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psalmcat's review
4.0
True travel stories really are amazing, and much weirder than anything you'd believe in a novel. Some examples in this book are more than a little boring, but there are some truly unbelievable events included. If you've ever run into someone from your hometown in a completely foreign place, you'll recognize yourself in these pages.
annaclarimoto's review
4.0
What a wonderful journey across different countries, through different eyes and situations. Puts the magic back into travel, real life truly is, better than fiction :)
barbarajean's review against another edition
2.0
It wasn’t. Better than fiction, that is.😉
I was disappointed in this collection of travel stories. There were a few I really liked (especially Bryce Courtenay’s “Getting Travel Dirt Under Your Fingernails” as well as Cunningham’s “Kind of Blue,” Finch’s “A Small World After All,” and Kelman’s “Before the Monsoon”), but overall, there just wasn’t enough depth to each story for me. There was also a bit too much of the Westerner using locals as props for a story, which bothered me a lot (“Chasing Missionaries” in particular). I was looking for more reflection, more exploration of how travel can change us and deepen our perception of the world. Travel so often does that for me, and I missed that depth in this collection.
I was disappointed in this collection of travel stories. There were a few I really liked (especially Bryce Courtenay’s “Getting Travel Dirt Under Your Fingernails” as well as Cunningham’s “Kind of Blue,” Finch’s “A Small World After All,” and Kelman’s “Before the Monsoon”), but overall, there just wasn’t enough depth to each story for me. There was also a bit too much of the Westerner using locals as props for a story, which bothered me a lot (“Chasing Missionaries” in particular). I was looking for more reflection, more exploration of how travel can change us and deepen our perception of the world. Travel so often does that for me, and I missed that depth in this collection.
emilybolivia's review against another edition
4.0
What a neat concept for a book and so well executed. The short length of the stories and the sheer number made this book easy to put down and took me longer to finish than most. The stories themselves were so engaging though! They were well written and conveyed the wonder of seeing new sights, meeting new people, and the power of pushing beyond your comfort zone for the sake of experience.
jwoshka's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.25
Overall 3.27 stars! It was very slow at the beginning but many of the stories were very fun. I'd say don't go into this book expecting exciting adventures (although there are a few of those) but mostly a reflection on travel itself. At worst it was boring and at best it completely changed my view (see Death Trip - a story I will be coming back to)
Going South - Lovely story but a bit lacking. 3
Kind of Blue - 2.5
Huaxi Watermill - 3.5
Shooting Pompeii - 3
The Mountain Mine - Written beautifully 2.5
The Tin Can - lots of weird references that I had no idea how to interpret, but I really enjoyed the parts that I understood. 3
Among Saudi Sands - 4.5
Quetzal - 4.5
Off the beaten track in Malawi - 4
Adrift in the Solomon Islands - 5
Confessions of a Coconut Soup Eater - boring 1
Sudan: the Scarface Express - fun! 3.5
Chasing Missionaries - 3.5
In Bear Trap Canyon - 2
A Tohunga with a Promise to Keep - 3
Death Trip - thought provoking 4.5
A Visit to San Quentin - some weird ideas about prisoners but overall very interesting 4
On My Way Home - kind of weird but fun 2.5
You, Me and the Sea - 3
The Fairbanks Shakespeare Camp - 1.5
When Things Make No Sense - intriguing stories about Cuba 3
The Way to Hav - 3
A Tango with Freud - 4
Getting Travel Dirt Under Your Fingernails - felt preachy at times 1.5
A Small World After All - made me laugh quite a few times. I will perhaps use the greeting 'Here come the homosexuals' more often. 4
The Thieves of Rome - 4
Arriving in Luxembourg - 2.5
Mumbai: Before the Monsoon - the author used "dough-eyed" instead of "doe-eyed"?? Sometimes undecipherable but overall okay 3.5
An Alpine Escape - 4
Who Wants a Girl? - made me cry ;-; 4.5
Into Unknown Climes - 4
Nuestro Pueblo - 2.5
The author introductions at the start of each story felt a little bit obnoxious with all the book name flinging but I'm glad I've been introduced to a bunch of new authors.
Another note: you can tell that most of these authors grew up with money since they travelled plenty without worrying about funds. Especially Quetzal kind of pissed me off with the excessive flaunting of ignorant wealth. I guess living the immigrant life has made me salty about all these people living their dreams as writers.
Going South - Lovely story but a bit lacking. 3
Kind of Blue - 2.5
Huaxi Watermill - 3.5
Shooting Pompeii - 3
The Mountain Mine - Written beautifully 2.5
The Tin Can - lots of weird references that I had no idea how to interpret, but I really enjoyed the parts that I understood. 3
Among Saudi Sands - 4.5
Quetzal - 4.5
Off the beaten track in Malawi - 4
Adrift in the Solomon Islands - 5
Confessions of a Coconut Soup Eater - boring 1
Sudan: the Scarface Express - fun! 3.5
Chasing Missionaries - 3.5
In Bear Trap Canyon - 2
A Tohunga with a Promise to Keep - 3
Death Trip - thought provoking 4.5
A Visit to San Quentin - some weird ideas about prisoners but overall very interesting 4
On My Way Home - kind of weird but fun 2.5
You, Me and the Sea - 3
The Fairbanks Shakespeare Camp - 1.5
When Things Make No Sense - intriguing stories about Cuba 3
The Way to Hav - 3
A Tango with Freud - 4
Getting Travel Dirt Under Your Fingernails - felt preachy at times 1.5
A Small World After All - made me laugh quite a few times. I will perhaps use the greeting 'Here come the homosexuals' more often. 4
The Thieves of Rome - 4
Arriving in Luxembourg - 2.5
Mumbai: Before the Monsoon - the author used "dough-eyed" instead of "doe-eyed"?? Sometimes undecipherable but overall okay 3.5
An Alpine Escape - 4
Who Wants a Girl? - made me cry ;-; 4.5
Into Unknown Climes - 4
Nuestro Pueblo - 2.5
The author introductions at the start of each story felt a little bit obnoxious with all the book name flinging but I'm glad I've been introduced to a bunch of new authors.
Another note: you can tell that most of these authors grew up with money since they travelled plenty without worrying about funds. Especially Quetzal kind of pissed me off with the excessive flaunting of ignorant wealth. I guess living the immigrant life has made me salty about all these people living their dreams as writers.
michaelnlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I read this and the follow-up "Better Than Fiction 2" out of order. I liked the second one a lot more. This is still not bad, though.
There were two items that seemed surprising, where the story recounted didn't put the author in a particularly good light. In one the author was trying to make a point, but in the other, I don't think the person really understood the consequences of her actions for the local person. Odd.
There were two items that seemed surprising, where the story recounted didn't put the author in a particularly good light. In one the author was trying to make a point, but in the other, I don't think the person really understood the consequences of her actions for the local person. Odd.
lynn4309e's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
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