Reviews with content warning for Addiction - Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life

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Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life by Brianna Madia

4 reviews

gh2mi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

An excellent memoir on two fronts: not only is it an inspiring and fascinating nonfiction, Madia's presentation heightens the book from being a great recollection to a story so excellently told that I would almost believe was fiction. Madia's storytelling capabilities are incredibly evocative (as I would hope from someone writing about their life). I listened to her transfixed as she hilariously, viscerally, and reflectively presented her life, jumping back to the past to present fascinating throughlines. The quality of this memoir makes the fact that it is nonfiction all the more amazing. I could not recommend this enough.

The author also narrates her memoir! I found she largely did a good job, and in some parts was downright great. I would recommend this audiobook! Hearing the person who wrote it kept me grounded in reality, making it all the more interesting.

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merakiforest's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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caitlinpfry's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I have been following Bri on Instagram since 2017 and have read about her highs and her lows and the trolls in between.

I don’t read memoirs to confirm my own perspectives about a person. I read memoirs to put myself into that person’s shoes as much as a person can from a book. While in those shoes I am a witness to the relationships, the feelings, and the conflicts that individual has experienced.

What makes this a 5 star memoir? Brianna is raw - she acknowledges her “tortured artist past” to show that she is growing, learning, healing, and loving instead of choosing to focus on her past persona. A memoir isn’t for the reader, it’s for the writer. This book is a love letter and a forgiveness to herself. Don’t we all deserve to give ourselves that?

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coric's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

If you are asking yourself why someone would want to read the memoir of a nomadic social media influencer, then this is probably not the book for you. If you are curious about how Brianna Madia rose to Instagram fame and want some more behind the scenes peeks at her life, past and present, then pick it up. Having been a long time follower of hers, I found it both funny and poignant and was appreciative of her willingness to open up and share a bit more of herself. Here’s the thing. Brianna Madia is an entertainer and storyteller. Her chosen medium just happens to be lush pictures featuring herself in the photogenic Southwest with her pack of dogs, and of course, the infamous orange van known as Bertha. One can choose to be envious or dismissive of her chosen life, but the reality is she is good at what she does. She seems to like sharing a small slice of her life for public consumption and has earned a living doing so. Essentially, her job is offering an opportunity for a little armchair escapism. Personally, I don’t want Brianna’s life, and I don’t envy it. But, I sure do enjoy a few moments of escapism through her pictures and storytelling on Instagram. She’s charming, cheeky, and gorgeous, and I never get tired of cute dog pictures. What I never forget is that her life is not always idyllic and perfect. We mainly get the fun bits because, frankly, that's what most people want to see on social media. She is curating a very small bit of her actual life for us to see. She has worked hard for the life that she has, and I appreciated a little deeper dive into how she got here. Madia’s writing for her social media posts has hinted that she has bigger thoughts she wants to share with us and that she can write. This memoir offers the opportunity for you to fully enjoy her storytelling through words instead of pictures. What you get is why Brianna chose her nomadic lifestyle and chooses a life lived partially in the public eye despite the stress and tension that comes along with it. To explain how she arrived here, she shares significant moments and experiences from throughout her life, including childhood, meeting her husband, and of course, some of her epic adventures. She also doesn't shy away from what it has cost her and the painful episodes she unexpectedly had to live through in a very public way and the resulting criticisms and attacks from many strangers. This memoir has allowed her to dig in and share a little more of herself beyond the beautiful landscapes and adventures she seems to be constantly chasing.

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