Bok Review- Lynne Martin's Home Sweet Anywhere

Travel is my favorite section in most bookstores, but Vroman's in Pasadena has a particularly great selection of travel writing. Lynne Martin's memoir Home Sweet Anywhere was one of my finds on my most recent visit to Vroman's.

PLOT - In her late sixties, Lynne Martin reconnected with a former love, Tim. They hadn't been a right fit when they dated thirty-five years earlier, but they had maintained their friendship as they went on the marry other people and have children. They reconnected when Tim was single, but Lynne was caring for her dying husband. There was an undeniable spark that had to be put on hold as Lynne took care of her beloved husband. After grieving, Lynne was ready for the next phase in her life, which included a relationship with Tim. They soon realized that a late-in-life love was not the only thing that they still wanted out of life. They both had the wanderlust bug and decided that they needed to see the world while they were still healthy enough to do so. There was so much to see and zero time to waste.

Tim and Lynne crunched numbers and they realized that they could sell their house and invest their funds, using the earnings on their investments to live abroad. They would effectively be "Home Free". In their first year abroad, they traversed the globe spending large chunks of time in Mexico, Turkey, Argentina, Ireland, France, Italy, Britain and Morocco. Home Sweet Anywhere is the result of a connection that led Lynne to move from blogging about her travels to writing an article for The Wall Street Journal. This article would jumpstart her writing career, eventually leading to this book.

LIKE - I like Tim and Lynne's adventurous spirit and spunkiness. They simply didn't care that everyone thought that they were crazy. The just went after the way of life that they wanted to live. I think that the theme of not wasting a single moment is valid for any age. Yes, the Martin's are older and aware that their travel days may be numbered, but none of us know how long we have and their story serves as a strong reminder to make the most of every opportunity. The Martin's are an inspiration.

Lynne paints beautiful images of the countries that they visited. If you're on a diet ( like I am), tread carefully while reading, as there are many mouthwatering descriptions of their meals. The Martin's are foodies.

The Martin's tried their best to avoid being tourists and to really live in their host countries. Most of the time, this worked in their favor, but they did encounter cultures where they struggled, in particular in Argentina. The big take-away seemed to be that in most cases, stepping back and observing situations before interacting can save missteps. 

Home Sweet Anywhere ends with a chapter filled with advice for anyone who is considering living "Home Free." There is plenty of good information to be gleaned from this last chapter.

I found Lynne's path to becoming a published author to be interesting. Much of the last half of the book deals with Lynne's journey in writing Home Sweet Anywhere. She didn't set out to be a writer, so her story is unconventional. 

DISLIKE - Overall, I very much enjoyed Home Sweet Anywhere. Occasionally, the chapters or situations ran long and my interest in the situation or country was uneven. Their time in Mexico and Ireland were less engaging, while I was totally locked-in during the chapter on Turkey. Although, even the slow chapters still had aspects that interested me. I guess it's like traveling, there will always be favorite moments or favorite locations.

RECOMMEND -  Yes. Home Sweet Anywhere is a must for those with wanderlust or who love travel writing. It's also a strong pick if you are planning a trip to the locations that the Martin's visited. I'm looking forward to checking out Lynne's blog to read about their travels beyond the scope of this book. 

Book Review- John Marshall's Wide-Open World

As many of my frequent readers already know, I'm taking a memoir class this quarter through UCLA Extension. I'm on a memoir kick, both in my writing and in my choice of reading. I saw John Marshall's Wide Open-World on Netgalley and it looked to be the perfect blend of my love for memoirs and travel writing. Thank you to Ballantine Books for approving my request for an advanced copy of Wide Open-World. 

John Marshall is living an average American life with his wife, Traca and two teenagers, Logan and Jackson. Their hectic lives revolve around work, school and being hooked on their gadgets. Although their lives are blessed in many ways, John and Traca can't help but feel like there is more out there. Prior to having kids, they had dreams of travel and they even spent a year in a Portuguese village when their children were young. On a flight home from a yoga retreat (Traca's idea that John eventually embraced), John had an idea come to him. The words Year of Service popped into his head. 

Traca was immediately on board with the idea of spending a year removed from their current lives, traveling the world as volunteers. Although they had hoped to move quickly, it took many months to get their affairs in order to make it happen. There is an interesting section at the end of the book where Marshall explains the logistics, like finances, renting their home and taking the kids out of school. He is very candid about the financial implications and gives great advice for anyone who wants to attempt a similar trip. 

The original plan was to spend a month in each location, moving to different continents. They would volunteer at an organization that would in turn, provide them room and board. It's not always an even exchange as many places are underfunded, so they need to charge an additional fee. The Marshall family soon realized that they would have to be flexible in their arrangements, as some places were a better fit for them than others and some of their travel plans had to be changed at the last minute. Flexibility and patience were key in many situations. Some of the organizations were located in remote regions, which included long bus or boat rides to reach their destination.

Marshall's memoir was compelling on many levels. It's an entertaining travel memoir. As much as I love the idea of traveling and adventure, I've come to realize that I'm more of a five-star hotel type of traveler. Marshall does a great job of writing for the reader like me, someone who wants to live vicariously through his experiences, rather than actually doing them myself. I love the idea of volunteer-tourism, but the thought of an eighteen hour bus ride through the jungle makes it a tough sell. Eventually the pains of travel are overshadowed by the clear joy that the Marshall family receives from their experiences in the various countries. It's infectious and touching. In particular, the way that the Marshall children learn to embrace the hard work and the relationships that they make is wonderful. It shows that teenagers can easily rise to the occasion, if they are given responsibility. I could feel Marshall's sense of pride in his teens. 

In addition to being touching, Marshall's book is very funny. He has a keen sense of humor as he finds himself out of his element and he does a solid job at translating that in his writing. As a protagonist, Marshall is extremely likable, even when he has a misstep. One of the more horrendous and semi-funny parts of the book was a cautionary tale as to why you shouldn't just rent out your house to the first person who comes along. The Marshall family came home to a huge problem with their renter! Also, watch out for spider monkeys in Costa Rica. 

I didn't expect one of the last chapters, where Marshall reflects on his marriage to Traca, to leave me so heartbroken. He had some very profound thoughts on what it means to be married, thoughts that stuck in my mind for several weeks after finishing the book. I don't want to give it away, but I highly recommend this book, even if you skip to the very end to read the marriage portion.

Wide-Open World is highly enjoyable. I really grew to love every member of the Marshall family as I read this book. I hope that Marshall plans to write more on his travel adventures, as I would definitely want to be along for the ride.

Book Review - Kate Mayfield's The Undertaker's Daughter

While browsing books on NetGalley, Kate Mayfield's memoir, The Undertaker's Daughter caught my eye. Thank you to Gallery Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

PLOT - Kate Mayfield grew up as the daughter of an undertaker. Her father, Frank, moved his family to the small town of Jubilee, Kentucky when Mayfield was a young child. It was hard enough to make new friends in this tight-knit community, but it was even harder when your family lives in a funeral home. To make matters more difficult, Mayfield defied the 1960's mores of Jubilee, by secretly dating African-American boys in her recently desegregated school.

Throughout her memoir, Mayfield weaves in stories of fellow Jubilee citizens that came through their family funeral home, including an eccentric town recluse, who in life, developed a close bond with Frank. Mayfield spends much of her memoir examining the dynamics of her family, which include her father and older sister's erratic behavior and violent outbursts.

LIKE - There were so many elements that I enjoyed in The Undertaker's Daughter. Foremost, Mayfield is a likable protagonist. I liked that she was a bit different from the other people in her community and that although she struggles with this, it also clearly shapes her into the adult that is able to write this memoir with a strong sense of perspective. I enjoyed a glimpse into what it would be like to live in a funeral home. Mayfield is never disrespectful or exploitive, but she does retell some fascinating stories about issues that arise in the funeral business.

Although she speaks much of death and funerals, this memoir is really about her and her family. There is a fair bit of dysfunction that is hidden beneath the surface of this well-mannered southern family. Her father is an alcoholic who is repeatedly unfaithful to Mayfield's mother, a woman who fights for her husband in spite of his faults. Mayfield's oldest sister, Evelyn, is dangerous and will not be diagnosed or treated for bipolar disorder until she is middle-aged, long after she has become estranged from Mayfield. 

On a personal note, the end of the memoir has the Mayfield's dealing with a court case involving an inheritance. A similar issue happened in my family and this entire section gave me knots in my stomach. I could relate and I just felt terrible about the injustice and fell on the Mayfield family.

DISLIKE - There was nothing to dislike. Mayfield is a wonderful writer and she has a fascinating life to tell. The story ends with her as an adult in London, so I'm hoping that she will have another memoir to continue her adventures. I'd definitely read more!

RECOMMEND - Absolutely! This memoir will reach a lot of people for various reasons- those interested in life in the 60's, people interested in what it would be like to live in a funeral home, people with dysfunctional families, et...there is a lot going on in The Undertaker's Daughter and it's good stuff!