Laura Fraser (1)Reseñas

I'm not sure what to write about this "travel" memoir. I'm of two opinions. I certainly found it interesting and enjoyable enough to read it very quickly because I was very curious to find out where and how she would end her story. But there were definitely parts of the book where I could not relate at all to her lifestyle. In spite of that, I found her writing courageous because she was so open about her flaws and failures which I can't imagine doing in a million years.

A wonderful tale about coming to terms with the choices we make along the way and living life to its fullest. Fraser may have traveled the whole world living her dream career as a travel writer, but she longs for the quiet stability of a family life in a place she can call home. Throughout her journey, she learns to view her life in a different light and appreciate the richness of the fruits of her decisions.

As a fellow woman writer approaching midlife, I know from experience I cannot have it all at the same time. Having a family requires sacrifices most single people cannot appreciate, especially when those choices demand self-sacrifice for the benefit of children with special needs or a spouse who desperately wants to pursue a dream. On the other hand, Fraser may sacrifice the stability and security of a husband and children, but she gets to enjoy a spontaneous life full of travel and writing. I know if Fraser was living in my circumstances she would feel incomplete, dissatisfied, frustrated, and restless as a mother of an autistic child who only functioned in a rigid routine, could not fly in an airplane, and could not adapt to other cultural experiences.

Fraser understands the universe gives us what we need, not what we want. She has written a great, thoughtful read that will get you thinking about your own life in a new way.

Disturbing, but true.

One of my favorite books ever! It is the only book I've read multiple times. I read it whenever I want to feel good about my body and add a little spice to my sex appeal.

More of a 2.5 than a 3, but I'm rounding up because I'm maybe influenced by the fact that this woman's "poor me" life makes mine feel inferior.

How sad that I didn't enjoy Fraser's book about love, Italy and lots of food and wine half as much as I did her book about the weight loss industry.

I do want to kick "Jon" in the nuts. Repeatedly. Just because.

1607230 I had to drag myself through most of this book - the main reason was the endless You's. I found it incredibly irritating to have You in almost every sentence.I also failed to find much interest in the affairs of a woman who knowingly - especially after being cheated on - chose to have an affair with a married man regardless of what he says the circumstances of his marriage are. I can see the romance in a sweeping translantic kind of way but I really dislike infidelity as a lifestyle choice so couldn't involve myself in the story (particularly with the repetitive YOU)I'd give it 1 and a half stars

All Over the Map is written by Laura Fraser. This book is a memoir; the author chronicles her coming-of-middle-age. She reaches the age of 40 and discovers (as so many of us do) that she isn't where she thought she would be. She is not a wife; she is not a mother; she is not a householder. A theme in her life is this: when things get tough, she gets going. Where? Anywhere, and usually a plane trip is involved. She decides that at 40 years old, it's not too late to still try for any or all of her goals, and sets out to (possibly) achieve them. Some really wonderful things happen along the way, and some things that are not so wonderful. She writes honestly about her thoughts, feelings, and hopes. I loved this book.

There's definitely wisdom in this book, but it made me content to keep my weight between 150 and 160 and I ended up with diabetes. If I'd lost the 10 to 20 pounds my doctor recommended, I would have been better off. So obsessing and fad dieting is bad, but if you're not healthy and you want to be, you have to make more changes than the author discusses here.

Laura Fraser is 40 years old, recently divorced, a successful journalist who travels around the world writing magazine articles. Her lover, a European professor she met in Italy, and who has maintained an on-again, off-again relation with her for several years, announces he has met a woman with whom he can settle down in France, and have children. So "Ciao bella" it's been nice.

In assessing her life she finds she has a tendency to be impulsive, drinks a lot, hops into bed with men she's just met, and regrets that her independent spunky lifestyle prevents men from forming lasting attachments to her. Well DUH! Who's going to 'settle down' with someone whose answer to a life crisis is to buy a plane ticket and go climb a mountain.

She decides that she is going to make it her life's project to settle down, find a man, marry him, and have a child before her biological clock runs out. She has a series of meetings, relationships, trips, retreats, and other 'adventures' but no luck. We have to trek through this self-flagellation, revelation as she goes from Italy, to Mexico, to Peru, to Rwanda, etc etc etc.

There is a hopeful ending and that has me saying "Thank goodness". I'm not sure the book could have been sold without some type of resolution, but it is one that may not sit well with many readers. Forty-something women who haven't "found themselves" yet, or who are in life-changing situations may find something of merit in this one. For those of us who are well past that stage, the angst is hard to swallow. I kept wanting to say GET A GRIP.

All Over the Map By Laura Fraser Over forty, funny, smart woman works as a travel writer. Laura lives in San Franscisco and travels the world to exotic exciting locations to write magazine articles. She is multilingual, loves meeting new people and enjoys tasting interesting cuisine. Post divorce and turning forty she can no longer bare the thought of being alone and never having children as she grows older. Travel is her job and her escape. If you enjoyed Eat Pray Love, this memoir is comparable, perhaps better written. The reader must be able to tolerate incessant whining and complaining and just enjoy the beautiful detailed trips and witty commentary.

I don't know what to make of this travel memoir. It was an enjoyable read on all the places she went. Then, meeting all those interesting people, which of course she had no difficulty. The problem I have with her is the off and on affair with a married man. Yes, the French professor admitted to her, that, his marriage life is not a happy one. Still, in my opinion bed hopping with this proffessor is absulately wrong. I wish she would calm down in searching for that elusive man of her dream. I must say, all the places she went and the food she ate are tantalizing. I sure wish, I could just board a plane heading somewhere on a whim just like her. If you like romance, adventure in an exotic place read this book. I wish she would use to describe her adventure in the first person.

I enjoyed reading All Over the Map. It is written in the first person and is an autobiographical telling of a woman’s life after her divorce. She had a dream of finding a good man to marry, children, a house and a career that lets her travel. She already had the wonderful career but it didn’t seem like enough. She desperately wanted a man to have all attributes on her list. She felt that time was running out that the children she wanted so much may never be born. At the beginning of the book, I grew tired of her complaining and kept saying “Grow up” under my breath. But she actually did some major growing up and it was a great joy to read about that happening. What this book is to me is like a friend coming over to enjoy a great meal and a very long talk. .
She describes what she ate with such great detail that it makes you want to stop everything and put together a mouth watering feast. Also, I love her description of the places that she went during that period of her life. Her descriptions of the Samoan beaches, the scenery and the local people in the towns and cities of Italy and Mexico were so real that you could imagine being there. But most of all, I appreciated her honesty in telling about her relationships with men, even the most difficult times.
I would recommend this book to every woman who has ever been “dumped”, gone through divorce or would like to learn more about how to approach life in a more positive viewpoint. It should be required reading for all those women who have long lists of what their husband should be like too!

The relatively new genre of memoir of middle aged woman finding herself (usually after divorce) seems almost a second coming of age. These are women disillusioned by the whole struggle of balancing careers, families, and personal growth, looking to lead fuller, more meaningful lives, and always to find their one true love. Laura Fraser fits easily in this category and All Over the Map is the story of her second coming of age.

Laura Fraser is a restless traveler with no roots, running away from the decisions she's made, when her 45th birthday approaches. She decides a man will fix everything and sets out to find the right one. Her travels are interesting and she describes the places she visits in tantalizing detail. I found myself marking places I want to see. Even Samoa, the scene of a life-changing disaster for Fraser, sounds appealing in her description. Still, I cringed every time she jumped into a new relationship and often found myself wanting to shake her. The ending saves the book for me. I won't give anything away, but I felt that Fraser did finally gain some insight.

This is Laura Fraser's dreamy yet practical account of her affair with a married Frenchman, conducted on Italian islands, in Morocco, in San Francisco - basically anywhere they can meet when he has time to get away. I enjoyed it almost as much as her later memoir, All Over the Map. She and the professor have a tender yet clear-eyed relationship. There were also many funny travel stories. The only detraction was that it was told in the second person, which I mostly got used to.

This was a great book about a woman's attempt to rebuild her life after 40. Though she doesn't achieve all her goals, she has many fascinating travel experiences. I hope she writes more books about her life.

I'm going to start off by saying I hate second-person narratives. HATE them. That said, I liked the premise of this book. I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the travel destinations, the foods, and the sights. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has caught the travel bug! I want to go discover Italy now, sadly, the wallet won't allow for it :( For about the first chapter or so, I though I was reading the screenplay of Under The Tuscan Sun....there were quite a few similarities.

I will keep my eye out for more books by Laura Fraser - as long as they aren't second-person narratives. Sorry, it's just a pet peeve, they just kill the escape that novels offer me.

I enjoyed this.

Different and captivating. The book is told with a relish that is both like and unlike A Moveable Feast. Fraser doesn’t have Hemingway’s spare style, but both books put an emphasis on taking pleasure everywhere, on eating good food, enjoying good sights. It’s also a funny book—her dating adventures as plump divorcee in her late thirties are both hilarious and sad, and she really seems to put her finger on the pulse of the fears and cowardices that too often drive us instead of our love for life. A quick, easy, and enjoyable read, while being thought-provoking and smart. She has a tremendously good turn of phrase. I’m not totally sure why she wrote it in second person—even diaries are usually written in first person—but I got used to it.½

Present-tense account, both humorous and touching.

Summary: Diets are counterproductive (you knew that) but liquid products are dangerous, low-fat foods are a waste of money, and some physicians who are obesity specialists are also involved in diet product corporations. A program of regular exercise, a well-balanced diet and a refusal to accept "ridiculous" weight standards will help people to live cheerfully in their bodies.
Review: Nothing like laying all the facts right there on the table. However, I've had people read this book on my recommendation, agree that it's fabulous information (and so true!), and say that they're going to follow the recommendations right after they lose that last 10 pounds. Whatever. I can't say that I've made perfect peace with my body but after reading this book at least I've stopped obsessing about it so much.

#18, 2005

A "memoir" (not sure if it's all completely true, or somewhat fictionalized) about a woman who, when her husband suddenly leaves her, goes off to Italy in search of sex love. And finds, well, something. I didn't really enjoy this book, mostly because I had a hard time liking the narrator. Which is a shame, really, because in general, I'm all in favor of the idea of going off to Italy looking for . . . erm . . . whatever. ;)