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sally1's review against another edition
Usually, I love travel memoirs. This one, however, was just too much for this vegan, animal-rights reader to handle. Mention of unusual meals seemed to contain only animal parts, and the topic seemed to be the focus of each chapter. If not the eating of, then the exploitation of animals (taureaux piscine) told in an isn't-this-funny and who-cares-about-the-animals way.
A seasoned traveler myself, I understand and appreciate all the differences in cultures, and that's what I'd hoped to discover in this book. It just really wasn't the kind of writing that I looked forward to reading. I quit reading at Page 70.
A seasoned traveler myself, I understand and appreciate all the differences in cultures, and that's what I'd hoped to discover in this book. It just really wasn't the kind of writing that I looked forward to reading. I quit reading at Page 70.
kwugirl's review against another edition
3.0
Pleasant series of family travel essays of trips taken mostly to Europe and mostly in the 80s.
nadoislandgirl's review against another edition
3.0
Began very entertaining – but ended a bit same same.
jilljaracz's review against another edition
4.0
This collection of travel essays was good plane reading--I managed to polish it off on a two-leg travel day.
Trillin's humor is subtle and sly, and he's a traveler's writer--for those who travel a lot and have had your travels seep into your everyday live, he's your kind of guy. These essays talk about several trips to Italy, France, Spain and the Caribbean with his wife and daughters--how Trillin deals with language barriers and food issues (mostly fantastic), and unusual sports.
This was a fun read, and I plan to seek out Trillin's other books.
Trillin's humor is subtle and sly, and he's a traveler's writer--for those who travel a lot and have had your travels seep into your everyday live, he's your kind of guy. These essays talk about several trips to Italy, France, Spain and the Caribbean with his wife and daughters--how Trillin deals with language barriers and food issues (mostly fantastic), and unusual sports.
This was a fun read, and I plan to seek out Trillin's other books.
rachel_dacus's review against another edition
5.0
I'm halfway through this lackadaisical tour through Europe -- if in the 19th century they took the Grand Tour, this would have to be dubbed the Mini Tou -- and charmed by its irreverence and sly wit. My favorite sentence so far sums up everything wrong with the way this family approaches taking their kids to France and everything right with it as a summer vacation:
"I realize that in the matter of parents' responsibilty to pass on some appreciation for the culture of the Western world there is an argument for raising a child in a home where Santa Croce has never even once been referred to as 'the big church near the babyfoot bar." Still, I couldn't help imagining the looks on the faces of the local champs when Sarah's attack shot slammed into the goal. I had a feeling that babyfoot was Sarah's game.
"I realize that in the matter of parents' responsibilty to pass on some appreciation for the culture of the Western world there is an argument for raising a child in a home where Santa Croce has never even once been referred to as 'the big church near the babyfoot bar." Still, I couldn't help imagining the looks on the faces of the local champs when Sarah's attack shot slammed into the goal. I had a feeling that babyfoot was Sarah's game.
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