A House Somewhere: Tales of Life Abroad [Paperback]

Lonely Planet (Author)

Book Description

Series: Anthology | Publication Date: December 1, 2002

We've all dreamt of escaping to a House Somewhere. In this collection some of the finest names in contemporary travel writing reveal the perils and pleasures of exchanging the familiar for the foreign.

Isabel Allende discovers love and paradise in California, Pico Iyer finds home in Japan amidst the alien and indecipherable, and a dank barge on the Seine opens up a new side of Paris for Mort Rosenblum.

Revealing the flip side to the dream, relocating to the juicy heart of New York proves fiery for Lily Brett, Chris Stewart is frightened for his life in Andalucia, and the plumbing in William Dalrymple's rooftop Delhi flat is held to ransom by his water-conserving landlady.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Visiting a place that turns out to have an exceptional pull on your heart and then wanting to establish some sort of residence there is not an uncommon travel experience. In fact, "home-abroad" books have become a very popular subgenre of travel literature; the movement was spearheaded by Peter Mayle's best-selling A Year in Provence (1990). From one of the most prominent travel publishers comes this exceptionally rewarding anthology of 18 book excerpts and eight original essays commissioned for inclusion here, and all the pieces share a common theme: settling down in a foreign country. Included among this collection of treasures are Chilean novelist Isabel Allende writing about Marin County in California, internationally based writer Lily Brett discussing co-op manners and protocol in New York City, and British author Simon Winchester sharing his wonderment at being the owner of a tractor on a Massachusetts farm. This heartwarming assortment, although technically qualifying as "arm-chair" reading, is more likely "get to the airport now" reading. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

…insightful and highly entertaining…a facsinating anthology representing some of our best writers.' -- Library Journal, December 2002

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740594193
• ISBN-13: 978-1740594196
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)