A House Somewhere: Tales of Life Abroad (Paperback)

~ Don George (Author, Editor), Anthony Sattin (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Visiting a place that turns out to have an exceptional pull on your heart and then wanting to establish some sort of residence there is not an uncommon travel experience. In fact, "home-abroad" books have become a very popular subgenre of travel literature; the movement was spearheaded by Peter Mayle's best-selling A Year in Provence (1990). From one of the most prominent travel publishers comes this exceptionally rewarding anthology of 18 book excerpts and eight original essays commissioned for inclusion here, and all the pieces share a common theme: settling down in a foreign country. Included among this collection of treasures are Chilean novelist Isabel Allende writing about Marin County in California, internationally based writer Lily Brett discussing co-op manners and protocol in New York City, and British author Simon Winchester sharing his wonderment at being the owner of a tractor on a Massachusetts farm. This heartwarming assortment, although technically qualifying as "arm-chair" reading, is more likely "get to the airport now" reading. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"A fascinating anthology representing some of our best writers. Insightful and highly entertaining, this is recommended...." -- Library Journal

"From one of the most prominent travel publishers comes this exceptionally rewarding anthology... a heartwarming assortment..." -- Booklist

"The essays gathered in this collection demonstrate that even the most restless wanderers put down roots." -- Conde Nast Traveler

…insightful and highly entertaining…a facsinating anthology representing some of our best writers.' -- Library Journal, December 2002

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications (December 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740594193
• ISBN-13: 978-1740594196
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #495,459 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreams of Escape, December 22, 2002

By	D. P. Birkett (Suffern, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

A collection of essays and stories about living in foreign countries. Books about this usually contain certain predictable themes. The writer is usually English or American, doesn't have a regular job, and the natives among whom he lives are lovable eccentrics with fractured English. It's commonly an island, or somewhere remote and warm, and when we next read about the writer he's no longer living there. (Jan Morris points out of these cliches in her or his introductory essay, "Some Thoughts from Abroad")
Some of the pieces fall into these obvious categories but one writer is Indian, one Welsh, and one South American. In three of them the foreign country is the United States. Others are set in the Philippines, Paris, Provence, Italy, Kenya, Singapore, Mexico, Ireland, Morocco, Japan, China, Egypt, Thailand, Turkey and Greece. Tragedy strikes in two of them but the mood is mostly light-hearted and humorous. I enjoyed them all. They made me appreciate electricity, paved roads, and being able to turn on a faucet and drink the water.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Embracing the overseas living experience, March 6, 2003

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

This compendium of travel stories provides essays by Isabel Allende, Jan Morris, and more notable travel writers and provides an unusual focus on experiences of living abroad. Essays range from the humorous to the observation of cultural differences as they provide both entertaining and enlightening autobiographies embracing the overseas living experience. A House Somewhere is perfect as a leisure literary pursuit and highly recommended for the traveler who contemplates residency in another country.