Customer Reviews

GRINGOS IN PARADISE: Our Honduras Odyssey

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was a fun read. I enjoyed following Malana and Ordin on their journey. I learned a lot about life in Honduras as well as the ups and downs of living in a new culture. This is also a story of letting go of the old and making room for the new. I recommend it to anyone contemplating a major change in their life.

This is an easy read book that I enjoyed and had a few laughs with. Now I know Honduras is not so spooky place. Recommended reading for those chooseing to move to Central America. Malana is a good story teller and writer.......Olena Adams

Gringos In Paradise reads like a blog of day to day joys and aggravations in moving to Honduras and is probably similar to what gringos experience throughout Central America. I related to this book since I have visited the town where the author and her husband moved to (El Porvenir, Honduras) several times. The beginning section about leaving Hawaii dragged a bit but once they were on their way and in Honduras, it was a fun read.

I love cats but I didn't buy the book to read many stories about her cat. I bought it to find useable information as I am interested in living in this country and wanted more on specifics.

I was a little annoyed by this book. The writing is amateurish at best, with lots of punctuation and grammatical errors, but the thing that really got me was the author's apparent lack of interest in really knowing and enjoying her new environment. The scene she writes of holing up in her dark, air conditioned bedroom, watching English language DVDs to drown out the noise of the Semana Santa festival party going on next door stunned me. Did she ever consider going to the party and learning about some of the customs and people of her newly adopted country? If you enjoyed this book, you'll really enjoy the other "Gringos in Paradise" book by Barry Golson.

Gringos in Paradise:Our Honduras Odyssey is a powerful book for anyone contemplating a move to another country or any other transition in life. Dr. Ashlie clearly, yet humorously, share the challenges she and her husband met in choosing to leave the country of their birth and immerse themselves into a foreign culture. The honesty in which she shares the process of her personal and spiritual growth as a result of these experiences make this a must have for every bookshelf and bedside table. Gringos...will inspire readers to take action and not let anything or anyone still your dreams.
Rev. Oscar A. Reconco, host of the metaphysical television program:
"INFINITE kNOWLEDGE".

I have visited Honduras over 20 times in the past 35 years and found this book to provide meaningful insight into Honduran culture and way of life. The author and her husband approached their move to Honduras with open minds and hearts, and obviously with a perspective that cultural differences should be embraced and understood, rather than viewed as "bad" simply because they are different from the way things are done in the U.S.

The book is really a series of short stories that range in time from the couple's initial decision to move to paradise (somewhere), to the decision that Honduras was the paradise they sought to their day-to-day experiences - many of which are quite funny - after the move to their new home on the Honduran coast. What made the book particularly appealing was the depth of emotion and thought that went into the couple's leaving their old life and friends, interacting with new neighbors, local workers, and even their cat, who had to endure the move from the old paradise (Hawai'i) to the new.

I recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about visiting or moving to Honduras, as well as to anyone who wants insight as to how to approach cultural differences with an attitude of understanding and sensitivity.

Gringos in Paradise is a hilarious, yet image provoking tale of life in a third world country. I personally lived in Puerto Rico and Mexico for many years, and as I read of the struggles this couple went through to relocate, it conjured images and memories of my own struggles. This helps to motivate those that are overwhelmed by obstacles in any setting, whether domestically or overseas, and it is heartwarming to see how the lemons were turned into lemonade during the day to day challenges this couple faced. I recommend that everybody read this if only to feel gratitude towards their life.

Maddie, it is NOT A TRAVEL BOOK. It is a personal autobiography. You should get into the habit of reading the product or book description BEFORE buying any book...it clearly states..."a delightfully amusing and lighthearted autobiography chronicling her move from the U.S" There are tons of travel book on Honduras.

Before blasting a very interesting self published book, read before buying.

I agree fully with the other 1 and 2 star reviews. On the positive side, there are a few entertaining mini-chapters, and I'm sure the author and her husband are very nice folks, but unfortunately this book is poor overall.

It's written very simplistically, and does indeed flirt with being offensive in a few condescending-sounding spots, where the author describes some of the 'simpler' aspects of the culture while admittedly not really understanding it much or trying very hard to familiarize herself with it. It comes off as a rudimentary writeup of some privileged Americans moving to a new culture with insufficient preparation or experience. It's long on personal musings about spiritual enlightenment and very short on information about Honduras and it's people.

To be sure, there are a few good nuggets... but they get lost in the sauce about their cat, the other places she's been, her business, her personal habits and musings, etc.. etc.. It's entertaining in a few spots, but not my cup of tea.