The Heart is a Funny Reservoir : A Romantic Icelandic Memoir

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: A sweet and entertaining read, as much for Mr. Chalom's recollection of lost love as for the snapshot in time of his armed forces tour of duty in Iceland in the 50's. I found his eager embrace of Iceland's unfamiliar culture and language to be inspiring, and the narration of his memoir all the more engaging because of its intimacy, honesty and openness of expression. I was sorry to come to the end of the book.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: A sweet and entertaining read, as much for Mr. Chalom's recollection of lost love as for the snapshot in time of his armed forces tour of duty in Iceland in the 50's. I found his eager embrace of Iceland's unfamiliar culture and language to be inspiring, and the narration of his memoir all the more engaging because of its intimacy, honesty and openness of expression. I was sorry to come to the end of the book.

Rating:
Summary: engaging
Review: This little gem of a book captures a bygone time and unfamiliar place in a sensitive and romantic manner. The people are quite recognizable, from the prinicpal characters to the smallest bit player- they all ring true.
Ed Chalom is a valuable counterweight to the ugly American of tourist and military fame. He embraces the language, customs and people of a strange land and revisits them many years later, creating a charming effect.
This is far more than a travel book about Iceland. Gently but relentlessly, it portrays a fitting expression of the engaging nature of the human heart.

Rating:
Summary: engaging
Review: This little gem of a book captures a bygone time and unfamiliar place in a sensitive and romantic manner. The people are quite recognizable, from the prinicpal characters to the smallest bit player- they all ring true.
Ed Chalom is a valuable counterweight to the ugly American of tourist and military fame. He embraces the language, customs and people of a strange land and revisits them many years later, creating a charming effect.
This is far more than a travel book about Iceland. Gently but relentlessly, it portrays a fitting expression of the engaging nature of the human heart.