Without Reservations: The Travels Of An Independent Woman

Editorial Reviews. From Publishers Weekly. In a travel-book-cum-memoir set against a glamorous background of European cities, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer .
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Steinbach enrolls in a late-summer course at Oxford, learns an important lesson about ballroom dancing from Barry, her. If the adventure evolves without the higher risk of other kinds. Not a major work, perhaps, but if a minor one, then well done. There was a problem adding your email address.

Without reservations : the travels of an independent woman / Alice Steinbach - Details - Trove

Be the first to discover new talent! Each week, our editors select the one author and one book they believe to be most worthy of your attention and highlight them in our Pro Connect email alert. Sign up here to receive your FREE alerts. This book is a feast. Paris Dear Alice, Each morning I am awakened by the sound of a tinkling bell. A cheerful sound, it reminds me of the bells that shopkeepers attach to their doors at Christmastime.

In this case, the bell marks the opening of the hotel door. From my room, which is just off the winding staircase, I can hear it clearly.

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It reminds me of the bell that calls to worship the novice embarking on a new life. In a way I too am a novice, leaving, temporarily, one life for another. Steinbach searches for the answer to this provocative question in some of the most exciting places in the world: Paris, where she finds a soul mate in a Japanese man; Oxford, where she takes a course on the English village; Milan, where she befriends a young woman about to be married.

Beautifully illustrated with postcards Steinbach wrote home to herself to preserve her spontaneous impressions, this revealing and witty book will transport readers instantly into a fascinating inner and outer journey, an unforgettable voyage of discovery. From the Hardcover edition. Alice Steinbach, whose work at the Baltimore Sun was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in , has been a freelance writer since Would you describe your book as a travel book or a memoir? I would describe Without Reservations as a combination of both, a sort of travel memoir, if you will.

But I really think of it this way: That woman, of course, is me. What were you hoping to learn from such an undertaking? I think it was more that I was hoping to relearn certain things that were a part of me when I was younger. I wanted to relearn how to be spontaneous again, to have more fun, to live in the moment and to take chances. And were you successful in achieving such goals? Travelling—particularly travelling alone—forces you to be spontaneous and take chances.

But I think the most valuable lesson I learned during my travels was this: Once all the old baggage and labels were discarded, I was able to respond more honestly to the world around me. Sometimes, you are surprised to find out what interests you. Who would have guessed, for instance, that I should find the architectural history of the Paris Metro stops so fascinating? Did you ever get homesick or lonely? But I felt many things during my travels: Not a bad lesson to bring home from such a trip! Do you have any strategies for combating loneliness? How did you handle eating alone in restaurants, for instance?

Eating alone in restaurants, particularly at dinnertime, is one of the universal problems for the solo traveler. Breakfast and lunch are no problem. Unless I have plans to meet someone for dinner, I usually make lunch my main meal of the day. A salad and yoghurt from the market—eaten in my room—is quite enough. But there are also places where a woman alone can feel comfortable for lunch or dinner.

Museums frequently have cafes or full-service restaurants; many are open at night. One of the most important decisions for me when planning a trip is to pick my hotel carefully. I try to find one located in a lively, friendly neighborhood, one that has cafes and food markets, sandwich shops and small family-run restaurants. At one point, it sounded like bragging. I would have enjoyed more about the people and less about the little things she did, like shoe shopping. She didn't even bring back the relevance of buying the shoes. This was a book that I couldn't wait to end.

Jul 26, Tricia rated it really liked it. I really enjoyed this book. It was a very easy read - she writes simply and the chapters are short. Also, it is not just a travel book, but a book about self-discovery at an older age. What a wonderful idea! Hope some of you pick thi I really enjoyed this book.

Hope some of you pick this up: Apr 09, Traczy rated it did not like it. The title is the first problem with this book. The author has reservations in almost all of her destinations. I imagined a book about a woman with a backpack and train pass with no specific timeline The second problem is that she never pulls the reader in. Steinbach writes as though she were an observer in the experiences, not a participant.

It left me feeling cold and lonely It just wasn't good travel writing. Aug 07, Krystyn rated it did not like it Shelves: I'm giving up on this book - it just didn't keep me interested. It's hard for me not to just finish it as I hate leaving a book before the end, but I just can't do it. Apr 20, Elizabeth rated it did not like it.

Without Reservations

I wish I could give this something stronger than a "didn't like it. In Steinbach, then in her fifties, took a sabbatical from her job as a Baltimore Sun journalist to travel for nine months straight in Paris, England and Italy. As a divorcee with two grown sons, she no longer felt shackled to her Maryland home and wanted to see if she could recover a more spontaneous and adventurous version of herself and not be defined exclusively by her career. Her innate curiosity and experience as a reporter helped her to quickly form relationships with other English-spe In Steinbach, then in her fifties, took a sabbatical from her job as a Baltimore Sun journalist to travel for nine months straight in Paris, England and Italy.

Her innate curiosity and experience as a reporter helped her to quickly form relationships with other English-speaking tourists, which was an essential for someone traveling alone. In Paris she fell in love with Naohiro, and in the months that followed she met up with him occasionally at various European locations. From France she continued to London and Oxford, where she completed a course on the history of the English village. Her attitude is impressive, too: Aug 18, Tisha rated it really liked it Shelves: Upon turning the first pages of this book, I note the contents.

Paris not all of France , London not all of England and Italy, just as she's named; the entire country.

KIRKUS REVIEW

This book did not disappoint. Alice takes a leave from work and her busy life to tra Upon turning the first pages of this book, I note the contents. Alice takes a leave from work and her busy life to travel to Europe with the primary plan of not having a plan. She truly wanders the cities, meets new people, explores random places on a whim. She is successful in her goal to travel as a spontaneous person; so different from her normal self. A great inspiration to pause and appreciate all the little things This is summarized by a quote from the book, "What adds up to a life is nothing more than the accumulation of small daily moments.

Without Reservations The Travels of an Independent Woman

View all 3 comments. Sep 04, Arlene rated it did not like it Recommended to Arlene by: This book seemed bland. I wondered how it got published, versus more deserving books, but I assume the author, a journalist, had a built-in audience. She tells some of WHAT happened, in summary she gets ill and is helped by people, she has an affair but she doesn't provide much detail of HOW it happened.

The reader doesn't experience it. Nov 23, Pamela Pickering rated it really liked it Recommends it for: Ann, Susan, Mom, Valerie. A cheerful sound, it reminds me of the bells that shopkeepers attach to their doors at Christmastime. In this case, the bell marks the opening of the hotel door.

From my room, which is just off the winding staircase, I can hear it clearly. It reminds me of the bell that calls to worship the novice embarking on a new life. In a way I too am a novice, leaving, temporarily, one life for another. Love, Alice" At first I was a little leary of reading this travel memoir. I was afraid of my mental comparison to "Under the Tuscan Sun" which I could not finish. I'm glad I did not pass up the opportunity to travel with Alice across Europe. In my younger years, whenever I traveled it became all about the perfect photo, or how much stuff I could cram in the day to make the most of my trip.

As I've grown older, I've learned to lay off the camera a little more and just sit back and watch. Oh sure, if I only have a day I still might choose to pack a day with sights but I've decided to give myself permission to just "be" and watch others in the same state. I love how the author will send herself postcards to remind herself of those tiny, expressive moments years later. This is something I shall have to do in the future.

To see a post-card in your own hand, writing about a special moment should surely take you back to that moment. Nov 20, Patty rated it really liked it Shelves: How many of us fall into patterns that we become dependent on? We do the same things with the same people because that is how we have always lived our life.

I believe it takes effort and independence to change this inclination to be who we have always been. Alice Steinbach has the chutzpah to make changes to her life. She decides to put her independence to the test. I admire her for that. To journey by yourself to Europe without a complete itinerary, seems difficult to me. Steinbach goes to Paris How many of us fall into patterns that we become dependent on?

Steinbach goes to Paris, parts of England and a number of Italian cities. She is a successful traveler. It sounds like fun to part of me and then the rest of me wants my travel to be comfortable. I enjoyed this book even though I probably will never do anything like this. Steinbach has reminded me that learning and doing new things can be fun. Those who like to travel and armchair travelers would enjoy this book, I think. I especially recommend it to women who are thinking about traveling on their own. Although the writing was sometimes over-sentimental and the author's insights about independence and traveling alone were not particularly surprising, I really enjoyed this book.

I liked reading about all of the small details of the author's day, especially her delicious breakfasts with hot coffee and rolls and fruit, spent enjoying beautiful weather and people-watching. Just the record of those insignificant moments is so evocative of the feeling you get when eating a leisurely breakfast on a d Although the writing was sometimes over-sentimental and the author's insights about independence and traveling alone were not particularly surprising, I really enjoyed this book.

Just the record of those insignificant moments is so evocative of the feeling you get when eating a leisurely breakfast on a day with nothing but enjoyment ahead. Such descriptions made me yearn to be on the road again. And I loved the idea of the author writing postcards to herself! I will try to do that the next time I travel, just to keep track of little details of my days.

View all 4 comments. Oct 11, Cecilia rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Go on a trip through Europe without leaving your home with famed journalist Steinbach in this wonderful travel memoir. Steinbach does a fabulous job of not only setting the visual scenes of each locale, but also adding her own personal sensibility to each page. She did all of the traveling she talks about in this book all on her own so the stories are, in addition to being about European ways and customs, about the life of the single wanderer.

Since this book is more about the author and less ab Go on a trip through Europe without leaving your home with famed journalist Steinbach in this wonderful travel memoir. Others wanting a general view of experiences waiting for them abroad will be pleased, though. Jun 17, Natasha rated it it was amazing. Steinbach put aside her job as a writer for the Baltimore Sun to travel in Europe with no agenda other than to rediscover who she was as a woman.

She had been a wife, a mother, and a writer, but she felt as if she had somehow lost who she was to herself. Having traveled to many of the locations that she went, I found myself reminiscing about my own vacations. I really loved the way that she wrote as well. I read this because I enjoyed "Adventures of a curious woman" so much, and this one came first.

You can tell how this one is the precursor -- the warm up journey, a bit more loose and rambling than the precisely scheduled "Adventures" I had a strange reaction to this book, as the author is in her 50's and is just now taking the time to travel europe on her own, learn about herself outside the context of her fast-paced career as a pulitzer prize winning journalist -- as she talks about Paris, I read this because I enjoyed "Adventures of a curious woman" so much, and this one came first.

I had a strange reaction to this book, as the author is in her 50's and is just now taking the time to travel europe on her own, learn about herself outside the context of her fast-paced career as a pulitzer prize winning journalist -- as she talks about Paris, Italy, England, I was drawn back into my early 20's, wandering around europe much in the same manner semi-aimlessly feeling the pressure to find out more about myself before getting sucked into the false reality of "career world" which can be kind of like DisneyWorld, a totally constructed facade linking who we are to what we do for a living in a way made to fit the expectations of other people and the universe at large, and can swallow people's soul's wholly into the fantasy of it or of what you think it should be Anyhow, Alice and I were both having parallel experiences, wandering Europe within the same few years, her looking backward s and me looking forwards, and at right now in my 30's i pick up this book from the library and we meet in the middle Alice is also my kind of traveller, she is social and has no issues meeting fun people and getting involved with many interesting activities, yet enjoys the freedom and excitement of travelling solo.

This book is as much about the inward journey of self-discovery and identity than it is about the outward travels, and it was defintely a pleasure to share Alice's experiences see, I'm on a first name basis with her already! Feb 17, Lize rated it it was amazing Shelves: This one all but leapt into my arms as I walked through the section of the library on a gloomy February day.


  • 10 editions of this work.
  • Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach;
  • Without Reservations, The Travels Of An Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach?

I had really enjoyed Ms. Steinbach's "Educating Alice" a few years ago, and this was equally delightful--an account of her year away from her Baltimore journalist job spent in Paris, London, Oxford, and Italy. I've long thought Ms. Steinbach and I would get along famously. We travel much the same way: Her writing is gorgeous, but accessible, and I love how she can find the beauty and soul in the most ordinary things: