A review by anna_whitehead11
Turning by Jessica J. Lee

adventurous hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

This was a very gentle and peaceful read which blends the genres of travel writing and memoir just perfectly! Lee is half-Canadian, half-Chinese, and has relocated to Berlin for her academic research, and her reflections on her childhood, her identity and her experience as a newcomer in Germany’s buzzing capital are weaved into her adventures exploring the lakes in and around Berlin. It’s Year Abroad Blog writing we all aspire to. She also hits the spot with references to Theodor Fontane and the preoccupation with nature and waterscapes in German Romanticism, and her remarks on the relationship between physical landscapes and cultural history (particularly apt in a city such as Berlin) are thoughtful and add a certain depth to the book. 

I’ve often felt frustrated by the number of European travelogues written from the perspective (and with the humour) of a middle-aged male Brit who larks around the Continent trying various beers, and so the discovery of Turning was particularly welcome.