Alice Steinbach, whose work at the Baltimore Sun was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 1985, has been a freelance writer since 1999. She was appointed the 1998-1999 McGraw Professor of Writing at Princeton University and is currently a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
“A rich account of one woman’s journey through Europe and into the
self.”
—Us Weekly
“I loved going along with Alice Steinbach as she goes off on this
rare, wonderful adventure, an escape into discovering herself and
some of the truly magical places in this world.”
—Dominick Dunne
“More than a chronicle of the writer’s search for self-discovery,
Without Reservations is a lovely travelogue.” —Chicago Tribune
“The best books, like the best vacations, contain unexpected
delights, sur-prises that enrich the soul as well as the senses.
This is a book about love, and longing, and the passage of time.
It’s about hope, and courage, and the resiliency of memory. This
book is a feast. Bon appétit!”
—The Des Moines Register
“Beautifully written, clear, insightful, thoughtful . . .
Steinbach’s book should be taken in slowly and savored all the
way."
—St. Petersburg Times
In a travel-book-cum-memoir set against a glamorous background of European cities, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Steinbach describes the months she spent traveling after she took a sabbatical from her job as columnist for the Baltimore Sun. For Steinbach, traveling is an exercise in reconnecting with a more independent and uninhibited side of her personality. Her not-quite-spontaneous adventure begins in Paris, where she finds a kindred spirit in a worldly Japanese businessman. From there she heads off to Oxford, where she takes a course in English village life, and on to Milan, where she meets the most charming of her fellow travelers, a young American girl soon to be married. The obstacles Steinbach faces on her journeys seem minor--overcoming a fear of ballroom dancing in Oxford and putting aside the habit of always doing "at least two things at once." Only in Milan, when she was nearly mugged, does Steinbach experience anything harrowing. Though the descriptions of each locale are thin, they are not really the purpose of this memoir; rather, the author's intent is to connect emotionally with each city and to learn "to take chances. To have adventures [and] to see if I could still hack it on my own, away from the security of work, friends and an established identity." Supplying more finely observed details might have made this a richer book, but the writing is generally optimistic, warm and genuine in a Chicken-Soup-for-Travelers kind of way. Illustrations not seen by PW. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
"A rich account of one woman's journey through Europe and into the
self."
-Us Weekly
"I loved going along with Alice Steinbach as she goes off on this
rare, wonderful adventure, an escape into discovering herself and
some of the truly magical places in this world."
-Dominick Dunne
"More than a chronicle of the writer's search for self-discovery,
Without Reservations is a lovely travelogue." -Chicago
Tribune
"The best books, like the best vacations, contain unexpected
delights, sur-prises that enrich the soul as well as the senses.
This is a book about love, and longing, and the passage of time.
It's about hope, and courage, and the resiliency of memory. This
book is a feast. Bon appetit!"
-The Des Moines Register
"Beautifully written, clear, insightful, thoughtful . . .
Steinbach's book should be taken in slowly and savored all the
way."
-St. Petersburg Times
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
