Over The Hill And Far Away Jo Carroll 9781471069420 Books
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There must be something between the retirement party and buying a zimmer frame. Jo Carroll decided this was the time to revive her teenage dreams and go round the world. So she packed her rucksack, a round-the-world ticket, and a notebook. Not prepared, then, for being marooned on a beach in Australia with the tide rising and nothing but cliffs behind her; nor negotiating with a gunman who wanted to marry her in Lucknow. Let's not think about the snakes and leeches in the jungles of Malaysia. But could anything have prepared her for the drama that brought her home? Nor the kindness of strangers who kept her safe at that moment when she was least able to do it for herself.
Over The Hill And Far Away Jo Carroll 9781471069420 Books
Travel writing is not so much about the places visited as it is about the interaction between the place and the writer. That's a given, I think, but even so there are variations in the degree of focus on place vs self. Travel also frequently involves venturing outside one's comfort zone. Jo Carroll illustrates her level of comfort during her explorations by the extent to which she can step outside herself and into the exotic locales through which she passes.She's palpably uncomfortable at her first stop, Sydney, where she remains self-conscious about the age difference between herself and those around her and continues to question her reasons for having embarked in her mid-50s on what amounts to a yearlong Walkabout.
I think the sheer physical beauty of New Zealand, which she visits next, pushes her doubts into the background. But then she moves on to Nepal and from there to India, and both of those places call for a lot of flexibility on her part. She's very fortunate in having, at most stages of the trek, companions of one sort or another who ease her transition into the local scene. By the time she is mostly on her own, she has acquired more confidence. Still, doubts abound, all of which she records in present tense. Of India, she says:
"I have not learned how to read people here. I am still stared at, occasionally followed. This does not feel threatening any more, rather an expression of curiosity. But I have been on the edge of so many scams here, and cannot--in the instant of meeting someone--read whether they are honest."
The life she left behind in the UK includes grown daughters, one of whom is due to give birth, so she continues to feel conflicted about her globetrotting. After moving on to Singapore (more comfortable but also bland), she relents and returns home for the big event--but only briefly. Soon she is back in the tropics (Malaysia), determined to complete a full year of adventures. ("Why? Because I'll regret it if I don't.") I think early on, when she felt most ill at ease, calling it quits would have been primarily a blow to her pride. By this point, however, she has found her groove and has a clearer understanding of why the explorations are important.
I find this account completely authentic and compelling. Having done some solo traveling myself, I can attest to the heightened introspection Carroll describes so intimately. Such a trip, I think, truly is at least as much an inward journey as it is a physical one. Her writing does justice to the experience. And finally, because I'm approximately the same age as Carroll, I also recognize the physical limitations that begin to assert themselves in the latter parts of the experience. They give the story an unexpected layer of meaning.
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Tags : Over The Hill And Far Away [Jo Carroll] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. There must be something between the retirement party and buying a zimmer frame. Jo Carroll decided this was the time to revive her teenage dreams and go round the world. So she packed her rucksack,Jo Carroll,Over The Hill And Far Away,lulu.com,1471069427,Travel & Holiday Guides: General,Travel & holiday guides,Travel General
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Over The Hill And Far Away Jo Carroll 9781471069420 Books Reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed Jo's adventures. She has a valiant spirit that I found delightful, all the more because I wouldn't undertake the journeys she did. I often read travel books because once I start a novel, I am hooked, and sometimes I don't have time. This book read more like a novel than like something I could put down anywhere.
This was a good travel book but not one that knocked my socks off. I wasn't much interested in her jaunts through New Zealand but it became more interesting, to me, when she went to Nepal, India and other mysterious places. I did so enjoy the ending because I also am contented with my years. She is an intelligent writer and her books take you on wondrous journeys that some of us will never be able to take for health reasons. I think she would have made a great traveling companion, but chose to do it alone and along the way found out what she was really capable of doing.
As kids, we all read books about far-off places, saw movies about great adventures, and most of us daydreamed. We imagined ourselves in those places, living those adventures. Someday, someday, we told ourselves. But for most of us, that someday never comes.
Not Jo Carroll. Nuh-uh. That lady was determined to make her dreams come true.
Can you imagine how much guts it took for a middle-aged widow to leave everything known and familiar behind, and take off (by herself!) for exotic lands to experience a year of unforgettable adventures? Well, that's exactly what the delightfully feisty Carroll did. And what's more, now that she's back home, safe and sound in England, she's taken the time to share some of those amazing adventures with us. In a perfect blend, her book is half travelogue, and half like tales shared by a dear friend. And it is one hundred percent enjoyable.
Can't make it to India or Malaysia or Cambodia? No problem. Read this book. It's the next best thing to being there. (Cheaper and safer, too!)
What an incredible or crazy journey!! After her husband died she decided she didn't want to just sit around the house so she took off on a one year GAP year. The problem is where she decided to go--luckily in most areas she met up with friends of friends so had someone to get her started but as a single middle aged woman going to Cambodia, Thailand, and India in the worst possible places ever--well, she lived to tell about it but did get quite ill at the end (8 months) and had to go home. You would think that would be enough but I notice she has books about Nepal and Cuba so the wanderlust must have bit her. I found her writing to be good enough to make me feel like I was right there with her!! The only thing missing was letting us know how she got her money? ATM's--i am sure they didn't have them everyplace she went. That was good enough for me--thanks for showing me what I don't want to do!!
Travel writing is not so much about the places visited as it is about the interaction between the place and the writer. That's a given, I think, but even so there are variations in the degree of focus on place vs self. Travel also frequently involves venturing outside one's comfort zone. Jo Carroll illustrates her level of comfort during her explorations by the extent to which she can step outside herself and into the exotic locales through which she passes.
She's palpably uncomfortable at her first stop, Sydney, where she remains self-conscious about the age difference between herself and those around her and continues to question her reasons for having embarked in her mid-50s on what amounts to a yearlong Walkabout.
I think the sheer physical beauty of New Zealand, which she visits next, pushes her doubts into the background. But then she moves on to Nepal and from there to India, and both of those places call for a lot of flexibility on her part. She's very fortunate in having, at most stages of the trek, companions of one sort or another who ease her transition into the local scene. By the time she is mostly on her own, she has acquired more confidence. Still, doubts abound, all of which she records in present tense. Of India, she says
"I have not learned how to read people here. I am still stared at, occasionally followed. This does not feel threatening any more, rather an expression of curiosity. But I have been on the edge of so many scams here, and cannot--in the instant of meeting someone--read whether they are honest."
The life she left behind in the UK includes grown daughters, one of whom is due to give birth, so she continues to feel conflicted about her globetrotting. After moving on to Singapore (more comfortable but also bland), she relents and returns home for the big event--but only briefly. Soon she is back in the tropics (Malaysia), determined to complete a full year of adventures. ("Why? Because I'll regret it if I don't.") I think early on, when she felt most ill at ease, calling it quits would have been primarily a blow to her pride. By this point, however, she has found her groove and has a clearer understanding of why the explorations are important.
I find this account completely authentic and compelling. Having done some solo traveling myself, I can attest to the heightened introspection Carroll describes so intimately. Such a trip, I think, truly is at least as much an inward journey as it is a physical one. Her writing does justice to the experience. And finally, because I'm approximately the same age as Carroll, I also recognize the physical limitations that begin to assert themselves in the latter parts of the experience. They give the story an unexpected layer of meaning.
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