Customer Reviews

Travels with Alice

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a gem of the travel narrative genre. Yet it is found under the Humor category in the bookstore. It is wickedly funny. Trillin's enthusiam is a pleasure. The chapter called "Defying Mrs. Tweedie" is worth the price of the entire book. Typical of this book, the chapter is not only original and funny, it is a lyrical description of a travel destination, Taormina, with details of history, scenery, and food. I like Trillin's philosophy of travel, the leisurely approach. The book is full of inside jokes from chapter to chapter, like the I.W.I. (the imaginary Italian West Indies, where the food is superb) and his nickname for his wife Alice, "la principessa." (It improves the service in Italian hotels.) Nice insights on family travel, too. I finished the last chapter, turned the page hoping for another, and groaned when I realized the book was finished.

Trillin's light brand of humor is perfectly suited to his view of travelling with wife and children in tow. A European summer for the Trillin family consists of food (of course), swimming, and finding the best "babyfoot" -- that is, bar football. And how many authors do you know who get their kicks by yelling "tauraux piscine" out the open car window as the Provencal countryside whizzes by? Read it and enjoy.

Calvin Trillin may want to sound exasperated when he talks about his travels with his wife Alice and his daughters.He can talk all he wants about dispelling the notion that an $800.00 per person customs limit does not mean his family each need to purchase that exact amount of goods before returning home. How McDonald's semingly smell the same though located half a world apart. He may want to sound gruff, but this collection of essays manage to convey his delight in discovering new cusines,comfortable places and kindly people. I suspect half the fun of traveling with Alice, is seeing how far you could push the seemingly intractable Calvin over the edge.

This is my second Trillin book, after Tepper Isn't Going Out Today. I quite enjoyed that book, and when the most recent Alice book came out and was being promoted, I became interested in going back to some of Trillin's earlier works, especially those featuring Alice.

This slight volume was a nice, easy read with family vacation stories fairly universal in this culture. Kids with fussy appetites, parents balancing out "just hanging around" vs "force-feeding culture down the kids' throats", etc etc. Trillin's got a nice wry, easy-going manner that I found comfortable and friendly.

There were times I found myself skimming the overdone descriptions of the food he enjoyed. I get that that's one of Trillin's "things" - he's a foodie. But it's just not all that interesting when described to such the nth degree.

I enjoyed, most of all, passages involving his interactions with his two daughters. Funny and sweet without being cloying or sentimental. If I have one complaint with the book, it's that the titular Alice makes only rare, and not especially interesting, appearances. Trillin seems not that interested in the experiences his wife had on their trips, or in the experiences he shared with his wife on their trips. Very interested in his own deal. Which is fine. But given the title, I had hoped for a bit more in the way of a loving, fun reflection on their shared experiences.

Good book, recommended.

After hearing Mr. Trillin speak on a public radio talk show, I thought I'd love to read one of his books, as I found him so amusing. As it turns out, I found this book very boring. I've traveled in many of the countries he mentioned but found his descriptions of food and place uninteresting and found myself skipping over many parts trying to get to something interesting. Little mention was made of Alice. His two daughters played a bigger part in the rendition and it was mostly about Calvin. I don't know if I'd care to try another of his books.

Calvin Trillin has been traveling with his wife (Alice) and his daughters for years, mainly on holidays, and he wrote this funny book about it. His main interest is food, but Alice is also very fond of views. He deplores the fact that Alice is a three meals a day person!
He makes you feel as if you're traveling with them and has a new angle on a lot of things. If you like a funny (maybe not always super accurate) travelogue, this book is for you!

It was a mistake to buy this book. It was so boring that I did not finish it. Having read a more recently published book about The life and death of Alice, I expected a better book.

Travels with Alice arrived within two weeks after it was ordered. It was in perfect condition as described, though it was a used copy. I find that the choices of books I have made with Amazon are always aptly described. Amazon is where I order all of my books and CDs.