A House Somewhere: Tales of Life Abroad (Lonely Planet Journeys)

I have decided, after careful deliberation, that I simply can't read any more of this book. Which is embarrassing as I bought it for my best friend. I have struggled and struggled but I just am not interested in the extracts. They might be by famous writers but there's simply nothing to catch my interest. Somehow nearly all (or at least most of the half I read) of the extracts read as if the same person wrote them. Yes, they are about wildly different countries but that's about all. Considering [...]

Had to read it for school, otherwise I wouldn't have even considered reading it. I'm not going to give this a high rating because I found these stories boring. It's just not my cup of tea.Though I am travel-writing lovers would, of course, enjoy this book.I've only read the last half because it's only what's required of me.

Honestly, I loved the idea of this book more than the execution. It features short excerpts from travel writers describing their lives abroad, with vignettes taking place from Paris to Tuscany to Bangkok to Japan. Some of the stories were entertaining (e.g the guy that lived on the Seine), while others were not. Generally, there just wasn't enough time to get invested in the characters or their stories—but that's true of all short story collections. I might revisit this again someday, because [...]

These stories of expats getting homes in other countries bore me. The contractor's a thief. Too many friends want to come. "We dined on rosemary and garlic Wheat Thins delicately laced with vintage Cheese-Whiz while simultaneously being accepted into the remote village in France/Italy/Slobbovia." Suddenly when all seems lost it comes together at the last moment. Then you return to New York. Get over yourself and lay off the humble bragging.

Only needed to read half for A-level, haven't fully finished analysing etc yet, will update review at the end of the college year!!

Dreams fuel for those that wonder about faraway lands and cultures vastly different than our own. This collection of narratives by a variety of writers, novelists , journalists, travel writers, and more, is one that I found surprisingly enjoyable, albeit rather generic. Being a compilation, as a whole, it only really shares a theme of what it means to have a home in a culture not of your own, but I enjoyed reading of the different perspectives each author brought to the ideas of "home" "roots", [...]

Enjoyed the first few stories about life in other countries but then it fizzled out for me. Some I found quite boring.

Nothing like a collection of stories about living abroad to re-awaken not-so-dormant desires to resume what I now see is a substandard peripatetic lifestyle. Nay, not only to resume it, but to make it worthy of, perhaps not publishable work, but at least a blog blurb.The book's collection make circle-stories of people setting off, stories of people settling in, and stories of people returning, and poignant though it was, the end of this collection inspired in me not a nostalgic homesickness or a [...]

Published by a guidebook company, this compilation suffers from selection, editing and sequencing issues that would have been dealt with by a traditional publishing house; that being said, Isabel Allende's A House in Paradise, Rolf Potts's Mr. Benny's Dead Uncle and Karl Taro Greenfeld's A Loft in Paris are all worth reading

I have had to read this book as part of my college level and it wouldn't usually be something I'd try but I was willing to give it a chance.After reading the second half of the book, as this was all we were required to read, I find it hard to judge it. This is because of there being many different stories and only small extracts, so while I may have enjoyed one or two of the stories I will admit that had I not needed to carry on reading I wouldn't have.Not saying that it won't be good to someone [...]

I thought this was a pretty good travel book, and I liked the collection of essays giving different outlooks and writing styles. On the other hand, I was mildly disappointed that most of the essays were the same formulaic of American/British writers living in the tropics for brief periods of time. There were several essays on Asia which I enjoyed, but only two with foreign authors living in the US. I would have liked to see more variety. Where are the people living in Australia? The South Pacifi [...]

I picked up this book because I’ve always wanted to live abroad. Twenty six well known writers (and not as well known) really bring to life what it’s like to be immersed in a different culture. All the joys, trials, tribulations, and lessons learned. It’s refreshing to read about living in different parts of the world- Japan, India, Morocco, and many locales, from the writers different sensibilities, perspectives, and writing styles. These diverse pieces are humorous, poignant, warm, and s [...]

I usually don't read travel writing (I'd rather travel than read about others traveling) but this was our book group selection for October. It turned out that I really enjoyed many of the stories in the book. The focus was on living in a foreign culture and the unexpected encounters that often occur. The best selections read like good short stories - my favorites which made me laugh out loud were "Digging Mr. Benny's Dead Uncle" by Rolf Potts, "City of Djinns" by Wm. Dalyrymple and "Waiting for [...]

I've only read pages 150 onwards in this boom as that was the part I had to read for my A level English lang&lit. I read this book abroad and that's where I recommend people sit and read it. Other peoples stories of travel and far off countries and beautiful scenery (sometimes) will be much easier to follow if your laying in the sun in a beautiful country. Some extracts are better than others but overall it was really enjoyable to read.

Colourful, relatable, and entertaining. This book is a delightful little collection of journeys - both literal and figurative. Its not a flashy or dazzling travel novel to get swept away in, but portrays the realistic and sometimes humbling experiences of settling in a place far from home - yet the beauty and magic that can exist in any place or experience if you are present. I especially enjoyed 'Waiting for Juan' by Chris Stewart. I actually laughed out loud reading it.

Enjoyed much of this collection of travel writing, though just like destinations, not all the writers are my favorites. Pico Iyer is my all-time favorite travel author and he never disappoints. Isabel Allende usually bugs me and I actually liked her in this shortened format. Nobody is better than Paul Theroux at encapsulating foreign culture quirks; it's such a shame he always has to go on and on about himself. I wish there was a German house in this book.

I studied sections of this book as part of my A-Level in English Language and Literature and found it thoroughly entertaining and Inspiring, making me want to visit the places described. An enjoyable book filled with some fantastic accounts of some incredible adventures.

This is a lovely collection - it is mainly excerpts from travel books by a variety of authors. There are some that I haven't heard of and that sounds really interesting, so I might be looking for the complete edition of their work :).Definitely recommended.

A hit and miss collection but I thoroughly enjoyed Peter Mayle's February Laughed through Rolf Potts' Digging Mr Benny's Dead Uncle, and as always, the way isabel Allende writes. William dalrymple's portrayal of India is an amusement by itself.

A great book to read while traveling. The short stories by different authors take you to other places. There is an added bonus if you have ever lived abroad. Knowing others have gone through what I went through doesn't make me feel so silly.

I enjoyed this on the whole, but like all compilation books, you'll love the way some of the contributors write, and some will have you skipping to the next chapter. Hit & miss, but not a bad read on the whole.

Short stories by various travel writers about choosing to live, at least for a time, somewhere. Written between 1980s and 2002 and covering most of the world. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about another side of travel.

one of the nicest anthologies of travel stories!

I really liked this one. Makes me want to buy a home somewhere.

Perfect to dip in and out of. Stories that will make you laugh, cry and gasp. Overall a great introduction to travel writing.

Satisfied (temporarily) my addiction to travel books and tales of life in other lands, as it were. WHAT a gold mine of interesting stories.

Reading a few of these stories while traveling. Easy, fun to read. I like the idea of settling down in a place temporarily, but don't know when I might to that.

Short stories or excerpts from travel memoirs - all very good. It was a fun read.

Some really nice pieces on living in a new place. I would love to read more on the opposite kind of experience as well, since this has mostly people from the U.S. And UK living abroad

Nice collection of location-related stories by some great writers. Especially liked Peter Hessler's, but he's a fave anyway.