What do you think?
Rate this book
Storm: A Motorcycle Journey of Love, Endurance, and Transformation
Begun as a grand adventure, Storm tells the story of a trip that quickly became a tumultuous test of endurance. When the Baltic States of the former Soviet Union opened up, Allen and his girlfriend Suzanne were drawn to the prospect of traveling together once again. Setting out on a motorcycle, the two seasoned travelers rode through Germany, Denmark, and Sweden to the Arctic Circle, then on to Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Though they'd been together for seven years, and thought they knew what to expect from an extended road trip, they couldn't foresee the unrelenting natural elements, shifts in once-shared dreams, or fissures in their relationship that lay ahead. Often darkly humorous, Storm reveals a couple's love and the fragility of human connections as it recounts the journey that became a test of both riders' physical and emotional endurance.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2000
2 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 22, 2013
Poor editing and unpleasant, passive-aggressive protagonists made even the travel irritating and boring. I don't know why I kept reading.
May 29, 2021
An interesting about two people's experience in early 1980's as they set off for an extended motorcycle trip though the Russia's Baltic states. Part love story, part travelogue, what the couple didn't plan for was the horrific weather, desolate landscapes, and most significant, the toll this would take on their relationship.
I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Germany, Sweden, Finland and other countries which were rich, and highly descriptive. Throughout the book it felt that Noren cared far less about the welfare of someone he claims to love but rather about the completion of the trip, regardless the damage left in its path.
I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Germany, Sweden, Finland and other countries which were rich, and highly descriptive. Throughout the book it felt that Noren cared far less about the welfare of someone he claims to love but rather about the completion of the trip, regardless the damage left in its path.
February 13, 2011
I thought a book about travel on a motorcycle around the Baltic Sea would be interesting - but not so much, as it turns out.
Apparently the summer they traveled was some kind of record for rain and bad weather in this part of the world and the author's girlfriend was miserable and seemed determined to make him miserable and he in turn wants his readers to feel miserable, too. What fun! Not.
I thought the travel to St Petersburg would be interesting but they were turned back at the border when they arrived on a motorcycle (this was in the 1990s) and so their visit to Russia was less than a week, taking a train to St Pete and returning to Estonia by bus. The motorcycle travel through the Baltic states of the former Soviet Union describes a long (for these travelers) stay in Estonia, including a visit to Saaremaa that is a high point in this book, but otherwise they drove as fast as they could to get the trip over with. They didn't really even stop in Lithuania.
At the time I was reading this I confess I was suspicious that the author wasn't really a guy - I have never, ever read anything where any guy spent so much time moaning about what his girlfriend might be thinking. A normal guy would have given in to what she wanted, like go to Spain and lay on the beach.
Finally, my main question was not answered - after shipping a BMW motorcycle from California to Germany (back to Germany, I should say) they then return to Germany on their way home and ..... well, did they sell it there (with a mph speedometer and not set up for the German market) or really ship the thing back to the US? Oh well. I think the motorcycle had a good trip, at least.
Apparently the summer they traveled was some kind of record for rain and bad weather in this part of the world and the author's girlfriend was miserable and seemed determined to make him miserable and he in turn wants his readers to feel miserable, too. What fun! Not.
I thought the travel to St Petersburg would be interesting but they were turned back at the border when they arrived on a motorcycle (this was in the 1990s) and so their visit to Russia was less than a week, taking a train to St Pete and returning to Estonia by bus. The motorcycle travel through the Baltic states of the former Soviet Union describes a long (for these travelers) stay in Estonia, including a visit to Saaremaa that is a high point in this book, but otherwise they drove as fast as they could to get the trip over with. They didn't really even stop in Lithuania.
At the time I was reading this I confess I was suspicious that the author wasn't really a guy - I have never, ever read anything where any guy spent so much time moaning about what his girlfriend might be thinking. A normal guy would have given in to what she wanted, like go to Spain and lay on the beach.
Finally, my main question was not answered - after shipping a BMW motorcycle from California to Germany (back to Germany, I should say) they then return to Germany on their way home and ..... well, did they sell it there (with a mph speedometer and not set up for the German market) or really ship the thing back to the US? Oh well. I think the motorcycle had a good trip, at least.
December 14, 2007
Well-written, but sad ... at a few points depressingly so as the couple grows further and further apart.
July 5, 2012
Interesting journey about the places they went and the people they met. It’s a trip I’ll probably never make.
August 17, 2015
Didn't like it. The travel bits were interesting but the whiny protagonists really dragged it down.
May 7, 2022
A well written true story, sure to be enjoyed by every avid or wannabe motorcycle traveler.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews