Customer Reviews

A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration (Travelers' Tales Guides)

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a fantastic book. I am a fan of the genre of travel writing, but what this book makes clear is that these authors are splendid writers, period. One longs to be in Jan Morris's Welsh cottage as Shapiro conducts his interview, or sipping Chinese tea with Simon Winchester on his farm in Massachusetts. These writers are fascinating people and great conversationalists. I also appreciate the fact that Shapiro introduced me to authors I was not familiar with, such as Sara Wheeler and Brad Newsham, and whose books I cannot wait to now read. "A Sense of Place" is a rare treat, and would be a great gift for any reader.

I guess I had never thought of travel writing as a genre. Sure there are biographers, mystery writers, text book writers and all the others. And come to think of it, when I wanted to go somewhere on vacation I would sometimes go down to the book store and pick up something about the place I was visiting. I guess that I never though about how these books got written.

Michael shapiro has changed my view. In this book he reports on visiting eighteen travel writers and getting them to talk about their lives, their profession, and their industry. These authors lead a different kind of life. I've travelled a lot on business, and the travel part of it is an unavoidable evil, cramped airplane seats, a never ending string of airports that all look much the same, an uncertainty as to the hotel, the money, the culture. For these writers, the travel is the end in itself. Well, almost. You still have to do the writing after you've done the travel. After reading this book, I'll never look at travel the same way. The people Mr. Shapiro interviews are a delightful and eclectic group, and very fascinating.

This book sparkles with wonderful stories and insights. By traveling to the homes of so many of the world's leading travel writers, "A Sense of Place" author Michael Shapiro gives us glimpses into how these writers see the world, how they write so beautifully, and how they achieve their success.

At first I was envious of Shapiro -- he somehow convinced just about every top travel writer (Bill Bryson, Frances Mayes, Paul Theroux, Simon Winchester, Tim Cahill, Arthur Frommer and many others) to invite him to their homes for a conversation. But that envy disappeared as I went along with him to Frances Mayes's Tuscan villa, to Jan Morris's sturdy Welsh stone home, and to Isabel Allende's hilltop abode overlooking San Francisco Bay.

Among my favorite conversations was the one with Arthur Frommer, who started out as a copy boy as Newsweek, wrote the first version of "Europe on $5 a Day" as a pocket guide for GIs, and returned from the Army to work alongside Adlai Stevenson at a top New York law firm where he defended "Lady Chatterley's Lover" against pornography charges.

I also loved hearing Morris discuss accompanying the 1953 Everest expedition as a reporter for the London Times and getting the news to London just in time for the coronation of the queen. I was intrigued by the Pico Iyer chapter - as someone who was born in England to Indian parents and moved to California and then to Japan, he's a citizen of nowhere and everywhere and seems at home wherever he goes. And Shapiro's introduction to the Paul Theroux chapter ("Will the real Paul Theroux please stand up") is spot on.

A nice touch is that the book features short excerpts from each of these author's books, so I could chuckle at anecdotes from Bill Bryson's books while reading the Bryson interview, and get a sense of Redmond O'Hanlon's style while reading that chapter.

As I concluded "A Sense of Place," I realized that the book is more than a collection of interviews; it's an appreciation by the author, a young travel writer, for his literary heroes. He manages to weave the story of his own journeys throughout the book while keeping the writers at the forefront. This is a book to which I'll return again and again over the years.

Shapiro wrote this book instead of going to graduate school. After reading his adventures with "the masters", I'm sure you'll agree A Sense Of Place is magna cum laude. I wish I would have spent my tution on this!
What i enjoy most about this book is that it's not a one time read. The first time you read it enjoy the inspiration and knowledge Shapiro has outlined for you. AFter being introduced to some new authors in A Sense of Place, I plan on reading some of their work and will refer back to Shapiro's interviews as referance to the authors personality, background info- where they live, etc. When i travel to some of the places mentioned in this book i will take A Sense of Place along and compare these authors thoughts on countries, politics, landscapes, food and enjoy traveling with them. I might even leave a copy in the hotel. Sorry Cahill I'm not going to ruff it, but I know Isabell would come along! And then I'll read it again and again for fun!
I saw Shapiro and some of the authors, Morris, Cahill, etc on a pannel discussion about this book on Book tv CNN, get a hold of that video it's lovely.
Also email Shapiro with the address included at the back of the book.

I'm reading Shapiro's book right now, and am already recommending it to folks. Each interview is tailored; the questions aren't just stock questions asked of each writer. He's obviously done some mighty research. I also love how he inserts himself, his personality, into each interview. Makes it much more personal.

In other words, Shapiro creates a sense of place in each interview. I feel like I know much more about the various writers, because Shapiro makes it so easy to visualize both the setting and the process.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

If you read travel essays or travel writers, chances are you'll find your favorite writers interviewed here. If you think you have read everything published by those very special authors and you just can't wait for their next book, think again. You may discover a book or two mentioned that you have overlooked. If you are like me, some of these authors' lives are fairly well known to you. In other cases, some writer you have heard about forever may be a complete blank. Now I know something about the rest of them. And with so many of these writers on my list of regulars, I now have some new (to me) travel writers to check out.

I liked the writer's sometimes kind and sometimes very unkind comments about their colleagues. Most of the writers are very opinionated; I suspect that is why I read their essays. When most of the interviews were conducted, American politics was on everyone's mind. It would have been surprising if no political comments had been made. Had these interviews occurred in the 1990s, I suspect the political comments would have been different. So while I noticed that politics sometimes came up and sometimes not. I don't believe that the book has an agenda other than entertainment and information.

This was my favorite Spring Break book. I am already reading some of the books noted in A Sense of Place. So that you know where I am coming from, my two favorite travel writers of Paul Theroux and Eric Newby-quite a spread. But I really like them all, every one of them.

If you love travel, or travel writing, or simply smart and witty conversation, you'll love Michael Shapiro's A Sense of Place. Shapiro spoke to the leading literary travelers of our time, and his thoughtful interviews capture the depth and breadth of reasons why many of us crave the experience of new places. Shapiro has a knack for persuading sharp observers to open up and reveal themselves; in doing so, they also reveal the cultural and political undercurrents of our time. I would recommend A Sense of Place to anyone who cares about the worlds we live in -- and the worlds we left behind.

Michael Shapiro's conceptualization for the format of "A Sense of Place" was a stroke of genius. I found the book in the travel section of a bookstore. However, I feel-strongly, that "A Sense of Place" also belongs under the "Literature" and "Writing" headings.

"Rich" is the word which consistently entered my mind as I read the interviews with each of the 18 writers whom Shapiro included in this book. His questions were pertinent, knowledgeable, and provocative. The authors responded in kind. I am convinced that he has created a jewel of a reference book in a literary and philosophical sense. The feed-back he elicited transcends mundane travel writing per se--far and away.

The moment I started reading "A Sense of Place", I sensed that Shapiro had a special touch which immediately put his subjects at ease. I believe this gift greatly facilitated his ability to surmount the disjointedness of the standard Q&A format. He further enhanced the fluidity of the interview process through his consummate familiarity with the work of each writer.

Shapiro's choice of authors was judicious. These people are not guidebook writers. They are world-class thinkers, explorers of the esoteric, articulators of original thought. I recommend this book-unequivocally.

I have been reading this book for 8 months now, and I'm still not finished......Because each time I read a new interview with a writer that I become intrigued with, I put this down & go and read that author's books.

This book is outstanding. I started reading travel/adventure memoirs about three years ago, my first being "Falling off the Map" by Pico Iyer. Pico's in "A Sense of Place" as well as my other favorite, Bill Bryson. Jeff Greenwald and Redmond O'Hanlon were both new to me from this book, and I highly recommend reading their books. I also found out which author that I would be better off staying away from. (Paul Theroux) I just didn't click with his viewpoints.

All of the interviews are enlightening - and I think I'm finally on the last one. I'll be sad when it's over. I really enjoyed learning about so many authors in a genre that I am just starting to sink my teeth into.

Michael and his interviewees give wonderful perspectives on being home and being on the road. The discussions are about how they've traveled, what they've learned, and what's important in their life. Frances Mayes about the community she found living in Italy. Jonathan Raban on traveling alone. Arthur Frommer on continually learning. And much more. This book isn't focussed on "I went there and this happened" but about life, perspectives. I especially enjoyed reading it while I was on 2 month trip myself. It will stimulate you to think about what's important to you.