Christine A. (writereviseedit) -
Helpful Score: 2
I absolutely love, love, love this book ...
I've had it for a number of years - since it came out - and am always on the hunt for new books by Sarah Macdonald. But, alas, I never find any. And that's a shame, because while a few other reviewers write that they feel Sarah takes too long to get to a point I think that extra development and insight into her own, individual thought process, perspective and situation is what makes this so appealing.
This is not meant to be a "here's-what-it's-like-to-live-briefly-in-India" type book. It's not the retelling of one woman's trip to an ashram by choice; if you want that buy "Eat, Pray, Love". This is a real account by a real woman who had real reason to be freaked out, delighted and surprised by the odd situations she found herself in while embarking on a strange, new adventure she was thrust into.
It's a lively, comprehensive travelogue. And it's great!
I've had it for a number of years - since it came out - and am always on the hunt for new books by Sarah Macdonald. But, alas, I never find any. And that's a shame, because while a few other reviewers write that they feel Sarah takes too long to get to a point I think that extra development and insight into her own, individual thought process, perspective and situation is what makes this so appealing.
This is not meant to be a "here's-what-it's-like-to-live-briefly-in-India" type book. It's not the retelling of one woman's trip to an ashram by choice; if you want that buy "Eat, Pray, Love". This is a real account by a real woman who had real reason to be freaked out, delighted and surprised by the odd situations she found herself in while embarking on a strange, new adventure she was thrust into.
It's a lively, comprehensive travelogue. And it's great!
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this first-hand account of the writer living in India. I didn't want the story to end -- it left me wanting to know more and to go there (even though India simultaneously attracts and repels me.)
Helpful Score: 1
I was excited to read this book because I love to travel and would like to go to India someday. It started off decent, but definitely hit a snag partway through and I lost interest. It did pick back up near the end, save for when she visits her husband in Pakistan. That was a verbose chapter to get to a point, in my opinion. In fact, that was often a problem for the author. I could see what she was wanting to get to, but she would take the long way to get there. I am a sucker for alliteration and the author does have some rather excellent alliteration sprinkled throughout. But, it wasn't always necessary. I think this book would have been much better if had been condensed a bit. It needs some of the superfluous content cut and it would be much more enjoyable.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved the author's unique view and the way her character came through in the novel. Also felt I learned a fair bit about the various spiritual groups she discovered. A fun read.
Helpful Score: 1
i was a little worried about this book, thinking it was going to be another eat, pray love, which i hated. it starts of with sarah moving from sydney to india to be with her soon to be husband whos landed a job there. she goes into india with a closed mind and her descriptions seem really prejudiced and negative. (though maybe thats what india is like?) as she spends time there, travelling, meeting people, finding herself, she becomes much more positive and open. her journeys are amazing and i can relate to her search to find a religion- some sort of belief system.
i like the fact that this is a year of her life, the reader goes through her changes- and its a funny, sad, real story. i also learned a little about each of the (major) religions in india which was interesting.
a good, quick read.
i like the fact that this is a year of her life, the reader goes through her changes- and its a funny, sad, real story. i also learned a little about each of the (major) religions in india which was interesting.
a good, quick read.
A good read. A few parts were slow, but mostly interesting. I laughed a lot.
Fun book that highlights a personal experience in India. Must read for persons making travel to India.
Very good. Interesting view of living in India, not just touring. Enlightening and funny. She is a bit hard at first, but warms-up pretty quickly.
Very interesting story of a woman finding herself in India. I had no idea there were so many different religions in India. It gets a little slow in parts, but very thought provoking.
at first I thought it was a "put down" of India and almost stopped reading, but I am glad I did not stop. A very insighful and amusing "India Travel Adventure".
I enjoyed this book, even though I didn't initially expect it to be my cup of tea. The author shares her personal spiritual quest, her struggles in her relationship, and her reluctance to surrender to India's unique enchantments. I appreciated the author's candor about herself and the people of India. While she is sympathetic to those she encounters, she does not hesitate to share the ambiguities and difficulties of this fascinating land. The book gives one a vivid sense of the great amount of physical energy and emotional stamina it takes to really immerse oneself in a foreign society. Enjoyable!
This book was a bit different than what I expected because I have had a couple friends visit India and come back to talk all about the poverty there. So I was surprised this book didn't talk about poverty much, but that does not mean it is bad, just different than I expected. So this book was great, I enjoyed following the author on her journey and there are definitely a few laugh-out-loud parts of this story. I enjoyed it a lot!
I enjoyed reading this book and learning about Indian culture. The writer was very candid and therefore quite funny about her adventures.
I really enjoyed this book. I learned so much about India and the people that live and travel there. This was a quality travel book.
Very good book- interesting look at so many different religons and philosophies. A travel book- in two different senses: traveling around India, Pakistan; and the author's philosophical travels.
I like the narrative voice. She whines at times, but the cultural aspects of the book are very interesting.
Really funny and very interesting.
