Scan barcode
jenmat1197's review
4.0
This is the story of the author's own visit to Belgium in the late 1990s. He and his wife and young daughter spent many months in Belgium - traveling all over the country visiting as many cities as they could. He gives a recount of Belgium history, and speaks to many of the locals about their customs and cultures.
This was a pretty good book. It has a few funny parts, but I think it would have been funnier if I would have been 1) English and 2) up on English pop culture references of the 1990s. So some of the humor was lost on me. However - this did not really deter from the book - I enjoyed learning a lot about the different cities in Belgium and the history of Belgium as well. It was a good find for my Read The World Challenge. If you are planning on visiting Belgium, I would put this book on your list.
This was a pretty good book. It has a few funny parts, but I think it would have been funnier if I would have been 1) English and 2) up on English pop culture references of the 1990s. So some of the humor was lost on me. However - this did not really deter from the book - I enjoyed learning a lot about the different cities in Belgium and the history of Belgium as well. It was a good find for my Read The World Challenge. If you are planning on visiting Belgium, I would put this book on your list.
ashugirl's review
3.0
Somewhat dated, somewhat scattered, and somewhat charming account of Harry Pearson's summer spent traveling with his wife and daughter around Belgium. I read this in the hopes of gaining a light-hearted insight into the country I will soon call my home. Pearson's telling, however, is a bit all over the place and even he seems bored by his own writing by the end of the book, which ends fairly abruptly. He can be witty, but although some of his prose made me smile, it was not as funny as I had hoped. The book also lacks a consistent narrative thread and I found myself on more than one occasion turning back one page to try to figure out why on earth he was suddenly writing about a cafe in Ghent a paragraph after arriving in Brussels.
The good: some amusing anecdotes, some interesting and informative tidbits about the Flemish/Walloon divide, and just enough history to make me want to read more about Belgian history.
The bad: written in the late 90s and thus relatively dated, scattered narrative, and (for my tastes) far too many pages devoted to sport. (He devoted 10 pages to the Tour of Flanders, for example, many more than to any other subject, including prominent artists, writers, and historical figures.)
The good: some amusing anecdotes, some interesting and informative tidbits about the Flemish/Walloon divide, and just enough history to make me want to read more about Belgian history.
The bad: written in the late 90s and thus relatively dated, scattered narrative, and (for my tastes) far too many pages devoted to sport. (He devoted 10 pages to the Tour of Flanders, for example, many more than to any other subject, including prominent artists, writers, and historical figures.)
vrop's review
4.0
I would not recommend this book to someone wanting to visit Belgium, his descriptions of dirty train stations, dingy hotel rooms and musty museum exhibits are far from appealing (maybe it's supposed to be funny?). Nevertheless, I was very impressed at how good he gets the Belgians and the cultural differences between the north and the south. Add to that a very generous sprinkle of history and interesting anecdotes (that include interesting beer names), and suddenly this book transforms into a really great read.
My only problem was that the author seems to go out on tangents that go on for pages, only to abruptly return to the point, which makes sometimes for a confusing read.
My only problem was that the author seems to go out on tangents that go on for pages, only to abruptly return to the point, which makes sometimes for a confusing read.
More...