Life in the Left Lane

by Emy Thomas

Life in the Left Lane is a short and lively nonfiction book about what it's really like for expatriates to live in a tropical island paradise. Written by a journalist who has lived in the islands for more than thirty-five years, it is an honest, affectionate and humorous report on all aspects of the adventure, from adjusting to island time to making a living, building a dream house and coping with hurricanes. Her vivid descriptions of carnival, the Creole language, gardening and island food, and her insightful observations about minority status, politics, religion and crime, are enlightening reading for anyone curious about life in the Caribbean. The author writes about the islands in general, but specifically her island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands, where driving in the left lane in cars designed to drive on the right is but one of the idiosyncrasies of quirky island style.

Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kristin Kasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this "how to" book when I was vacationing in St. Croix. Excellent read and very easy to get through. If you are planning to visit or live in St. Croix, this is a must read.

[Jennifer Matchey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great quick read that is a must before living in the islands - learned a lot!

[Kaylee Wimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers so many different topics about island life so a good book for anyone. Even if you don’t particularly care about certain sections, there will be something interesting to you. Very easy read.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for some general overviews of what it's like to live in St. Croix, this is a decent book for that. It was fairly simple and not always very engaging, but there were parts that were pretty interesting. It was easy to read.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

a brief once over of the island life on St. Croix it was published in 2002 so parts of it sound a little dated. It's about what I expected

[Jerlyn Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's slightly dated which was expected but it has a very accurate view of the island... This was great to read because even I learned something new even though I grew up in St. Croix.

[shannon taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just preparing....

Stay left! Slow down! Say good morning, good afternoon, good evening, enjoy the view, slow down more, bring money lots, !

[Bonnie Odin · Rating 5 out of 5]

All true! Life in the islands with some history and background info about St. Croix to boot. Recommend