The Risks of Sunbathing Topless: And Other Funny Stories from the Road [Paperback]

Kate Chynoweth (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2005

If they could do it all over again, they might not...so it's a good thing none of the women in this hilarious collection had the foresight to make good decisions during these travel experiences. If they had, we wouldn't hear the delicious details of how horribly wrong it all went. Like Marrit Ingman's disastrous honeymoon in Maui—and the repercussions of societal pressure for the perfect love escape in paradise. Or of how the entire kitchen of C. Lill Ahrens's new Seoul apartment is literally lost in translation. Or why Ayun Halliday would attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, when her training consisted of drinking beer and rolling her own cigarettes, and her gear cost $14.99 at Sportmart. From Kandahar to Baja to Moscow, these wry, amusing stories capture the comic essence of bad travel, and of the female experience on the road.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A frisky and fun collection of women's essays on the perils of traveling-inspired by editor and contributor Chynoweth's desire "to write about the unvarnished truth, with all its freakish strangers, stained shirts and missed connections"-this volume should appeal to those who like their armchair traveling mixed with a good dose of humor. Though too many of the 22 essays detail trips turned wrong by medical traumas or boyfriend woes, several of them stand out for their precise, illuminating glimpses into the way women confront difficult situations when they're far from home. In "Hamil's House of Fun," for example, Kay Sexton gives a dry recounting of the nine days she spent dancing on a table in a German beer hall so that she and her husband could afford to stay in a youth hostel through the icy week of Christmas. Mara Voorhees's saga of training for a triathalon while she was on vacation in Russia regales readers with anecdotes about how she dodged Russian swim matrons and found her way into parks closed for "prosushka, or 'a thorough drying out.'" And journalist Hannah Bloch's remembrance of spending New Year's Eve 1999 covering a hostage situation in Afghanistan-where she enjoyed "a happy and unlikely reunion with reporter friends made possible by the Taliban and a rotten gang of terrorists"-provides an engrossing, backstage look at the mechanics of political reporting. This fine collection would make a welcome addition to any woman's carry-on bag.
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Review

"...laugh-out-loud dose of reality...this witty book is a must for anyone who appreciates the unvarnished truth about travel." -- Shape magazine

"a truly hilarious collection...the writing is good, the humor comes naturally, and the experiences are broadly entertaining." -- New York Newsday

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580051413
• ISBN-13: 978-1580051415
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,245,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A funny survey of how even the best-laid plans of women can go awry, October 11, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Risks of Sunbathing Topless: And Other Funny Stories from the Road (Paperback)

If you like your travel with a healthy dash of comedy, don't miss The Risks Of Sunbathing Topless And Other Funny Stories From The Road, a funny survey of how even the best-laid plans of women can go awry. From a horror story of being trapped with Frog Man to a trip with a dog unfortunately not as nice as Lassie, The Risks Of Sunbathing Topless is for perfect leisure laughs.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny For Travelers and Non-travelers Alike, March 30, 2006

By 

Ginger Campbell (seattle, wa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Risks of Sunbathing Topless: And Other Funny Stories from the Road (Paperback)

As an adventure-averse person, I howled at these stories of being on vacation and trapped in a situation: in Judith Levin's case, being unable to "make caca"...in Ayun Halliday's, climbing a big mountain with unsupportive teammates, etc. So I assumed this book was just for people (like me) who like to feel superior to those crazy traveler-types. But then I bought the book for my friend who is a committed world-traveler, and she, too, laughed out loud with recognition. Great summer read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dirty Little Secret, March 4, 2010

By 

Linda Ballou "Linda Ballou" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Risks of Sunbathing Topless: And Other Funny Stories from the Road (Paperback)

The dirty little secret of travel writing is that in order for a story to be funny something bad has to happen. Editor Kate Chynoweth is well aware of this fact and has selected tales with terrible twists written with wit and charm that demonstrate the point. The writing in this collection is a cut above the average collection of women's travel tales that I have read. However, not all of these tales are amusing. I was horrified by the Erica J. Green's story about an ant phobia brought to life in Africa. But, most are quite lighthearted. I found some of the one-liners in A Useful and Comprehensive Travel Dictionary for Girls by Buzzy Jackson laugh out loud funny.
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