Review: I loved it. A must read for the traveller.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 21, 2013
I am a travel writer myself, my partner and I travel around Australia in a caravan, as the author does with Maria and their child in the latter part of Travelling with Maria, therefore I was obviously going to compare memories and enjoy the journey; the work offered much more than I expected, and I loved it.I enjoyed crossing the Nullabour, again, via the showing in this memoir. It was as if I were there once again. This is a part of the country that I love, and I could feel it through the authors words.I laughed at the man who had lost his sense of smell. I'm glad that Maria got to experience the Great Barrier Reef; it was fun visulising the author's anxiety at that point. The oppressive pre-monsoon build up and the coolness of the Atherton tablelands, I felt all of it though the writing.There was so much more than the visual journey, this was a journey of a man's thoughts. A sensitive side rarely shared in travel writing. Not overly done, just the right amount. The revelations when expressed made impact, as all good writing should. Yes, I was impressed both with the insights and the authors ability to seamlessly weave them through the story in the right places, sometimes to leave you thinking deeply about life's meaning, and human expectation.The anecdote about preconceived expectations and Brisbane hit me, me and my life's travel companion felt exactly the same way about Broome, and reacted the same way. Yes, this memoir had me 'hooked' and reliving a journey of my own. Furthermore, even those places where I hadn't been, I felt as if I was experiencing them, far better than through any travel guide.And I laughed; the advice on how to get a job in Australia when you speak English perfectly but cannot understand the Aussie lingo. Even the description of a dinner party couple in perfect political agreement and the clever way the author described how he and his wife witnessed the disintegration of another's marriage and then closed the scene with a witty tie-in of a political and relationship change.A most enjoyable read; a thought provoking and memory re-kindling experience. Definitely a five star experience. I'd give it a ten if I could.