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Reader Reviews | |
Review by Chrissi (260104) Rating (8/10) Review
by Chrissi There are some lovely anecdotes in this book, and seeing England from a different perspective is always interesting – Frank and Maria went from England to New Zealand in 1979, and returning was a bit of a shock… as you can imagine. They went from steady jobs to working when and where they could, Maria is a nurse and Frank a journalist – but both seem willing to turn their hand to anything. It is always surprising the things that you don’t know about the country you live in, and I was particularly enchanted by the idea of Animal Aunts. Animal Aunts is a pet sitting service where the sitters look after people’s pets in their own homes – the English are barmy about their pets and many of the pets are barking mad with their own personality traits – documented here all with great affection.
I suppose that this is not dissimilar to the writing style of
Bill Bryson, the little asides and observations that are made
throughout the book make for a very warm feeling for Frank and
Maria and all their experiences. They come across as lovely people
and I will quite happily wait a while for the next instalment
of their travels. It is nice to live vicariously other people’s
bravery – it is brave to just give up and move around wherever
the whim takes you, and this is a warts and all view of travelling
the world. From American summer camps to waterfront apartments,
they have experienced some lovely (and some not so lovely) places,
and I can only wish them well for the future. |
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