Customer Reviews

Cathedrals of the Flesh: My Search for the Perfect Bath

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a thoroughly delightful, often amusing, account of Alexia's search for the perfect bath. Once started, the book is difficult to put down; by the end, you not only know a bit more about her 'on hold' relationship with Charles, and want to know even more about her fascinating putative business partner Marina, but you have painlessly absorbed as much information as you could want to know about the differing characteristics of a variety of national public baths. Along the way, you will also have met a number of characters who are not easy to forget, and you will have a guide to which baths to use and which to avoid-of not inconsiderable benefit to one visiting Turkey who, like Alexia, is warned to avoid the 'unhygienic' baths in Istanbul. The evocative line drawings by Lynda Reeves McIntyre which appear at the head of each chapter fittingly complement the book. 

This book's even better than a bath.
Brue is a wonderful writer, but far beyond that, she's a wonderful story-teller.
The quest for the perfect bath forms the plot line, but the quest makes a far richer tale than any particular bath.
Even for those of us in quest of nothing more than a daily shower, this makes for wonderful reading, as Brue is witty, insightful, and above all humorous.
While she acts humble as a stranger in strange lands pursuing a strange interest, she shouldn't be humble as a story-teller. She's gifted in taking a specialized field and making it lively, even delightful, to anyone who loves human nature and passions.
I'd recommend it strongly -- and have to loads of people.

Did someone give the author an idea that in order to sell a non-fiction today, it has to have a Sex and the City flavor? Otherwise how can one explain this constant accidental meetings between good-looking exotic males and the writer, who is a single, thirty-ish, female New Yorker. From my view, this book could stand by itself without this boy meets girl side-story. At times it was very distracting to otherwise an excellent travelogue. I regret this because the central theme of the quest for the perfect bath is an honest effort with not too much cliche or stereotypes.

This is a great book for those who enjoyed the old days of The New Yorker magazine when articles ran long and mixed exotic information with personal disclosure.

The book mixes travelogue with a touch of memoir. The travelogue (a la Bill Bryson) is quite interesting and chock a block with details. The memoir of her failing relationship with her boyfriend and her implied hookups with other exotic gents around the world is tantalizing, although she doesn't go deep on it.

I haven't read much travel writing so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I was drawn in from the very first page to a world of public bathing that I really had no idea existed. By the end of this book I feel that I desperately need to see the baths of Turkey, Russia, Finland and Japan. But what I also discovered is that I want to have Ms. Brue's intrepid sense of daring, her willingness to following the road as it unfolds before her, and her innate ability to have respect and reverence for the various cultures she visits(without sentamentalizing them or making them precious). Brue's question "was it an approach to travel or an approach to life?" stuck with me throughout. The delightful surprise was that the book is highly personal(funny and poignant) but also historical and informative.

I thought this was a fantastic book. I bought this book thinking that I'd get a relatively straightforward discussion of the history of bathing, but this is actually much more. The author, a young woman with a taste for adventure, writes about her own experiences as she tackles the problem of how to open a bathhouse, crossing the globe and visiting baths in many countries. But instead of taking a highly authoritative tone from the start, she begins with a naive, befuddled tone, describing how she practically stumbles into the bathing scene, seduced not only by the baths, but by the cultures and places she visits. As a reader, I can see the transformation of the author from a novice to an expert over the course of the book, which to me is reminiscent of some of the best travel writing (consider Bill Bryson's self-deprecatory writing, the feeling that on starting his journey, he is no more informed than you or me). I think this book is only partially about bathing, and equally about getting your imagination captured by something different and exciting. I found it really inspirational, it really gives a sense that there is nothing stopping the average reader from deciding to get on a plane and travel the world to learn about something completely different, even if you don't speak the language or don't have any technical experience. So much bad travel writing condescends to the reader, makes me feel that unless I've lived 25 years in Provence or have climbed Mt. Everest, I couldn't possibly appreciate the world. This book made me feel like, with a little bit of courage and a lot of excitement, even I could explore strange places and meet different people!

Having experienced first hand the joys of public bathing, I was excited to see a travel book about bathing cultures. I wasn't disappointed. Brue's book blends historical narrative, social commentary on our daily ritual of bathing and travel writing into a witty and engaging journal of self discovery. This fun, interesting read will inspire you not only to embark on new travels, but also to seek challenges and adventures in your own life.

This book about a young woman's travels around the world to find the perfect spa is just the right thing to curl up with on a snowy weekend afternoon. The author serves up a delicious mix of eccentric characters, quirky encounters and fascinating history. The pages turn and you learn a lot without even knowing it! That's the perfect kind of nonfiction book, in my opinion. It's also inspired me to go visit a bath at the first possible opportunity.

I went to hear her speak in New York and was amazed with how passionate she was about baths and bathing cultures. This inspired me to buy the book and my curiousity was rewarded. The book is such a wonderful collection of insights into other cultures and anecdotes about her personal adventures. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to get inspired to travel or just wants a witty, warm and fun read on a cold Sunday afternoon.

I love this book, a good bath is one of life's great joys. Having visited Istanbul I enjoyed the trip down memory lane. If you are a bath lover you will enjoy this book.