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dianametzger's review against another edition
3.0
Meandering, but the prose is so gorgeous that fluidity doesn't matter. This could be fiction, non-fiction, prose poem, flash memoir--who the hell cares how you classify her work, it's just plain sexy, standout writing.
jlasch's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book, but it ended up being just too scattered and intellectual for me. This novel resembled a series of pages torn for the narrator's (Pam) travel journal, and then shuffled like a deck of cards, so I was never quite sure if the stories where in true chronological order, although I knew they were generally in the right order. The short stories weren't a bad format, but I never felt truly engaged with any of the characters, including the narrator.
Throughout the novel there were pieces of writing that started creating a real connection to the narrator, but then the focus reverted back to the alignment of Pam's shakiras, and I checked out again. The places Pam visited were described with magical wonderment, and this saved the novel, but the stories could have been so much more if the characters of the people she visited were developed more richly. As a side note, I will have to seriously contemplate boarding a plane anytime in the near future. Some of the harrowing airplane experiences she described seem all too real to me, definitely a tribute to her writing in these chapters.
Throughout the novel there were pieces of writing that started creating a real connection to the narrator, but then the focus reverted back to the alignment of Pam's shakiras, and I checked out again. The places Pam visited were described with magical wonderment, and this saved the novel, but the stories could have been so much more if the characters of the people she visited were developed more richly. As a side note, I will have to seriously contemplate boarding a plane anytime in the near future. Some of the harrowing airplane experiences she described seem all too real to me, definitely a tribute to her writing in these chapters.
dcmr's review against another edition
3.0
I've enjoyed Pam Houston's other books but this one left me distant and disappointed. The writing style is intentionally disjointed — told through distilled travel vignettes — and while I applaud her taking the risk to tell a story in a new way, I just needed a more consistent thread to keep me interested.
connieaw's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun book to read. It should come with its own map!
antidietleah's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. I tried. I am genuinely interested in Pam Houston's life and travels but this book was too choppy and random to follow. The prose was nice, at times. Other times I sat there completely baffled.
erikawastaken's review against another edition
4.0
A novel told in 144 vignettes, by an extremely talented writer. Each "chapter" starts with an airline flight and the protagonists wanderlust takes her from Alaska to Laos to California to Mexico to Thailand.
Captured in these moments is the story of a woman who longs to see the world, breaks up with a man she should have never loved in the first place, and builds strong friendships with people around her.
The language is beautiful and so carefully crafted -- it's an excellent read!
Captured in these moments is the story of a woman who longs to see the world, breaks up with a man she should have never loved in the first place, and builds strong friendships with people around her.
The language is beautiful and so carefully crafted -- it's an excellent read!