Travel memoir/sailing
On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE
Tonia, her Italian husband, Guido and baby James spent a summer sailing around the Med on their boat ~ what bliss, eh? As soon as I read about this book I had to get it!
I loved reading about how they coped with the storms (I'm a bit of an extreme weather enthusiast), about the islands they visited (and their history), and the mechanics of sailing itself - all the better for being described in laymen's rather than technical terms, fear not! Capri and Lipari made me drool, in particular, but I think I would have agreed with Guido, when Tonia said his favourite part of sailing was when they were out at sea, with no land in sight.
Tonia's love of Italian food is most evident throughout ~ I could be heard whimpering with longing at the descriptions of the bread, the oil, the fresh tuna, etc (especially as I was existing on a diet of hospital food at the time of reading!). Between each chapter is a relevant recipe, which I thought was an excellent touch, much better than putting them all at the end.
This fulfilled all my escapism fantasies, but is also very down to earth - it wasn't all easy for Tonia being a mother of such a young child on an adventure such as this. Yeah, yeah, okay, I wouldn't have minded having her problems! Very readable, interesting and often amusing, too. Recommended, whether you're a sailing/Italian food enthusiast or not :) ~ includes pictures!
Thank you so much Terry! From an author like you this makes me very happy. Hope you are recovered from your bout in hospital completely now. It is strange but I finished your first book yesterday and was about to write a review this morning when I saw this! Thanks again - Tonia x
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome - it was just what I needed when I was feeling too grotty to get into a novel plot! A world away from a hospital in Gateshead, in January... :)
DeleteMy first book, eh? That could mean you read You Wish... excuse the typos, if so! I'm still proud of my earlier ones but think the later ones are better, more succinct. I'll wait and see what you thought!
A great review of a book I loved reading too! Although I'm not a sailor, I could definitely get into drifting round those stunning Italian islands, and as Terry says, it's all written in layman's language, so very easy to read and follow!
ReplyDeleteIt's the boaty bits I loved the most - I suppose like I do with your books. The bits on board boat! :)
DeleteMe too, TT, although I could leave those storms out my dreams. Me and rocking seas don't mix well.
DeleteOddly enough, it's the storms I get most excited about. I have a thing for adverse weather conditions. Weird, I know...
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