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patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
The time is 1989. Very few people have mobile phones, the internet is in its infancy and British graduates flock to America for working holidays. I think Camp America and BUNAC's Work America style programs have gone a bit out of fashion now but I do remember them being very popular. Emma and her best friend Dee go for the Work America option, convinced they will make a fortune.
Of course, they struggle to find jobs and when they do they're not well paid. Having a contact in San Francisco, they'd decided to base themselves there however their return flight leaves from New York. Emma and Dee must somehow get across the country on a barely there budget. Not only that, but Emma seems to have inherited the holiday bad luck gene from her parents.
Not as funny as The Tent, the Bucket and Me but then I don't have any experience of back-packing to compare this to. Maybe you'll read it and identify with lots of their struggles. One thing that does ring true, the more you try and do things on the cheap, the more likely things are to go wrong... When they do go wrong, they appear ten times worse because you have no money to get yourself out of it!
Emma's books document a slice in time that we won't see again. Just like her family's camping experiences, working and travelling abroad has changed so much. I don't think anyone would be naive enough to set out without back-up funds and there is the constant communication we have in the internet to help us out.
Of course, they struggle to find jobs and when they do they're not well paid. Having a contact in San Francisco, they'd decided to base themselves there however their return flight leaves from New York. Emma and Dee must somehow get across the country on a barely there budget. Not only that, but Emma seems to have inherited the holiday bad luck gene from her parents.
Not as funny as The Tent, the Bucket and Me but then I don't have any experience of back-packing to compare this to. Maybe you'll read it and identify with lots of their struggles. One thing that does ring true, the more you try and do things on the cheap, the more likely things are to go wrong... When they do go wrong, they appear ten times worse because you have no money to get yourself out of it!
Emma's books document a slice in time that we won't see again. Just like her family's camping experiences, working and travelling abroad has changed so much. I don't think anyone would be naive enough to set out without back-up funds and there is the constant communication we have in the internet to help us out.
hetty8000's review against another edition
4.0
I got this as a First Read and I really enjoyed it. It only loses a star for the reason I gave in my first update while reading it... The author mentions playing netball against a school, which is the school I attended, and she mispelt the name of the school - it's Dame Alice Harpur, not Dame Alice Harper. I have no objections to her opinion of the school or the girls who went there, but if you're writing a factual book, you should check your facts!!!
gerda7's review against another edition
3.0
I was expecting a road trip across america so was a little dissapointed to find this was a collection of mishaps that happened to be in america.
rubyredfox's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
caitietatey's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the tent the bucket and me, so I was very much looking forward to this, but I have to say it left a nagging sense of disappointment. It was funny, but felt a bit like someone, who's first joke has worked well, trying to eke it out further despite the material not being so good. Whereas Emma and her family's exploits camping were charming, whimsical, and plain laugh out loud funny, her time in America couldn't help but feel like an unmitigated disaster punctuated by a few slightly amusing anecdotes. It's ok, but just not as readable on the whole.
_isabel_'s review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed it!
Emma and Dee's friedship was beautiful and their trip across the States was so so funny, I laughed out loud many times.
They nearly got kidnapped, killed by a tree and had to live on carots for days. Earthquakes, storms, jellyfish, skunks. And so much more!
The situations these two got themselves into were so unfortunate, so absurd but REALLY hilarious!
Emma and Dee's friedship was beautiful and their trip across the States was so so funny, I laughed out loud many times.
They nearly got kidnapped, killed by a tree and had to live on carots for days. Earthquakes, storms, jellyfish, skunks. And so much more!
The situations these two got themselves into were so unfortunate, so absurd but REALLY hilarious!
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
5.0
Another hilarious travel book from Emma Kennedy, makes you wonder why anyone would choose to go on holiday with her!