The Road Is My Mistress

Rating:
Summary: Tales of a wandering troubador
Review: As a german who never was in America,I can truely say that this book teached me more about the U.S. than I ever learned at school or saw at TV.It's a very personal and honest report about an american life written in an interesting and clear style, which is also understandable for everyone who is not speaking 100% perfect english like me.Rik Palieri is a great ambassador for his country as a musician and as an author.


Rating:
Summary: Great Storyteller
Review: Paleri tells it like it is on the road as a travelling musician. He gives an entertaining look at the life many people have dreamed of living. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: On the Road
Review: The Road is My Mistress offers a view of America, and of the world, that has been painfully missing for at least two decades: it shows the pleasure that is gained and the kindness that is shown when a person trusts the goodwill of strangers. Rik is smart and modest enough to know that, although these are the stories of his own travels, he isn't the subject of his own autobiography. This is a book about generosity, spontaneity and the survival of the spirit, and about the uncanny ability of music--when it is a shared experience rather than a passive one using recordings--to bring out these qualities in people of different ages, backgrounds, even nationalities. When those in power are under the mistaken impression that the world is improved by force and threat, Rik's book offers a diametrically opposite and more convincing view, and we're all lucky that he has had the courage of his convictions and has lived his life so open-heartedly.


Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: This is a great read. The author, Rik Palieri, takes you on tour in America (with side trips to Poland, Germany and elsewhere), but you're not watching through a tinted tourbus window. You're on the ground, seeing people and places that you'll never come across in a travel guidebook. Rik has been on the road for years as a travelling folk musician, gathering songs and stories. Beyond the odd assortment of characters and places he describes, he also gives you a bit of the history of American folk music. This is both informative and highly entertaining. Mr. Palieri not only has some incredible stories to tell, but he is a talented storyteller. The book reads with a folksy down-to-earth cadence. So sit back in your comfy chair and get on the road!



Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Teller of Tales
Review: Truly a mesmerizing and insightful work from what, I understand, to be a new author. You really get the feeling of the life of a road musician--or warrior of music and life, if you will.

In addition, besides a great writing style,there are wonderful insights into the life and loves of the author that we can all learn from