canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
5.0
I don't often read memoir novels but this one sounded interesting so I gave it a chance and I am so glad I read it.
This is the first memoir book I have read that actually kept my attention and kept me reading until the very end.
I think this is one I will be reading again sometime in the future.
I highly recommend this
This is the first memoir book I have read that actually kept my attention and kept me reading until the very end.
I think this is one I will be reading again sometime in the future.
I highly recommend this
syapotter's review against another edition
4.0
I would have loved the book a bit more if there were less flashbacks and more of the travel stories. It was a really good read though and I do love Katie so so much.
amyma's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed reading the parts of the book that were about the mom and daughter's adventures in Europe. I do not understand why the flashback of the mom's life were included, they were just plain boring. Maybe there wasn't enough material with just talking of the mom/daughter trips (although, I doubt it) and the other was filler. Whatever the reason, I got pretty good at glossing over those parts. I would recommend this book, especially to anyone planning a trip to Europe. Overall, it was a fun read, just skip the flashbacks.
kirchnerkd's review against another edition
5.0
This book gave me extreme wanderlust. I can’t wait to go back to Europe and I love the dynamic between Jennifer and Katie. It was a simple, quick read but worth the few hours.
stacers1973's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Good read, lots of humor.
We didn't change the days; we let the days change us.
My point is that sometimes the real story sucks and you need to stick with the version that's going to make you happy.
We didn't change the days; we let the days change us.
My point is that sometimes the real story sucks and you need to stick with the version that's going to make you happy.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
Seems like the thing that'll make a nostalgic read for Coburn's daughter, which seems like an extension of the point of their travels. When Coburn's daughter was still young, Coburn set out to make specific memories with her—memories of travelling through Europe. Paris and London and Amsterdam and so on and so forth...
I enjoyed the light feel of this, and Coburn's look back at her own upbringing, while it didn't always seem to fit into the present-day story, added some interesting texture to the story: her father in particular was not conventional, and understanding a bit about their relationship gives some context to some of her own tics. That said, I found that (as somebody who is a nervous traveller and just all-around generally anxious person) I didn't have all that much patience for reading about somebody else's travel anxiety. Not the travel anxiety itself—just reading about it. I guess I'm less interested in reading about somebody pushing through nerves to do normal touristy things than I am about reading about somebody pushing through nerves to do things that are more outside the box? I'm not sure that's quite what I mean.
Coburn's pretty self-aware about her quirks (sometimes personal, sometimes cultural), but I would have loved a bit more unpacking:
"Why you have such a big car?" he asked.
"My daughter plays soccer," I explained.
"One child?" I nodded to confirm.
"Mama mia," he said, scanning the length of the van. "You know how Italian children go to soccer game?" I raised my eyebrows to encourage an answer. "On Papa's motorcycle." (115)
But—to Coburn this seems self-explanatory, if a little excessive. To me (I'm not a parent; my siblings and I played sports, but my parents said hell no to a minivan) it is less self-explanatory. Why exactly does one sport-playing child necessitate a behemoth of a car...? This isn't a criticism of Coburn for having the car—just something that feels representative of a way in which she could have gone deeper, looked not only at her anxiety (especially travel anxiety) but at the more general picture.
I'm making no accusation here but poor phrasing. Like I said: nitpicky.
Still, for a light mother-daughter travel book, it's a nice read. I don't know how much difference this made in Coburn's everyday life, but at the very least this will be a lovely set of memories for her family.
I enjoyed the light feel of this, and Coburn's look back at her own upbringing, while it didn't always seem to fit into the present-day story, added some interesting texture to the story: her father in particular was not conventional, and understanding a bit about their relationship gives some context to some of her own tics. That said, I found that (as somebody who is a nervous traveller and just all-around generally anxious person) I didn't have all that much patience for reading about somebody else's travel anxiety. Not the travel anxiety itself—just reading about it. I guess I'm less interested in reading about somebody pushing through nerves to do normal touristy things than I am about reading about somebody pushing through nerves to do things that are more outside the box? I'm not sure that's quite what I mean.
Coburn's pretty self-aware about her quirks (sometimes personal, sometimes cultural), but I would have loved a bit more unpacking:
"Why you have such a big car?" he asked.
"My daughter plays soccer," I explained.
"One child?" I nodded to confirm.
"Mama mia," he said, scanning the length of the van. "You know how Italian children go to soccer game?" I raised my eyebrows to encourage an answer. "On Papa's motorcycle." (115)
But—to Coburn this seems self-explanatory, if a little excessive. To me (I'm not a parent; my siblings and I played sports, but my parents said hell no to a minivan) it is less self-explanatory. Why exactly does one sport-playing child necessitate a behemoth of a car...? This isn't a criticism of Coburn for having the car—just something that feels representative of a way in which she could have gone deeper, looked not only at her anxiety (especially travel anxiety) but at the more general picture.
Spoiler
Nitpicky note: Though 9/11 has been our generation's greatest tragedy on American soil, it has been relatively infrequent that terror has threatened our shores. But those who don't make their home in the United States live with the constant reality of bomb scares. The differences in our life experiences were pronounced in our reaction to the announcement [of a bomb threat] at the Musée d'Orsay. The Americans were immobilized; the others moved on (26). Wait wait wait. First, 'those who don't make their home in the United States' is waaaaaay too broad a statement. Makes it sound as though pretty much every other country faces bomb threats every two days while the U.S. sails blithely, and safely, on. Second, how about school shootings? They aren't generally talked about as terrorist acts, but it's not hard to make the comparison there, and there have been plenty of those 'on American soil'. What about violent crimes more generally? The U.S. has, per capita, a very high number of gun-related deaths. And third, there's definitely some unintentional classism going on here: the assumption that because in her white middle-class American life she has seen very little violence, that's the American norm.I'm making no accusation here but poor phrasing. Like I said: nitpicky.
Still, for a light mother-daughter travel book, it's a nice read. I don't know how much difference this made in Coburn's everyday life, but at the very least this will be a lovely set of memories for her family.
thewordwitch's review against another edition
4.0
I'd like to thank the author for a copy of this book received from a giveaway. I am glad it will be hanging out on my bookshelf. :)
This book was both a touching tribute to Jennifer Coburn's father and a loving gift to her daughter. Using moments on her travels with her daughter, she is able to link to memories that she has of her father, giving the reader an intimate portrait into her life. At no point does she try to paint her life in cozy rose-tinted glasses. She shares things that leave her vulnerable and open to our criticisms, and I really enjoyed this aspect of her.
I loved reading about the places she traveled, and it felt as if I had popped into her luggage and traveled along with her.
I'm really looking forward to reading more books by this author.
This book was both a touching tribute to Jennifer Coburn's father and a loving gift to her daughter. Using moments on her travels with her daughter, she is able to link to memories that she has of her father, giving the reader an intimate portrait into her life. At no point does she try to paint her life in cozy rose-tinted glasses. She shares things that leave her vulnerable and open to our criticisms, and I really enjoyed this aspect of her.
I loved reading about the places she traveled, and it felt as if I had popped into her luggage and traveled along with her.
I'm really looking forward to reading more books by this author.
canuckmum's review against another edition
3.0
Coburn and I would likely not be friends- to me she embodies the Southern Californian stereotypes I find a bit off putting. That said, is a mostly heart warming memoir of her travels with her daughter. (I may be a bit jealous too!)