visiting The Holy Land Experience because they believe in it, not because they think they're some sort of undercover journalist. Ms. Howard, being raised a Catholic--in Ireland, no less-and then coming to the States and watching a few Kirk Cameron specials and Bill O'Reilly shows does not make you an expert on Christianity any more than I am an expert on atheism. I'm not one, and I do not think atheists are horrible people nor am I some abnormal freak of nature simply because I choose to believe in God and Jesus Christ and that there may be something better than the ups and downs of living a few years or decades or more on this Earth.
Ms. Howard writes, "When people of faith discover that you're an atheist, they inevitably adopt a tone of two parts incredulity and three parts condescension..." Pot, meet kettle.
The thing is, I probably could have sucked it up and given this book 2 or even 3 stars were it not for the fourteen pages the author spent haranguing not just The Holy Land Experience (which may or may not be authentic at all; I've never been and therefore wouldn't know) but Christianity and all Christians in general. I honestly can't even rate this book because I can't imagine ever condemning a friend of mine--Christians and atheists alike--to reading it.
My suggestion? Before this book goes into much heavier circulation, Ms. Howard should re-write the whole thing. She is interesting and funny at many points. Her story isn't a completely boring one. But she does need to learn a bit of accountability.
And she can leave the 35 pages on space programs and shuttles and the 14 pages on atheism out of it. Maybe replace them with the story of how she and her brother got to travel to the airport in a stretch limo that we were teased with but not told.
Instead, it should be called "Unprepared Irish Girl Lives in Orlando for a Year and a Half"...or something along those lines. And just as an FYI, this is coming from a woman who worked for Disney in some capacity or another for about five years and lived in Orlando for a combined total of 15 months (and continues to visit at least once a year, many times more than that).
I'll give the author some credit: Nowhere on the front or back cover does it say that this book is supposed to be mainly about Disney and its inner workings. Unfortunately, the title and the fact that "working in Walt Disney World" is the first thing mentioned in the "what this book is about" blurb on the back cover are a bit misleading. Because first of all, although Ms. Howard worked on Disney property, she worked for an operating participant. And not even in a park. To be specific, she worked for the Swan & Dolphin hotels, and working there didn't even get her free access to the Disney theme parks.
Consequently, it shouldn't be surprising that there is very little about Walt Disney World (and in fact, very little about her job) in this memoir. What few things she does write, she tends to get incorrect--for example, she refers to Walt Disney World as the "happiest place on Earth". Constantly. Disney*land* is actually touted as "the happiest place on Earth". Disney World is actually deemed "the most *magical* place on Earth". And yes, it has always been that way. Another example is when she writes about the Jungle Cruise skippers on page 97, claiming that Disney hires amateur comedians (incorrect: anyone who walks into casting off the street and is hired for attractions could end up at the Jungle Cruise). And just to put a nail in the coffin on this one, Ms. Howard writes about the time she rode Thunder Mountain "while a biblical thunderstorm unleashed hell directly above" her. As this is an outdoor ride, it shuts down during thunderstorms. For the safety of the guests. So.
Of course, Ms. Howard sums up her own memoir in one sentence on page 80. "A cursory glance at my life might lead you to believe that I had arrived in Florida recklessly unprepared and thus found myself in an unfavourable situation designed by my own hand." This is, in fact, exactly what happened. Because who in the world moves across the Atlantic ocean without studying what needs to happen once she gets to the US in order for her to actually have the ability to go to work? Who, with four months to prepare, doesn't get on the internet and look for a place to live? Because had the author done either of these things, a good third--or at least a quarter--of this book would have gone unwritten. Because it wouldn't have happened.
On the same topic of mistakes, this book needs a new editor. Just a few times I noticed spelling, grammar, or general mistakes include at the bottom of page 78, where the word "taunt" is used when I'm pretty sure she meant "taut"; pages 186 and 190, when she spells the last name of the astronaut William Oefelein "Oefelien"; and on page 159 when she names the architect of the Swan and Dolphin hotels and actually calls the hotels by their proper names, despite the fact that throughout the rest of the book she refers to them as the Duck and Tuna. I could go on regarding more issues--mainly spelling and grammar--but I think three examples is plenty at the moment.
Beyond these issues, I was under the impression that even if this isn't a book about Walt Disney World or working there, it is a book about Orlando, but instead of describing places like Universal and Sea World in detail (try extremely brief mentions of them, maybe half a page apiece), Ms. Howard spends approximately 35 pages of her 237 page book writing about the Kennedy Space Center/NASA/the Apollo program/shuttle launches, most of which is information that could be found on Wikipedia. Still, imagine my surprise when she tacks on a chapter about one of those lesser-known Orlando attractions--The Holy Land Experience--and instead of just using those pages to write boring descriptions of what goes on there (a la her chapters on Kennedy Space Center), she uses them for her own atheist diatribe.
To make a point, I am not an atheist. I am a Christian. But I have friends who are atheists and whereas our religious/spiritual views obviously differ, I don't appreciate being lumped into a "people of faith" category that (a) supposedly thinks atheists are all horrible people and (b) is apparently "abnormal" per this gem from page 209: "...they all seemed pretty normal. Outwardly, at least.", which was written about the people who were visiting The Holy Land Experience because they believe in it, not because they think they're some sort of undercover journalist. Ms. Howard, being raised a Catholic--in Ireland, no less-and then coming to the States and watching a few Kirk Cameron specials and Bill O'Reilly shows does not make you an expert on Christianity any more than I am an expert on atheism. I'm not one, and I do not think atheists are horrible people nor am I some abnormal freak of nature simply because I choose to believe in God and Jesus Christ and that there may be something better than the ups and downs of living a few years or decades or more on this Earth.
Ms. Howard writes, "When people of faith discover that you're an atheist, they inevitably adopt a tone of two parts incredulity and three parts condescension..." Pot, meet kettle.
The thing is, I probably could have sucked it up and given this book 2 or even 3 stars were it not for the fourteen pages the author spent haranguing not just The Holy Land Experience (which may or may not be authentic at all; I've never been and therefore wouldn't know) but Christianity and all Christians in general. I honestly can't even rate this book because I can't imagine ever condemning a friend of mine--Christians and atheists alike--to reading it.
My suggestion? Before this book goes into much heavier circulation, Ms. Howard should re-write the whole thing. She is interesting and funny at many points. Her story isn't a completely boring one. But she does need to learn a bit of accountability.
And she can leave the 35 pages on space programs and shuttles and the 14 pages on atheism out of it. Maybe replace them with the story of how she and her brother got to travel to the airport in a stretch limo that we were teased with but not told.
June 1, 2014
3.5 stars
I didn't think Catherine would admit in this book, but she does: Walt Disney World is the place people come when they don't know what the hell they want to do with their lives. I've known people who enter college and immediately want to do the Disney College Program. Hell, I've known people who go to college STRICTLY BECAUSE there is no other way to participate in the DCP. It's pretty fucking crazy. That said, probably almost everyone has "Work at Disneyland or Disney World" on their bucket list at some point. Catherine Ryan Howard was apparently one of those people. She goes from, somehow, wanting to a virologist (you know, ebola, USAMRIID), to wanting to be an astronaut, to working in Sweden, to working at the Swan & Dolphin hotels in Walt Disney World for 18 months. All the while she laments how she can't go back to her horrible hometown of Cork, Ireland, but this is a horrible trap. Seriously, don't do that. Home is not failure. It has taken me a very long time to understand that. Also? I would give a kidney to be able to visit Ireland. Which, I suppose, might be how she felt about Orlando. Alas, everyone hates their hometown. It's been proven. Just ask me about Amarillo, Texas, and I will beg you not to live there. (San Antonio, on the other hand...)
Catherine is a really good writer. Being a writer, too, was also on her list of careers and, admittedly, as a college dropout she couldn't very well be the virologist she hoped to one day become. As an English major, though, I kind of get a twitch thinking that one just "falls" into writing. But I was extremely happy with the pretty damn good grammar of this book that was (blessedly) free of most typos (reading a self-published book is like going over many speed bumps in that way).
I believe the book could have followed a more linear path - when she gets switched over to housekeeping in the second part she then launches into an unrelated chapter afterwards and it's like wait, what? But, overall, I would like to read more from her time in Orlando. It was entertaining and, as I said, I enjoyed her writing style immensely. No, I am not nearly so obsessed with space (I'm an ocean girl) and Cape Canaveral, but I believe this being Catherine's book that she has every right to dedicate several long chapters to it if she wants.
One thing I was disappointed about was that I got a severely abridged version of her trip to The Holy Land Experience. I suspect that based on prior reviews she cut this chapter down to the quick. My copy only has four pages. Someone else says her chapter was fourteen pages, and even THAT was cut down. Catherine is an atheist, you see, and it would have been hilarious to read that full, unabridged chapter (which was, apparently, more a rant than anything else). I'm not really sure why Catherine wasted her money on the Holy Land when she just as soon could have gone back to the Space Coast. As an agnostic, I believe I'm allowed to have curiosity in either direction. That's the point of being so uncertain about it. But Catherine mentions several times that she is a staunch atheist and, because of this, I wouldn't think she'd need to visit a religious theme park in order to affirm to herself her disbelief. That's like a Christian reading a book by Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawking. I would say I applaud her open mind (my severely cut chapter wasn't too biting), but I know she originally wrote it with much more vitriol, so...
Anyway, if you ever read this, Catherine, you should release a sequel. (And send me a full copy of your Holy Land rant!) This is a great book for anyone who loves travel and finding themselves in ever newer and more unexpected places. I just might check out her other book, Backpacked.
I didn't think Catherine would admit in this book, but she does: Walt Disney World is the place people come when they don't know what the hell they want to do with their lives. I've known people who enter college and immediately want to do the Disney College Program. Hell, I've known people who go to college STRICTLY BECAUSE there is no other way to participate in the DCP. It's pretty fucking crazy. That said, probably almost everyone has "Work at Disneyland or Disney World" on their bucket list at some point. Catherine Ryan Howard was apparently one of those people. She goes from, somehow, wanting to a virologist (you know, ebola, USAMRIID), to wanting to be an astronaut, to working in Sweden, to working at the Swan & Dolphin hotels in Walt Disney World for 18 months. All the while she laments how she can't go back to her horrible hometown of Cork, Ireland, but this is a horrible trap. Seriously, don't do that. Home is not failure. It has taken me a very long time to understand that. Also? I would give a kidney to be able to visit Ireland. Which, I suppose, might be how she felt about Orlando. Alas, everyone hates their hometown. It's been proven. Just ask me about Amarillo, Texas, and I will beg you not to live there. (San Antonio, on the other hand...)
Catherine is a really good writer. Being a writer, too, was also on her list of careers and, admittedly, as a college dropout she couldn't very well be the virologist she hoped to one day become. As an English major, though, I kind of get a twitch thinking that one just "falls" into writing. But I was extremely happy with the pretty damn good grammar of this book that was (blessedly) free of most typos (reading a self-published book is like going over many speed bumps in that way).
I believe the book could have followed a more linear path - when she gets switched over to housekeeping in the second part she then launches into an unrelated chapter afterwards and it's like wait, what? But, overall, I would like to read more from her time in Orlando. It was entertaining and, as I said, I enjoyed her writing style immensely. No, I am not nearly so obsessed with space (I'm an ocean girl) and Cape Canaveral, but I believe this being Catherine's book that she has every right to dedicate several long chapters to it if she wants.
One thing I was disappointed about was that I got a severely abridged version of her trip to The Holy Land Experience. I suspect that based on prior reviews she cut this chapter down to the quick. My copy only has four pages. Someone else says her chapter was fourteen pages, and even THAT was cut down. Catherine is an atheist, you see, and it would have been hilarious to read that full, unabridged chapter (which was, apparently, more a rant than anything else). I'm not really sure why Catherine wasted her money on the Holy Land when she just as soon could have gone back to the Space Coast. As an agnostic, I believe I'm allowed to have curiosity in either direction. That's the point of being so uncertain about it. But Catherine mentions several times that she is a staunch atheist and, because of this, I wouldn't think she'd need to visit a religious theme park in order to affirm to herself her disbelief. That's like a Christian reading a book by Richard Dawkins or Stephen Hawking. I would say I applaud her open mind (my severely cut chapter wasn't too biting), but I know she originally wrote it with much more vitriol, so...
Anyway, if you ever read this, Catherine, you should release a sequel. (And send me a full copy of your Holy Land rant!) This is a great book for anyone who loves travel and finding themselves in ever newer and more unexpected places. I just might check out her other book, Backpacked.
June 5, 2012
From the title, and the teeny description I read, I expected a book about a girl who did not like Disney because Disney was a horrible blah-blah-blah (insert blasphemy of choice here) who nearly ruined her life in some way. Instead, I basically got a travel guide to Disney World and the Kennedy Space Station...and while her life was nearly ruined, that was entirely due to her own foolishness.
But even though there was little to this book other than descriptions of how fab the Disney parks are, I still liked those parts - probably because I like reading guidebooks on how fab the parks are.
I was NOT prepared for the loooong chapters on the Space Station, and her obsession with it, but I skipped those. (I personally think the space program is a horrendous waste of money and should be completely scrapped. The money could then go to something cool and useful, like exploring the VAST amounts of unexplored space on our own planet.)
Also, it was very tedious reading pages and pages about her (non)religious beliefs. If you don't choose to believe in anything, fine. Just don't rant about everyone else's choices. And no one is amused by your going to a religious theme park, for the sole purpose of walking around and sneering at everyone...even while you profess to be astonished that everyone seems 'normal' and that there are cute guys there. That's as stupid as if she'd moved to a foreign country with absolutely no money in her pocket, no clue about where to live or how to go about finding a place, and no idea of what she needed to do/have in order to work in said foreign country. And then to drive around that country after a couple of weeks haphazard driving instruction, and with no legal license. Oh wait...she did that too...
But even though there was little to this book other than descriptions of how fab the Disney parks are, I still liked those parts - probably because I like reading guidebooks on how fab the parks are.
I was NOT prepared for the loooong chapters on the Space Station, and her obsession with it, but I skipped those. (I personally think the space program is a horrendous waste of money and should be completely scrapped. The money could then go to something cool and useful, like exploring the VAST amounts of unexplored space on our own planet.)
Also, it was very tedious reading pages and pages about her (non)religious beliefs. If you don't choose to believe in anything, fine. Just don't rant about everyone else's choices. And no one is amused by your going to a religious theme park, for the sole purpose of walking around and sneering at everyone...even while you profess to be astonished that everyone seems 'normal' and that there are cute guys there. That's as stupid as if she'd moved to a foreign country with absolutely no money in her pocket, no clue about where to live or how to go about finding a place, and no idea of what she needed to do/have in order to work in said foreign country. And then to drive around that country after a couple of weeks haphazard driving instruction, and with no legal license. Oh wait...she did that too...
July 7, 2011
I have to say I hated this book. It's not really a book, but an extended whine about her time working - not in Disneyworld as you might be tricked into assuming - in a hotel near Disneyworld. I know other reviewers have slammed her naivete, so I won't expand on that, although it irritated me too. What I will add is that I hated how the book would veer into long passages on completely different concepts. For example, because Howard is interested in NASA, we suddenly get pages of description of the space program before returning to how this relates to her own narrative. The last negative thing I will add is about her chapter on the religious theme park. In her afterword, Howard explains that this chapter had actually been revised for the ereader edition because it was "too negative". If this was the revised version, I can't even imagine how negative the original must have been. I found Howard's commentary damning and hyper-critical of the theme park, in a completely gratuitous manner. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone.
June 7, 2010
I've always been fascinated by Disney and its brand, so I jumped at the chance to read this book, hoping for some behind-the-scenes glimpses into what life there was like. I wasn't disappointed: the author writes with wit and humour about her time in Orlando, and you get a true sense of what living in a town dominated by a massive theme park really feels like. The book includes lots of information about other facets of Disney and Florida -- including Celebration, the town created by Disney -- and provides a wonderful account of a space-shuttle launch.
Thoroughly enjoyable and a great read!
Thoroughly enjoyable and a great read!
October 26, 2011
I wasn't expecting a Cast Member tell-all (like some other reviewers) so I guess my expectations were in the right place. Instead, this book is more of a coming-of-age and finding-your-way-in-the-world story told by someone with the courage (insanity?) to embark on an international job hunt with more than a little naivete. It just made me think of myself and the silly things I'd done at that age and being more than a little grateful that I'd never gone abroad to find myself alone with no local support and a job that didn't turn out to be all that was expected.
For me it was a little extra interesting because I know some of the VIPs and the mega technology conference at the "Duck & Tuna" that she briefly talks about, so I know first-hand the insanity of both that show and the people who attend it. I would have enjoyed additional horror stories -- who wouldn't? -- of things seen on the job. Having worked in the travel industry for a while, I know some of the crazy things that MY clients asked for (odd numbered rooms on even numbered floors, east facing windows, additional locks to prevent Housekeeping from entering) so those stories at the House of Mouse must have been even MORE over the top.
I liked the style and tone of the writing and came away feeling a little attached to Catherine as a person and I've just downloaded her second book to continue the adventure with my new Irish friend!
For me it was a little extra interesting because I know some of the VIPs and the mega technology conference at the "Duck & Tuna" that she briefly talks about, so I know first-hand the insanity of both that show and the people who attend it. I would have enjoyed additional horror stories -- who wouldn't? -- of things seen on the job. Having worked in the travel industry for a while, I know some of the crazy things that MY clients asked for (odd numbered rooms on even numbered floors, east facing windows, additional locks to prevent Housekeeping from entering) so those stories at the House of Mouse must have been even MORE over the top.
I liked the style and tone of the writing and came away feeling a little attached to Catherine as a person and I've just downloaded her second book to continue the adventure with my new Irish friend!
May 5, 2011
I thought the first chapter was very weak, and it discouraged me from reading the book. But I am glad I did because it gets interesting from the second chapter on. An Irish girl work in an Orlando hotel, so it is part about how she gets accustomed to the U.S. and part about her sightseeing in Orlando. It is not terribly deep, just a relaxing read.
The title is misleading because it is NOT very much about Disney. Her hotel is near Disney World, but not owned by it. She only talks briefly about her time in Disney World. Mostly she talks about the Space Center (which she adores), and the town "Celebration" which was started by Disney, and some sort of Christian theme park. (She is atheist.)
One line I though was funny was when she first arrives in Orlando and jokes that if she runs out of reading material, she will have to start writing her own. And lo and behold, I am currently reading Isaac Asimov's memoirs, and he says in all seriousness that because he couldn't have permanent reading material when he was young, that was one of the motivations to start writing--so he would have a book he could keep. LOL!!! Times have sure changed.
Editted to add: I read the second edition of the book and she says she toned down her atheism quite a bit from the first to the second. I guess she was offfending people. (Bad reviews, perhaps?)
The title is misleading because it is NOT very much about Disney. Her hotel is near Disney World, but not owned by it. She only talks briefly about her time in Disney World. Mostly she talks about the Space Center (which she adores), and the town "Celebration" which was started by Disney, and some sort of Christian theme park. (She is atheist.)
One line I though was funny was when she first arrives in Orlando and jokes that if she runs out of reading material, she will have to start writing her own. And lo and behold, I am currently reading Isaac Asimov's memoirs, and he says in all seriousness that because he couldn't have permanent reading material when he was young, that was one of the motivations to start writing--so he would have a book he could keep. LOL!!! Times have sure changed.
Editted to add: I read the second edition of the book and she says she toned down her atheism quite a bit from the first to the second. I guess she was offfending people. (Bad reviews, perhaps?)
June 3, 2012
I downloaded this book expecting it to be a scandalous expose of life as a Disney slave and was surprised to find that after over a year of very hard work, the author was still as enamoured of the Florida outpost of the theme park empire as she was before she arrived. I've been to the original Disneyland in California and to Disneyland Paris (several times) and always enjoy it in spite of my fundamental aversion to Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, but never to Orlando. From Catherine's description of it, I still wouldn't want to go there - the scale of it would overwhelm me - but am glad to have had this vicarious experience.
The book is a little undisciplined and self-indulgent sometimes, but I enjoyed the author's company enough to let her off the hook for that.
And having warmed to her personality (fun, honest, frank) in this book, I wanted to spend more time in her company, so immediately downloaded another book of hers, Backpacked, which recounts her next trip - this time backpacking (no surprises there) around Central America.
The book is a little undisciplined and self-indulgent sometimes, but I enjoyed the author's company enough to let her off the hook for that.
And having warmed to her personality (fun, honest, frank) in this book, I wanted to spend more time in her company, so immediately downloaded another book of hers, Backpacked, which recounts her next trip - this time backpacking (no surprises there) around Central America.
October 29, 2012
I llive in the Orlando area so I thought this would be a cute book to read that delves into the culturee of a tourist area as we see it. it wasn't. A few of the chapters are humorous and others are so full of whining I just wanted to scream "then don't come here!" If you want to read the driving directions to the mall or Kennedy Space Center then by all means read this book. it boringly gives the whole history of space travel if you can get through that chapter w/o it prompting a nap. If you are a proclaimed athiest then don't go to a theme park called "The Holy Land" and write a complaint about it. Very immature, and in poor taste. It did not prompt humor as she so tried it to sound. I did laugh through some chapters. I can relate to moving to this area w/o a job or a car or knowing anyone. that part was a trip down memory lane almost. In the end it's a naive, young perspective of moving to a new place. Reading other reviews I assume people start reading this expecting the "scandalous side of Disney" as the title makes it sound, you won't find it in this book.
January 17, 2012
"Hate" is a strong word, so I'll say that I "despised" this book. The title is misleading, as Howard wasn't so much MOUSEtrapped as she was FLORIDAtrapped. With a title like "Mousetrapped," Howard played in on the fact that thousands of Disney fans would pick up her book and be fooled into thinking it offered a behind-the-scenes look at Disney World. It doesn't. Not even one bit.
Her tone is annoying, whiny and unrealistic. No one talks the way she does. If they do, I will never visit Ireland.
To sum it up: A naive tale of a foreign girl who didn't do any research before deciding to live in a country for a year and a half working for a hotel that is not owned by Disney, but rather, associated with them.
Her tone is annoying, whiny and unrealistic. No one talks the way she does. If they do, I will never visit Ireland.
To sum it up: A naive tale of a foreign girl who didn't do any research before deciding to live in a country for a year and a half working for a hotel that is not owned by Disney, but rather, associated with them.
January 5, 2018
I read this book because I had read Catherine Ryan Howard's book "Backpacked," and enjoyed it so much. I love her Irish sense of humor and found myself truly laughing out loud at many times throughout the story. She invites readers into her world with the honesty of a child but the mind of an adult. This is one of those stories to be read when wanting to escape serious everyday life and enjoy a little lightness. And if you like it, read "Backpacked," too, where the adventure continues. Slainte!
January 11, 2018
I love Catherine’s non-fiction the most definitely. I love how she can make you picture even the small details like the oil in her sweaty hair haha. A fun read, you really can smell the air on her first night in Downtown Disney.
January 3, 2020
HIghly entertaining and interesting look at what it is like to work at Disney World
November 30, 2023
I loved it. Not your typical travel book but quite entertaining and light hearted. I loved the inclusion of NASA.
June 11, 2011
Three big dreams, two Mouse Ears and one J-1 visa. What could possibly go wrong in the happiest place on earth? When Catherine Ryan Howard decides to swap the grey clouds of Ireland for the clear skies of the Sunshine State, she thinks all of her dreams - working in Walt Disney World, living in the United States, seeing a Space Shuttle launch - are about to come true. Ahead of her she sees weekends at the beach, mornings by the pool and an inexplicably skinnier version of herself skipping around Magic Kingdom. But not long into her first day on Disney soil - and not long after a breakfast of Mickey-shaped pancakes - Catherine's Disney bubble bursts and soon it seems that among Orlando's baked highways, monotonous mall clusters and world famous theme-parks, pixie dust is hard to find and hair is downright impossible to straighten. The only memoir about working in Walt Disney World, Space Shuttle launches, the town that Disney built, religious theme parks, Bruce Willis, humidity-challenged hair and the Ebola virus, MOUSETRAPPED: A Year and A Bit in Orlando, Florida is the hilarious story of what happened when one Irish girl went searching for happiness in the happiest place on earth.
I must admit, I've not read many travelogue/memoirs. In fact, I steer clear of non-fiction unless it's a celebrity's auto-biography. Call me shallow all you will, I do not care! However I won myself a copy of Mousetrapped on Catherine's blog and it's a book I'd been eyeing up for a while (though the price for the paperback was off-putting and I won my copy just as I'd gotten myself a Kindle - 'cos otherwise I was going to buy myself the Kindle version). I thought it sounded fascinating and I must admit, it was. There were some parts that I wasn't a fan of - some of the backstories we're told relating to NASA space missions were a bit yawnsome, as if I really wanted to learn that I could have just Googled them. But I loved the book for the most part. It was a quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I absolutely love Florida. I went on holiday to Florida - to Orlando in fact - twice, in 2001 and 2002 with my parents and I loved it. If I won the lottery, I'd move to Florida. It's a wonderful state. Sunshine all year round, although that also means plenty of rain and thunderstorms thanks to the humidity (which I hate. I am terrified of thunder and spent most of my time when it was thundering during our holidays locked in a closet). Thunderstorms aside, Florida is one of my favourite places ever. I loved holidaying there. I loved going to IHOP and Walmart and Golden Corral (I REALLY hope that's still there), I loved going down to Tampa to see the (Devil) Rays play. I wasn't a big fan of the beaches, the one we went to had horrible gritty sand. Reading Mousetrapped brought it all back to me, the time I enjoyed there. New Town, with its rides. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It brought it all screaming back and made me realise just how much I'd love to go there again.
My absolute favourite part of the novel was Catherine's reminiscing about going to the Kennedy Space Centre. Sadly, we never visited there when we went - I wasn't even aware of it at 11 and 12 respectively when we visited. Space shuttles fascinate me, I love seeing them head off into space. There's nothing quite like seeing something take off that's bound to leave Earth. It's surreal. I found the chapters in which Catherine tells us about her own visits there hugely fascinating and her passion bleeds off the page. It makes me sad that I'll never get to see a shuttle take off live from KSC as, as far as I'm aware, this year sees the last ever shuttle mission.
Mousetrapped is a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to its sequel Backpacked later in the year. It was by no means perfect, but anyone wanting to see what it's like for an Irish girl to up sticks to live in Florida would enjoy this hugely. When we went to Florida, we never visited Disney World (it didn't appeal), and Catherine talks about it very well so that I'd probably be well able to navigate through Disney if I went today! I'm really pleased I read it and it brought back lots of wonderful Florida memories for me!
I must admit, I've not read many travelogue/memoirs. In fact, I steer clear of non-fiction unless it's a celebrity's auto-biography. Call me shallow all you will, I do not care! However I won myself a copy of Mousetrapped on Catherine's blog and it's a book I'd been eyeing up for a while (though the price for the paperback was off-putting and I won my copy just as I'd gotten myself a Kindle - 'cos otherwise I was going to buy myself the Kindle version). I thought it sounded fascinating and I must admit, it was. There were some parts that I wasn't a fan of - some of the backstories we're told relating to NASA space missions were a bit yawnsome, as if I really wanted to learn that I could have just Googled them. But I loved the book for the most part. It was a quick read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I absolutely love Florida. I went on holiday to Florida - to Orlando in fact - twice, in 2001 and 2002 with my parents and I loved it. If I won the lottery, I'd move to Florida. It's a wonderful state. Sunshine all year round, although that also means plenty of rain and thunderstorms thanks to the humidity (which I hate. I am terrified of thunder and spent most of my time when it was thundering during our holidays locked in a closet). Thunderstorms aside, Florida is one of my favourite places ever. I loved holidaying there. I loved going to IHOP and Walmart and Golden Corral (I REALLY hope that's still there), I loved going down to Tampa to see the (Devil) Rays play. I wasn't a big fan of the beaches, the one we went to had horrible gritty sand. Reading Mousetrapped brought it all back to me, the time I enjoyed there. New Town, with its rides. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It brought it all screaming back and made me realise just how much I'd love to go there again.
My absolute favourite part of the novel was Catherine's reminiscing about going to the Kennedy Space Centre. Sadly, we never visited there when we went - I wasn't even aware of it at 11 and 12 respectively when we visited. Space shuttles fascinate me, I love seeing them head off into space. There's nothing quite like seeing something take off that's bound to leave Earth. It's surreal. I found the chapters in which Catherine tells us about her own visits there hugely fascinating and her passion bleeds off the page. It makes me sad that I'll never get to see a shuttle take off live from KSC as, as far as I'm aware, this year sees the last ever shuttle mission.
Mousetrapped is a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to its sequel Backpacked later in the year. It was by no means perfect, but anyone wanting to see what it's like for an Irish girl to up sticks to live in Florida would enjoy this hugely. When we went to Florida, we never visited Disney World (it didn't appeal), and Catherine talks about it very well so that I'd probably be well able to navigate through Disney if I went today! I'm really pleased I read it and it brought back lots of wonderful Florida memories for me!
September 10, 2014
Mousetrapped is another re-read for me on the blog today, why? Well in several weeks time I will be squeezing myself in to a uncomfortable seat for nineish hours, strapped inside a metal tube and crossing the pond to my happy place - Orlando, Florida.
When it gets a few weeks out from my holiday I go through several emotions, the first is usually terror as I have a love/hate relationship with flying plus I'm always scared that I've forgotten to book something important such as the hotel or the flight! My second emotion is joy which comes usually after I have given my terrified self a slap, with the joy comes the need to read all about Florida, a couple of years back I read Mousetrapped to get me in the holiday mood and this year I found myself reaching for it again.
Now I love all things Disney, this will make you either scream with pain or pleasure depending on which side you fall on, but since having kids Disney is just amazing, it truly is the stuff (expensive stuff) of what dreams are made off, I have often wondered about behind the scenes, what makes Disney run like clockwork and from my experience its the Cast Members that truly make it.
Catherine Ryan Howard travelled to Disney in 2006 to start her epic career at Disney World in Orlando following a shortlived spell at Uni, her childhood dream of working with very deadly viruses on the back boiler, she secured a position on reception at one of the huge hotels in the Disney area and began her immersion in to the Disney and American way of life.
Starting at Disney did come with a few minor pitfalls, the waiting on social security numbers and the sharing an apartment with less than perfect room mates but once the initial "horrors" are over and Catherine begins to enjoy her stay her experiences are brilliant.
This memoir covers her exploring the area, discovering that being on foot is looked at with horror, following that her learning to drive and the fun that goes with that. Travelling to the parks, especially the Kennedy Space Centre just made me long to be back there.
Mouestrapped is a great book, it shows Disney in a truly different light , the hotel she worked at, which for the purposes of this book is called the Duck and Tuna ( WDW regulars should be able to work this one out, in my case I'm staying at the Beast Country Chalet (see if you can figure that out)) is truly huge and when her journey takes her from behind the reception desk to the bowels of housekeeping again you see a totally different side of my happy place.
Mousetrapped is a good read and if you love Orlando and Florida as much as I do you should love it.
Awarded 4 out of 5
When it gets a few weeks out from my holiday I go through several emotions, the first is usually terror as I have a love/hate relationship with flying plus I'm always scared that I've forgotten to book something important such as the hotel or the flight! My second emotion is joy which comes usually after I have given my terrified self a slap, with the joy comes the need to read all about Florida, a couple of years back I read Mousetrapped to get me in the holiday mood and this year I found myself reaching for it again.
Now I love all things Disney, this will make you either scream with pain or pleasure depending on which side you fall on, but since having kids Disney is just amazing, it truly is the stuff (expensive stuff) of what dreams are made off, I have often wondered about behind the scenes, what makes Disney run like clockwork and from my experience its the Cast Members that truly make it.
Catherine Ryan Howard travelled to Disney in 2006 to start her epic career at Disney World in Orlando following a shortlived spell at Uni, her childhood dream of working with very deadly viruses on the back boiler, she secured a position on reception at one of the huge hotels in the Disney area and began her immersion in to the Disney and American way of life.
Starting at Disney did come with a few minor pitfalls, the waiting on social security numbers and the sharing an apartment with less than perfect room mates but once the initial "horrors" are over and Catherine begins to enjoy her stay her experiences are brilliant.
This memoir covers her exploring the area, discovering that being on foot is looked at with horror, following that her learning to drive and the fun that goes with that. Travelling to the parks, especially the Kennedy Space Centre just made me long to be back there.
Mouestrapped is a great book, it shows Disney in a truly different light , the hotel she worked at, which for the purposes of this book is called the Duck and Tuna ( WDW regulars should be able to work this one out, in my case I'm staying at the Beast Country Chalet (see if you can figure that out)) is truly huge and when her journey takes her from behind the reception desk to the bowels of housekeeping again you see a totally different side of my happy place.
Mousetrapped is a good read and if you love Orlando and Florida as much as I do you should love it.
Awarded 4 out of 5
July 15, 2023
I purchased this book long before the author pulled it from Amazon. Since my son worked there in the college program, I was interested in her working there through the J-1 program. CRH, the author, worked at the Swan & the Dolphin hotels but experienced as much of Orlando, some of Florida, and even some of the US in the 18 months she was here. She begins by sharing her desire to be a virologist after reading The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, which was about the Ebola virus. I read Crisis in the Red Zone by the same author and it was chilling! She also had dreams of becoming an astronaut, but after a year working in Holland, she landed on working in the US at WDW. She most certainly covered the good, bad and ugly of moving to the US, a bit unprepared, but part of the "fun" of the story. It is hard for Americans to believe someone in their twenties had never driven a car or had a license, but her story of learning to drive and buying a car were chilling for American drivers to think about! My favorite part was her love of space and visiting the Kennedy Space Center. I grew up in Houston visiting NASA many times, hearing about my Dad's friend Alan Shepherd, an astronaut, and finally me getting to meet Jim Lovell, commander of Apollo 13. So I particularly like this part of her book. She desperately wanted to see a launch and after missing this opportunity several times, she finally realized her dream. At the end of her time there, she left with a friend to backpack in Central America. (She seems fearless!) Although she had some wild dreams of a future career and started her work in hotel-type services, she landed on the career she was meant to do - be an author! I have read all her mystery/ thrillers and anxiously await her next one!
This book would probably not interest anyone like it did me, with the Disney connections, fascination with space, and having read about ebola virus, but it is easy to see how she ended up as a successful author. {paperback}
This book would probably not interest anyone like it did me, with the Disney connections, fascination with space, and having read about ebola virus, but it is easy to see how she ended up as a successful author. {paperback}
October 15, 2015
I loved the language of this book. I loved and adored that Catherine Ryan Howard has such a strong,likable,and engaging voice. She accomplishes something almost unheard of for a self-published author:created a compelling autobiography and giving her readers a strong sense of place while describing Orlando, a city that must be the most cheesy,inauthentic spot in the world. I loved and adored her writing so much that I could almost imagine going to Orlando.
My favorite sentences prove how hilarious Catherine can be:1"The ex-boyfriend had taken to singledom...while I sat home with only calories for friends. " 2. "Orlando seemed to be a city without a centre,serving only as a slave to its rodent custodian." and 3. "It was a beautiful Florida day,so I took my coffee and my growing sense of horror to the kidventure plaza."
I loved the description of her friends Miho, Eva and Andrea and most importantly I adored the way she chronicled her experience as that ultimate social outcast/freak- the non-driver pedestrian in Orlando.I found her malaise and unhappiness when she first arrived in Florida to be natural and understandable. I did not consider her to be a whiner because every traveler goes through a period of adjustment when she questions her decisions to move to a strange land. I also appreciated the way that the book was organized.
I look forward to reading her next book and buying a copy of Backpacked.
All my friends should read her. She is great!!
My only regret is that I cannot seem to find the expanded web version of my favorite chapter : "In God We Trust" about her visit to a bible theme park.
My favorite sentences prove how hilarious Catherine can be:1"The ex-boyfriend had taken to singledom...while I sat home with only calories for friends. " 2. "Orlando seemed to be a city without a centre,serving only as a slave to its rodent custodian." and 3. "It was a beautiful Florida day,so I took my coffee and my growing sense of horror to the kidventure plaza."
I loved the description of her friends Miho, Eva and Andrea and most importantly I adored the way she chronicled her experience as that ultimate social outcast/freak- the non-driver pedestrian in Orlando.I found her malaise and unhappiness when she first arrived in Florida to be natural and understandable. I did not consider her to be a whiner because every traveler goes through a period of adjustment when she questions her decisions to move to a strange land. I also appreciated the way that the book was organized.
I look forward to reading her next book and buying a copy of Backpacked.
All my friends should read her. She is great!!
My only regret is that I cannot seem to find the expanded web version of my favorite chapter : "In God We Trust" about her visit to a bible theme park.
May 31, 2012
OK, so my book 19 should be To Kill A Mockingbird, I’m trying so hard to read it and I’m struggling baaaaadly.
But then I got a text from Kelsey (Disney best friend… as in best friend I am going to Disney to work with) telling me to read Mousetrapped. I think the text was along the lines of ELLE. YOU HAVE TO READ IT. NOW.
So, I did.
The book was very interesting to me because in 5 weeks and 5 days (who’s counting!?) I will be flying 3000 miles away to work in WDW, Florida.
This book is about an Irish girl flying 3000 miles away to work NEAR WDW, Florida. She works in the ‘Duck & Tuna’ Hotel… aka Swan & Dolphin. which is on Disney property but not owned by Disney.
Anyway, this book was amazing. It wasn’t quite as Disney related as I would have hoped, but when she did talk about Disney I just wanted to cry… Ok, confession: I did cry.
It is her true account of living there and although I enjoyed it I do have a few negatives- Catherine, the author, is extremely negative and it turns into a big moan (not quite what you want to read just before your similar adventure begins) also the book is a bit all over the place; it spends a whole chapter describing the history of NASA but skims through months as though they don’t exist, one minute it’s easter and the next it’s autumn.
As a whole I loved it and read it in about 24 hours! Another downside (probably not her fault) is that the Kindle edition only lasts for 65% of the book and the other 35% is previews from her new books. A bit deceiving, wasn’t too impressed with that.
Anyways, a very magical
8/10
But then I got a text from Kelsey (Disney best friend… as in best friend I am going to Disney to work with) telling me to read Mousetrapped. I think the text was along the lines of ELLE. YOU HAVE TO READ IT. NOW.
So, I did.
The book was very interesting to me because in 5 weeks and 5 days (who’s counting!?) I will be flying 3000 miles away to work in WDW, Florida.
This book is about an Irish girl flying 3000 miles away to work NEAR WDW, Florida. She works in the ‘Duck & Tuna’ Hotel… aka Swan & Dolphin. which is on Disney property but not owned by Disney.
Anyway, this book was amazing. It wasn’t quite as Disney related as I would have hoped, but when she did talk about Disney I just wanted to cry… Ok, confession: I did cry.
It is her true account of living there and although I enjoyed it I do have a few negatives- Catherine, the author, is extremely negative and it turns into a big moan (not quite what you want to read just before your similar adventure begins) also the book is a bit all over the place; it spends a whole chapter describing the history of NASA but skims through months as though they don’t exist, one minute it’s easter and the next it’s autumn.
As a whole I loved it and read it in about 24 hours! Another downside (probably not her fault) is that the Kindle edition only lasts for 65% of the book and the other 35% is previews from her new books. A bit deceiving, wasn’t too impressed with that.
Anyways, a very magical
8/10
April 8, 2013
The book I am reviewing in this post is Mousetrapped by Catherine Ryan Howard which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. Catherine has written a few books & I have read another of her books called Backpacked about her touring Central America & both books are very funny. Mousetrapped tells the story of her leaving Cork in Ireland to work at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. She worked in a hotel which was next to the amusement park. She shared a rather dumpy old flat with some girls from Kazakhstan who had their boyfriends also living there but hid in the bathroom when the landlord came around. They seemed keen to know if she drunk guiness. In the hotel they had to exercise a lot of caution about things like giving people the keys to someone else's room as it might just be a rapist or murderer. Obviously Orlando is more dangerous than Cork. She does mention that there is also a Holy Land theme park which sounds a bit strange & it has things like a replica of the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. She describes it as like something out of Father Ted. Another interesting observation is that Americans go everywhere by car and many roads don't have footpaths. Her parents were worried about drug crazed drivers. There is a sequel to this book called More Mousetrapped & in case your wondering about the title I think it refers to the disney icon Mickey Mouse.
April 3, 2012
This book had several appeals for me: it was an outsider's view of America(the author is a young Irish writer)and more specifically Florida and the Disney complex which Catherine Howard goes to work for, spending a year and a half there. So this isn't just a tourist view (though there's that, too), but the view of someone from the other side of the pond who for a time lives in the ample bosum of Disney. The writing was fresh and often funny; I laughed out loud at her dry wit. Also, the author and I are both space buffs so I really appreciated her love of the space program and her visit to KSC. (Having grown up on the Texas Gulf Coast I've been in JSC more times than I can count.) There was a *ping* of recognition at some bits of culture shock that she experienced. I went to Ireland for 3 weeks many years ago and felt a similar culture shock when I returned home, making some of the same observations she does. It's an interesting glimpse into "The Mouse", different from other accounts: personal, enjoyable, sometimes jaw-dropping, though if you're looking for an anti-Disney screed or expose', this isn't it. Clearly Disney isn't a utopian magical kingdom, but just as clearly she proves that the experience owes a lot to what each individual brings to it. She brings gumption and humor---and searches for pixie dust everywhere she goes.
January 31, 2012
This book is not about working at Walt Disney World - it's about a girl who moves to Orlando to work for a hotel chain, in a hotel near Walt Disney World.
I had read the sequel to this book (Backpacked: A Reluctant Trip Across Central America before starting Mousetrapped, so I had some idea of what to expect. It is an entertaining, easy read about an interesting time in the author's life. She has a nice writing style (though I do agree with other reviewers that the space chapters ruined the flow a bit) and writes from the heart. This is a personal experience and the writer is not afraid to write about her emotions - both good and bad.
This book struck a chord with me because I'm currently living abroad for a year and am going through a lot of the same experiences and emotions as Catherine. However, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book as much if this were not the case.
I would recommend to people with something linking them to the story, for example an interest in or experience of living abroad, working abroad, Disney or the US in general.
I had read the sequel to this book (Backpacked: A Reluctant Trip Across Central America before starting Mousetrapped, so I had some idea of what to expect. It is an entertaining, easy read about an interesting time in the author's life. She has a nice writing style (though I do agree with other reviewers that the space chapters ruined the flow a bit) and writes from the heart. This is a personal experience and the writer is not afraid to write about her emotions - both good and bad.
This book struck a chord with me because I'm currently living abroad for a year and am going through a lot of the same experiences and emotions as Catherine. However, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book as much if this were not the case.
I would recommend to people with something linking them to the story, for example an interest in or experience of living abroad, working abroad, Disney or the US in general.
October 11, 2015
I absolutely adored (Loved, Loved, Loved) this book because Catherine Ryan Howard managed to create something that can be very hard to find in the world of self-published travel memoirs: a genuinely likable voice and an authentic sense of place in the most inauthentic place in the world. I got a very, very clear idea of who Catherine Ryan Howard really is. I found her voice and style charming and winning. She certainly has some very hilarious sentences and quite a way with words. She is an incredibly funny writer and a good story teller. I highly recommend this book as it made me see why someone would be inspired by and want to go to Disneyworld and Orlando in the first place. (Something that I could not ever imagine doing before.)
Catherine has the ability to make herself into an every-woman so that your average reader can relate to her story. I especially loved reading about her experiences as that ultimate social outcast in American Society, a non-driver/pedestrian.
I eagerly look forward to reading her other books. All my traveling friends should read them!!!
Take note: Catherine only got 4 stars because of a few minor typos and grammatical errors in the text.
Catherine has the ability to make herself into an every-woman so that your average reader can relate to her story. I especially loved reading about her experiences as that ultimate social outcast in American Society, a non-driver/pedestrian.
I eagerly look forward to reading her other books. All my traveling friends should read them!!!
Take note: Catherine only got 4 stars because of a few minor typos and grammatical errors in the text.
January 19, 2013
I didn't know quite what to expect with Mousetrapped. I'd just finished Catherine's book Self Printed and really enjoyed her quirky way at putting things across but would I enjoy reading about a twenty something year old females adventure in Orlando?
Oddly enough YES!
I found myself absorbed into following her Florida exploits and laughing and cringing at I hope were the appropriate moments. My own love and fascination with NASA and Spaceflight meant when she ran through her attempts at seeing a shuttle launch I felt I was there with her and it brought back great memories of seeing a shuttle launch myself.
I've now got to buy Backpacked to see what else Catherine gets up to!
As for some of the more negative reviews here, I read the blurb like they must have done and I for one was not disappointed!
Oddly enough YES!
I found myself absorbed into following her Florida exploits and laughing and cringing at I hope were the appropriate moments. My own love and fascination with NASA and Spaceflight meant when she ran through her attempts at seeing a shuttle launch I felt I was there with her and it brought back great memories of seeing a shuttle launch myself.
I've now got to buy Backpacked to see what else Catherine gets up to!
As for some of the more negative reviews here, I read the blurb like they must have done and I for one was not disappointed!
February 5, 2013
Travel memoir is a difficult thing to write. The travel is your experience, yet you need to bring it to life for your reader.
Ms Howard does a good job of entertaining while educating. Her intelligent, witty, yet self-deprecating style keeps you interested as she explores her new home, and battles the culture shock of moving to the US after landing a job at Walt Disney World (see - there's some education there - I always thought it was 'Disneyland' in California and 'Disneyworld' in Florida. Things you learn, huh?)
There's plenty more to discover in this book, inside and outside of Walt Disney World, and if you enjoy this book, then follow it with her sequel, Backpacked: A reluctant trip across Central America. It is possible to enjoy both books by reading Backpacked first, but Backpacked flows better if you've already read Mousetrapped.
Ms Howard does a good job of entertaining while educating. Her intelligent, witty, yet self-deprecating style keeps you interested as she explores her new home, and battles the culture shock of moving to the US after landing a job at Walt Disney World (see - there's some education there - I always thought it was 'Disneyland' in California and 'Disneyworld' in Florida. Things you learn, huh?)
There's plenty more to discover in this book, inside and outside of Walt Disney World, and if you enjoy this book, then follow it with her sequel, Backpacked: A reluctant trip across Central America. It is possible to enjoy both books by reading Backpacked first, but Backpacked flows better if you've already read Mousetrapped.
September 16, 2010
Mousetrapped is a fluffy read written by an Irish girl who doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, so she decides to move to Florida and work at Walt Disney World. The book couldn't really decide what it wanted to be: part memoir, part travelogue, part soapbox. The memoir parts were funny and entertaining, the travelogue parts were a bit dry, and the soapbox parts were just annoying. The book almost gives the impression of being self-published, since I think a real editor would have taken out the boring parts and encouraged more of the witty and funny parts. It's not a book to buy, but if you happen to see it in the library (or if you can get it on Kindle for less than $3, like I did) it's worth the quick read. Just be prepared to skip through the slower parts.
June 25, 2011
Was an okay read that I finished in under a day. If you're looking to read a strictly Disney base book you might want to pass this by because the author also really enjoys NASA and one chapter is almost a crib notes version of the history of NASA and kind of ruins the flow of the book. Another chapter about going to a religious theme park in Orlando, The Holy Land Experience, is so full of anger and dislike that it takes the author whom you really start liking and rooting for and changes her to the point if it was earlier in the book I may have stopped reading it. At the end of the book she share that the chapter had been heavily edited to remove anger for this edition compared to earlier editions and the original version can be read on her website.
October 1, 2011
This is a fun summer read.
This was a great easy read that entertained me and made me smile. I loved the author's description of her surroundings, made me feel like I was in Florida.
I love how the author put into words her thoughts about leaving Disney World, "But equally, I sometimes feared that I was living in a kind of suspended animation. Disney World and Orlando tended to be a magnet for people who never wanted to grow up, a kind of Neverland...."
There is something magical in the Disney Theme Parks and it doesn't matter how old you are, you feel it as soon as you are in the park.
Michelle R. Cullum
This was a great easy read that entertained me and made me smile. I loved the author's description of her surroundings, made me feel like I was in Florida.
I love how the author put into words her thoughts about leaving Disney World, "But equally, I sometimes feared that I was living in a kind of suspended animation. Disney World and Orlando tended to be a magnet for people who never wanted to grow up, a kind of Neverland...."
There is something magical in the Disney Theme Parks and it doesn't matter how old you are, you feel it as soon as you are in the park.
Michelle R. Cullum
April 20, 2013
Significantly better than Backpacked: A Reluctant Trip Across Central America. Howard is a fairly decent writer, and tells stories in a satisfactory manner. In Mousetrapped, we find her, like Backpacked, in a scenario where she is usually broke and complaining about how tough her life is.
But somehow Disney World suits her style of storytelling better than Central America. The juxtaposition of the perfect fantasy world and the harsh realities of a foreigner living abroad in a crappy apartment with less than ideal working conditions makes for an interesting narrative.
But somehow Disney World suits her style of storytelling better than Central America. The juxtaposition of the perfect fantasy world and the harsh realities of a foreigner living abroad in a crappy apartment with less than ideal working conditions makes for an interesting narrative.
October 4, 2015
I chose this book as I enjoy travel books and my favourite holiday ever was in Orlando. This book is about Catherine's experience of working in a hotel in Orlando and her visits to places like Epcot, Kennedy Space Center and what it is like living in Orlando. I really enjoyed this book as Catherine is very down to earth, funny and easy to relate to. It was also interesting to hear about places like celebration town that she visited and her opinions on it. If you are not interested in space you might find the section about her interest in this subject hard work, but her enthusiasm for this area rubs off on you. Overall I thought this book was a great read and I am looking forward to reading her book Backpacked.
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