No comments about In The Garlic (Santana Guides).

3 comments about Lisbon.

1. This book contains a lot of information about Lisbon, both as a city to be visited and as a city which has inspired novels, films, etc., and the educated tourist can find this book very useful. Unfortunately, I found the book boring. Somehow, I failed to relate to it. Maybe if I had heard of Tabucci and these other cultural figures, I might have gotten something more out of it. I visited Lisbon in 1966 and enjoyed it, and I am fluent in Portuguese, so the problem is hardly Lisbon. But the book just seemed to me to never get off the ground.



2. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The title doesn't do it justice. It should be calld something like Portugal, a cultural and literary companion. It is true, the focus is on Lisbon, but it goes far beyond. Through the sights of Lisbon, it gives the reader an overall view of Portugal's history, literature, cinema, painting, etc.

   There is only one negative aspect. Why are there so many misspellings in the Portuguese words? Not even the name of navigator Vasco da Gama escapes. I almost wish I couldn't speak the language so I would not notice the mistakes and could then give this book more than four stars. Still an excellent book.




3. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The title doesn't do it justice. It should be calld something like Portugal, a cultural and literary companion. It is true, the focus is on Lisbon, but it goes far beyond. Through the sights of Lisbon, it gives the reader an overall view of Portugal's history, literature, cinema, painting, etc.

   There is only one negative aspect. Why are there so many misspellings in the Portuguese words? Not even the name of navigator Vasco da Gama escapes. I almost wish I couldn't speak the language so I would not notice the mistakes and could then give this book more than four stars. Still an excellent book.

4 comments about How Not To Live Abroad.

1. I'm not much of a book reviewer, but I picked up this book recently, merely on the attraction of the title "How NOT To Live Abroad". Hmm, I tought that looked pretty interesting. I was not disappointed, it was a compelling read all around.

   The basic premise of the book is that Shaun Briley (the son of Jon Briley, who scripted the "Gandhi" movie blockbuster) and his girlfriend are living uncomfortably with her mom in the UK, and so decide to go on vacation to Spain to escape the mom. Totally unplanned they end up buying a rural farm house in deep Spain, thinking this would be eternal bliss of sun and coctails. The book cronicles the pair's misadventures in adjusting to that rural life (no modern amenities we take for granted such as electricity, bathroom, etc.), while at the same time describing the ups and downs, and ultimate demise, of the couple's relationship.

   Briley writes with a great sense of humor, and the pages fly by. As a transplant myself (but not to a rural setting), I took an immediate liking to the book, and found it hard to put down. I highly recommend as perfect beach reading for the coming summer!




2. I think the author wrote this book as an act of revenge for what his girlfriend did to him while they were living together in a rural farmhouse in Spain.
   
   It makes for thoughtful reading on what can go wrong if you live far away from the creature comforts of life with electricity, water & food on tap and take it for granted. The author lives in an outlying rural region without any connection to electricity and tap water is from a well. To confound things, the land is not very fertile, as summers can be very hot and rains are not frequent. Only certain types of vegetation can thrive.
   
   I would label this book as "Survivor with Realism" theme. Not your normal "Survivor" series, but what is actually required of you given the constraints of nature. It is not your normal expatriate living abroad squabbling with builders, engaging with townfolk though there is some episodes on that, enjoying wine types of Peter Mayle's world.
   
   A good read if you want to know how the rest of rural Spain lives.



3. I read this in two days!The author documents his move to a small rustic town in southern spain in which he and his girlfriend buy a small home. The accounts of the people he meets and much of the miscommunications between him and the people are very personable and humorous. The author is an English-American so he comes from a mixed viewpoint which means you can identify both with his reflections as well as his initial impressions of the people he meets. I still laugh when I think of his misadventures!



4. This was a great story of the adventure for a young couple who fall in love with Spain, buy a farm and try to make a life without modern conveniences. I laughed out loud many times while reading it and was sorry to have their adventure, and the story, end.

No comments about Fodor's Citypack Barcelona's 25 Best, 3rd Edition (25 Best).

No comments about Step by Step Barcelona (Insight Guides Step By Step).

1 comments about Belize in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture (In Focus Guides).

1. It's good to read these details of the People, Politics and Culture, as the author subtitles it.
   
   The "Adapter Kit Belize" was read more thoroughly and had more useful details before we made our first trip to the country.

No comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Madrid 2008 (Wallpaper City Guides) (Wallpaper City Guides (Phaidon Press)) (Wallpaper City Guides (Phaidon Press)) (Wallpaper City Guides (Phaidon Press)).

No comments about The Companion Guide to Madrid and Central Spain (Companion Guides).

No comments about The Road to Santiago De Compostela.

No comments about Southern Spain Insight Travel Map.