12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't judge a book by its cover, April 24, 2007
This review is from: Lois on the Loose: One Woman, One Motorcycle, 20,000 Miles Across the Americas (Hardcover)
Really, my only real criticism of this book is the really bad cover design. But heeding the advice from my wise father, I cracked open the cover and began reading giving the author fifty pages to capture my attention; it took Pryce far less time. Within the first few pages I had laughed out loud half a dozen times, was entirely engrossed and had added "SuperBri" to my lexicon!
This is the fourth book I've read that details an adventurous motorcyclists attempt to ride to Ushuaia, the southern most city in the Western Hemisphere, but Pryce's version has captured the fun factor better than the competition. Finding humor and irony in just about everything she faces, I giggled and grinned my way from Alaska to Argentina, grew anxious over the state of disrepair or her bike and took comfort in the fact that she surely must have survived because who else would have written her book.
Pryce does a brilliant job of describing the world she is traveling though, with comical prose that is fun and easy to read and where so many of these stories strive to come to some deep, thought-out, life-lesson learned, Pryce simply expresses the desire to return to the comforts of home and reveal the desire to begin her next big adventure (which, by the way, is riding through Africa according to her website). I only wish she would have taken a few more photo's. In any case, this should be on the shelf of any moto-adventure geek who hopes to someday take more than a week or two to wander about on ones motorcycle.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Give Us More!, June 13, 2007
This review is from: Lois on the Loose: One Woman, One Motorcycle, 20,000 Miles Across the Americas (Hardcover)
This is a quick and easy read. Lois's amazing 20,000 mile motorcycle mega-transect from Alaska to Argentina is an entertaining and witty tale. The author has a good sense of humor and her descriptions of the people she meets and places she roars through are light, loose (pun intended) and a lot of fun. Not only that, her scathing portrayal of life in a cubicle for the vaunted BBC may be the best part of the book. What wankers her immediate supervisor and his boss were. Anyone familiar with the drudgery of modern office life can certainly relate.
I've long dreamed of navigating the Pan-American Highway but fear it may be too late, even in a 4WD vehicle. Lois's story relates just what a grueling and demanding trip that would be; definitely an undertaking for a youthful bum and spine. How she managed to do it on a high-pitched 250-cc trail bike made this reader shake his head in wonder. The border crossings of Central America alone were enough to dishearten even the most determined traveler.
As an American I was glad to see there wasn't any Yank-bashing, despite the fact that Pryce must have had plenty of ammunition. Whisking through southern California had to have been tempting fodder. A French woman who tags along for a portion of the trip is described as having "anti-American sentiments" and one bloke in South America, while berating an American biker for his lack of cooking skills says something along the lines of "No wonder the world hates you," albeit jokingly. That's about the extent of it and, all in all, we don't come out looking any worse than the other nationalities, including a maniacal Canadian cop who goes ballistic on her for riding without insurance.
An inkling of just what an undertaking this was is revealed toward the end of the book, in the far reaches of southern Argentina. A peasant woman with whom Pryce is staying looks blankly when told the trip had started in Alaska. When she's made aware that Pryce passed through Santiago, the woman says, "They have come all the way from Santiago! SANTIAGO, CHILE!" As isolated as this woman was, in deepest Patagonia, she could only absorb so much.
If I have a complaint about the book, it's that some sections are glossed over a bit too much. It left me wanting more detail. Having just spent a few days in the redwood country of northern California, I was disappointed at how Lois breezed through that and many other gorgeous sections of the West Coast. Maybe she saw so many beautiful places that it blended together after a while. Also, I've been to most of the countries she traverses and was looking forward to more vivid descriptions. I can imagine that a trip like this was exhausting. I'm sure it was a major chore to make notes at the end of every riding day.
Finally, I can't help mentioning that most readers will relish the karma-like comeuppance that befalls a particularly bitchy companion, Amalia. I will not reveal the end but greatly enjoyed how the story turned out. Diplomatically, Lois reserves judgement, at least in print.
I'm not a motorcycle enthusiast but still enjoyed this traveler's tale. I look forward to a follow-up after her recently completed journey through the length of Africa. More power to you, Lois! Where will you be on the loose next?
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lois is a Kick, March 4, 2010
This review is from: Lois on the Loose: One Woman, One Motorcycle, 20,000 Miles Across the Americas (Hardcover)
This is an easy to read account of a young woman from London that ships her 250cc dirt bike to Anchorage and proceeds to ride to the tip of South America. Unlike Ted Simons, she doesn't get bogged down in "meaning of life" issues. She is just enjoying the ride and making new friends.
I have since purchased extra copies to give to friends.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
