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Summary: Another Self-Absorbed Look at Europe
Review: This is another in a long line of travel books the theme of which seems to be "look at me appreciatring Europe!" I have been to a number of places the author describes, or fails to describe, and could barely recognize them. What is missing is some real idiosyncracy, not just "here I am communing with some long-dead poet or other, forming "instant friendships" with all the most interesting people, and of course, finding a wonderful lover. I much prefer a book like "Extra Virgin" with its sense of the absurd and self-deprecating humor, or for that matter, the incomparable Bill Bryson. I ended up not really finishing the book, but merely skimming to see if there was any interest in reading the author's impressions of my own favorite places. There wasn't. Perhaps it's because the author has very little visual sense: if I hadn't actually been to Ravello and Asolo, I would never have been able to picture them from her descriptions. She is too busy looking inward at how it all affects her. If you want that kind of travel writing, then I can understand why you would enjoy this book.
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Summary: A reader from Baltimore, MD
Review: This book is beautifully illustrated with postcards the author wrote and sent to herself; and it is a wonderfully written account of her travels through Europe. But it is much more than a travelogue. Ms. Steinbach weaves details of her travels along with memories of the past and her hopes for the future. This book is an inspiration to those women who have always been defined as someone's mother or wife and long to be recognized as their own person, undefined by relationships. So whether you yearn to become an independent traveler in the literal sense or desire to travel through life on an independent journey, this book is well worth reading.
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Summary: Beautifully layered tale of travel and life
Review: I just finished this book and will miss spending time following Ms. Steinbach around on her travels,reading her musings on her life and the world around her. It is a book that will resonate with women who have empty nest. I completely identified with her; having 2 sons myself, 2 cats and terminal wanderlust. She writes so eloquently of how she feels when her children are grown and independant. It's her personal journey to find out how she fits into this new life-without-children. She christens it by taking time off to travel for 9 months alone to discover, who she is, was and who she will become. Even though most people will not be able to do as she did, it does not affect the enjoyment of the book. It is written in a very warm style and you will end the book wishing that in your travels, you will bump into her.
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Summary: good not great
Review: I think my main problem with Without Reservations was that I was expecting something else. I looked forward to the author's detailed travelogues of Venice, Paris, and Oxford, to see these places through her alleged journalistic penchant for detail. When she describes that she has no experience in traveling abroad, I expected a tale about her foibles and discoveries about the different cultures where she planned to reside. What I found was that Steinbach DOES have reservations -- about her self-esteem, about her place in the world, of her sense of self, of how others define her and how she defines herself. I think the disappointment came from my hoping for a travelogue where the focus is on art, culture and external experiences. Still -- as the book progresses she relaxes more and more into her own skin and she learns how to let go, stop deliberating over every move and just go with whatever life has in store for her. Her physical travels begin to parallel her journey of self-awareness and confidence. The more far-out she perceives an event to be, the more she loosens up to have fun and find out about herself and who she is, from a love affair with a Japanese gentleman to developing unexpected and immediate friendships to dancing all night with her Oxford classmates. Maybe my incessant reading of travel books and cookie-cutter expectations put a damper on my total enjoyment of Steinbach's book. I found it interesting, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for a straight-forward detailed travel memoir.
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Summary: Carpe Diem
Review: Who doesn't dream of quitting her job and traveling the world? Alice Steinbach wangles a leave of absence from her job and goes to Europe -- the dream with training wheels. Even though she has the security of knowing her home and job are waiting for her and she goes to countries that are comfortably strange, it is still a big leap for her. She makes the most of it and tells a great story. Steinbach seems to make friends everywhere she goes. She travels with the attitude of a college student backpacking through Europe, hooking up with temporary friends at each stop. She treats her affair with Naohiro like a summer romance, intense, but sure to be temporary. Sometimes you forget that she is a middle-aged woman with two grown sons and a responsible career back home. And that is the point. She wants to see who she is when the responsibilities of adulthood are stripped away. Is the young woman who wasn't afraid to take chances still there somewhere? Who is Alice Steinbach when she is not defined as "mother" and "reporter"? In nine months of travels through Paris, Britain, and Italy, she gradually sheds her inhibitions and fears, and gets reacquainted with living for the day. Without Reservations is an upbeat, sometimes bittersweet, narrative of what feels like a prelude to a bigger leap. I am looking forward to her next book, Educating Alice.
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Summary: Without Reservations The Travels of an Independent Woman
Review: This is a delightful book, and I am in absolute agreement with readers who wanted it to go on and on. It is not a travelogue but rather an exploration of people and places which illuminates and enchants. Not an insignificant part of the pleasure is an enjoyment of Alice Steinbach's delicious sense of humor. However, the fact that the author viewed her sojourn in Paris and the other European cities she visited as a very independent act is puzzling. How challenging can it be to live several months in a left-bank hotel in Paris? Perhaps if she had stayed for a period in Bangkok or Beijing, this claim would be more credible. Also, a heavier editorial hand would have helped Ms. Steinbach. Her definition of "memento mori" (remember you must die) in the last chapter is strictly correct but in the context of medieval and renaissance society, where the expression was first used, it meant remember you must die and thus you should save your soul by living a good and virtuous life. This meaning is still pertinent so that her friend, Naohiro, who said "would it not be more useful to say...remember you must live" was, for reasons not recognized by Ms. Steinbach, right on the mark. These are insignificant objections to a book which gave great pleasure to this reader.
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Summary: Without Reservations, the Travels of an Independent Woman
Review: I was disappointed in this book. The introduction sounded good, but as I read on I got the feeling that too much was left out of the story...where was the angst over having to leave the trip and return, how did this affect the rest of the trip? How "independent" can one be when "hooked up" with dozens of fellow travelers almost every minute of the trip? How friendly can any one person be to attract that many immediate, intense friendships? Where was the "Pulitzer Prize" writing? The book sounded like a journal quickly jotted down rather than a creative, wonderful story. The small glimpses of Freya Stark's writing, on the other hand, were wonderful. Also, sorely missing was the story of "what happened then...." Did she ever see Naohiro again? How, exactly, did the trip change her life and redefine her to herself? Too many things left unsaid to make the story feel complete. What happened to all the instant, incredible friendships she made along the way? Did she stay in touch with any of those people? They seemed to come so easily and go with such finality in the book that one got the feeling that they served their purpose and were then forgotten until they once again served their purpose as characters in this book. On the positive side, I hope it inspires many unattached women to take a journey of independence.....at home or away.
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Summary: Inspirational Woman of Independence and Adventure
Review: I purchased "Without Reservations" after returning home from a quick trip to Europe. You see I had left my heart there and I needed a quick fix while pining away at home waiting for yet another friend to venture out and dare get a passport. Alice Steinbach writes with a capturing style about her adventures abroad (England, Paris, Italy etc..) all alone. For once a woman who believes in experience over fear! She is a mother, divorced, successful and still desiring a fulfilling life. I admire her spirit and enthusiasm for life. While capturing her inner fears she relies on her wit and knowledge to overcome what would leave most of us sitting at home cowering in a corner. Ms. Steinbach meets interesting people along the way, a fashionable older woman in Paris, a Japanese man who shares her love of Monet, a young student eager to grow and many others. She inspires one to want to reach out and learn something from the others around us, not for gossip, but for true wealth of character. I believe after reading this book I will no longer seek the security of familar travel partners but instead search for a lesser known commodity, me, a suitcase, a destination and a dream! Sounds exciting to me!
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Summary: Pleasant journey from the mind of a empty nester
Review: I liked this book because it opened up my mind to the opportunities available to those of us post children. The basis is that there will be a chance for self discovery and adventure once we let go of those of us who were once dependent on us. It's both a travelog, I ate here, I met these people, I went there, it was fun. And a journey of letting go of the calendar, of people I used to depend on. Its also a journey of a single day, as in I planned to do this, but found myself here instead. Yet if I had followed my original path that would have been ok too. On the otherhand its not so detailed as to be a replacement for a Fodors travel guide. I'm saving for my extended trip to Paris. I hope after reading this book you do to.
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Summary: Save your money!
Review: This would have to rank as the most tedious, self-indulgent drivel I have ever had the misfortune to read. Fooled by the attractive package and the lure of a Pulitzer Prize winning author, I asked my husband to get me this for my birthday - I would have abandoned it after the first chapter otherwise. If you want a good book about living in another country try Sarah Turnbull's "Almost French".
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