Customer Reviews

Smiling at the World: A Woman's Passionate Yearlong Quest for Adventure and Love

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3 star:		(1)
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Fantastic reading! Well written, thought provoking and inspiring. Who hasn't dreamed about a trip around the world? Here is a women that took a year and actually did it and for less than $27,000!! I'm so inspired as she did this when she was 57 and by herself. There is so much more to this story than just volunteering and traveling. A must read for anyone who has a dream to travel and a desire for adventure but keeps making excuses for why they can't do it.

The author was courageous in writing her story and at times did bring a smile but it was also at times agony to read and was unable to finish the book. The deletion of her "romances" particularly would have done much to improve this book. Perhaps a little less honesty and more compassion for one of the struggling nonprofit groups the author had little sympathy for would have done much as well to improve the book. She was a volunteer breezing around the world and I thought it particularly unkind to brutalize a reputation of some of those just trying to do good. Where was the editor? This is my first negative review, sorry.

Perhaps it's unfair to write a review before finishing a book, but I'm likely to not finish it. It is such a shame that the author's incredible experience is documented with such a poor writing style - so "amateurish", as another reviewer put it. She recycles the same phrases over and over again; she has lengthy quotes of her very sappy conversations with lovers. How can she actually quote them? Did she have a tape recorder running? I don't blame someone who is trying to document and publish such a wonderful experience, but where was the editor? Someone should have been helping her to create something more professional. I think then her audience would be larger. Like I said, it is a shame. She deserves better.

A year around the world, visiting countless nations, helping countless people and animals, and picking up countless odd-jobs - makes most readers past years seem tame and unexciting. "Smiling at the World: A Woman's Passionate Yearlong Quest for Adventure and Love" is author Joyce Major's account of leaving a successful career and comfortable life to go around the world alone, calling her act 'volun-tourism' and doing everything she could to help the planet while swimming in an ocean of new experiences. "Smiling at the World: A Woman's Passionate Yearlong Quest for Adventure and Love" is highly recommended to armchair travelers who want a fresh travelogue and for community library travel and memoir shelves.

Joyce Major is funny, honest and informative in her book, "Smiling at the World." Not only is this book delightfully entertaining, but it has inspired me with the courage to take action on one of my biggest dreams... to travel the world! This is one of the best books I've read in the last year...

It's been 2 months since I have finished this book and I am still with it. A great lesson on how one's attitude really influences their experience and relationship to others.

Just started reading this book. It's always great to see when people find their dreams, make them come true. The fact that Joyce manages to make it into a book that's well written, might inspire other people to find their dream, is even greater. Looking forward reading the remainder of the book, find my dream...