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A review by downsophialane
The Art of Traveling Strangers by Zoe Disigny
adventurous
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.75
For armchair travelling purposes, The Art of Traveling Strangers absolutely hits the spot. The author is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about the artistic wonders that one can peruse in Italy, and this shone through in her art professor protagonist Claire. I had major career envy of Claire's work as a international art guide!
Unfortunately the book worked less for me as a piece of women's fiction, on the whole. All the right pieces were there - an international adventure with an unlikely companion, a divorce, an affair... but the piece didn't quite click all the way into place for me. Claire was persistently judgemental and dismissive of her companion Viv's interest in fashion, and while there were nods to her growing out of her exclusionary binary thinking of high vs. low art, it didn't feel fully realised. Likewise, the subplot of Viv's homophobia and Claire's reaction to it felt undercooked. I was expecting the relationship between Claire and Viv to grow into something more meaningful than it ever did, and it left me feeling somewhat emotionally under-satisfied (I won't go as far to say UNsatisfied!)
This was a fun diversion, especially perfect for anyone longing for a "cultured" holiday, featuring more museums than beaches!
🎨🎨🎨🎨 3.75/5
🍎 TO TEACH?
As I picked this book up, I vaguely thought about it as a source for extracts for studying historical fiction. It is set in the 1980s and while there are hallmarks of historical fiction, there's nothing that leaps out as a exemplar to use in the classroom, particularly. One for personal reading rather than classroom use.
Unfortunately the book worked less for me as a piece of women's fiction, on the whole. All the right pieces were there - an international adventure with an unlikely companion, a divorce, an affair... but the piece didn't quite click all the way into place for me. Claire was persistently judgemental and dismissive of her companion Viv's interest in fashion, and while there were nods to her growing out of her exclusionary binary thinking of high vs. low art, it didn't feel fully realised. Likewise, the subplot of Viv's homophobia and Claire's reaction to it felt undercooked. I was expecting the relationship between Claire and Viv to grow into something more meaningful than it ever did, and it left me feeling somewhat emotionally under-satisfied (I won't go as far to say UNsatisfied!)
This was a fun diversion, especially perfect for anyone longing for a "cultured" holiday, featuring more museums than beaches!
🎨🎨🎨🎨 3.75/5
🍎 TO TEACH?
As I picked this book up, I vaguely thought about it as a source for extracts for studying historical fiction. It is set in the 1980s and while there are hallmarks of historical fiction, there's nothing that leaps out as a exemplar to use in the classroom, particularly. One for personal reading rather than classroom use.