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3.33 AVERAGE
3.33 AVERAGE
The main text follows Ida in a colorful reminisce of her life. The beginning is dated Vienna 1802, but nothing else from the story dates it much: Ida longs to explore the world and is naturally as wild as her brothers, but her mother tries to reign her in to more traditional activities. And for awhile, Ida toes the line. She marries and has children, and they grow up. Once they move out, Ida recalls her dream to travel the world and makes good on it. She begins her adventures, describing seasickness, the animals she observes, the various cultures she meets. Her narrative and the colorful illustrations combine for a triumphant tale of unbridled joy in the face of society's traditional gender restrictions. It's a story as relevant today as it was 220 years ago, and this part of the story reads as a straight picture book.
The afterward gives a more detailed description of Ida's life, noting that it wasn't until she was forty-four that she began her journeys. She published popular travel writing that was translated into several languages. She herself spoke several languages and was interested in photography. She eventually died from the effects of malaria. At the very end is a map detailing her two journeys. Something about those two lines that crisscross so many countries and wildernesses and difficult seas is so powerful, knowing the limited resources available to women at the time and the rigors of such a journey for any adventurer. The entire package is a moving reminder about how it is never too late to pursue your dreams. And of course, rigid gender stereotypes are absurd.
I would love to read Ida Pfeiffer's original writings, or find a more extensive biography.
The afterward gives a more detailed description of Ida's life, noting that it wasn't until she was forty-four that she began her journeys. She published popular travel writing that was translated into several languages. She herself spoke several languages and was interested in photography. She eventually died from the effects of malaria. At the very end is a map detailing her two journeys. Something about those two lines that crisscross so many countries and wildernesses and difficult seas is so powerful, knowing the limited resources available to women at the time and the rigors of such a journey for any adventurer. The entire package is a moving reminder about how it is never too late to pursue your dreams. And of course, rigid gender stereotypes are absurd.
I would love to read Ida Pfeiffer's original writings, or find a more extensive biography.