Brief Encounters: stories of love, sex & travel [Paperback]

Michelle De Kretser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0864425295 | ISBN-13: 978-0864425294 | Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Love affairs on the road, passionate holiday romances, erotic encounters, lovers who meet only to part…

A tourist in Peru falls for her handsome guide; backpackers check out who's on offer in the nightclubs of Prague; a couple trawl for adventure in a Mexican bathhouse; a beautiful Italian proposes marriage to the foreigner he's just met...

Twenty seductive stories - for everyone who has dreamt of escape with that perfect stranger.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

SEX: Now that we have your attention ... Maybe Lonely Planet is using one of the oldest tricks in the book to draw your attention to their latest compilation of travel stories, but that doesn't change the fact that it's filled with exotic, erotic tales from some of your favorite pen-packing travelers: Pico Iyer, Mary Morris, Emily Perkins, Mona Simpson, Lisa St. Aubin de Teran, Paul Theroux, and Sara Wheeler to name a few. And Michelle de Kretser has collected these stories for reasons that run more deeply than mere titillation: "The book I had in mind would invite exploration of the imaginative links which turned travel and romance into metaphors for each other: the seductive promises of changes and renewal, the appeal of seeing and being seen afresh. It would encourage reflection on the treacherous potential for disillusionment inherent in the late 20th century's terminal fascination with the new and the exotic." Whether on a train in India, partying in France, hiking in Peru, spending Ramadan in Egypt, nightclubbing in Prague, dining in Italy, or adventuring in a Mexican bathhouse, these stories will touch the heart of anyone who has ever dreamed of the ultimate escape via the perfect foreign stranger. --Kathryn True

Review

definitive holiday reading' -- Independent on Sunday

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864425295
• ISBN-13: 978-0864425294
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,990,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars i WISH this book was about finding love and sex abroad, June 27, 2000

By 

rudy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brief Encounters: stories of love, sex & travel (Paperback)

What it's really about however, is a collection of miniscule stories which all start out interestingly enough and just when the climax (of the story) is about to happen the story either abruptly ends or completely fast forwards to the boring end. Boy arrives in new city. Boy sees girl. Boy begins to talk to girl. Girl invites boy back to her place. The End. If a complete lack of details and an abrupt ending right at the most interesting part get you going, then you'll award this book a Pulitzer.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivation to buy a one-way ticket anywhere, March 24, 2000

By 

melanie birdsey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brief Encounters: stories of love, sex & travel (Paperback)

Have you ever dreamt of finding yourself in a foreign land in the arms of a handsome or beautiful stranger? Or maybe you met someone and made a connection with this person but were afraid to let anything develop. This is your book. There are stories of pure lust, restrained passion, affairs that should have happened, ones that shouldn't have, and love gained and lost. These are the stories of 20 well-known travel authors giving an unique perspective of love in a foreign land. Reading this book gave me a vicarious experience of two things I want most out of life: to cover the globe, and to find love in the most unexpected places. I recommend it to anyone who values either.