Synopsis: After more than twenty years living internationally—sixteen addresses, eight countries and five different languages—writer Melissa Bradford shares a fantastic journey of motherhood that will inspire any family.
Follow this family of six on their passage—extraordinary, hilarious and heart breakingly poignant—from Bright Lights (of New York City) to the Northern Lights (of Norway) to the City of Light (Paris) to the speed-of-light of the Autobahn (in Munich). Continue deep into the tropics of Southeast Asia (Singapore) and end your voyage in the heights of the Swiss Alps (Geneva)- eight countries, 16 addresses and five languages.
As varied as the topography—the craggy fjords, the meandering Seine, the black forests, the muggy tropics, the soaring Alps—this multicultural tale traverses everything from giving birth in a château in Versailles to living on an island in a fjord. From singing jazz on national Norwegian T.V. to judging an Indonesian beauty contest. From navigating the labyrinth of French bureaucracy and the traffic patterns of Singapore to sitting around a big pine table where the whole family learns languages, cultures, cuisines—where they, in short, learn to love this complex and diverse world and, most importantly, each other.
Review: I read this book leisurely over a week, as it seemed to call for that- ready in small stretches and absorbing the tales from the different countries. There were some truly funny moments, like getting a Norwegian dining table that seats 14 up the side of their apartment building in France, as it wouldn't fit through the doors, or how she has to bundle her kids up like mini-Michielin men to go to school in Norway.My only true complaint was that there was NO pictures. Zip, Nada, Nyet. When you have a travel/family memoir, you're hoping for those ! So I really recommend reading her blog post that is written from her son Dalton's view, about their travels, which includes the pictures missing from the book, that you want to see as a reader! It's also helpful to see what the kids were/are thinking about all the travels. In fact, scrolling through her blog while reading the book is recommended, to see the different pictures!
The book is a testament in courage of adapting and the resiliency of children, both of which as a military brat I am WELL aware of! I did feel like that there were really 2 volumes in this book though- the before and after of their oldest son, Parker's death. That chapter is hard for any parent to read. The after chapters just didn't have the same verve, which is understandable. I do recommend the book as a way to explore the world with the author, especially if you aren't going on a vacation this Summer!
The book is a testament in courage of adapting and the resiliency of children, both of which as a military brat I am WELL aware of! I did feel like that there were really 2 volumes in this book though- the before and after of their oldest son, Parker's death. That chapter is hard for any parent to read. The after chapters just didn't have the same verve, which is understandable. I do recommend the book as a way to explore the world with the author, especially if you aren't going on a vacation this Summer!
About the Author: I’m a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, writer, independent scholar, professional soprano, avid reader, and a serious avoider of all things mathematical. (My cell phone number, bank and zip codes, anyone’s birth date? They totally overtax my capacity for things numerical.)
But. . .to my credit, I manage adequately in other things. I hold a BA in German and an MA in Comparative Literature, (both from Brigham Young University), and speak, read and write fluent German, French, and Norwegian. I’ve taught language (English and German), humanities and writing on the university level, have served on the editorial board of Segullah, a women’s literary magazine, and have published award-winning poetry and prose.
As a young adult I studied for extended stretches in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria, where I returned at 21 to serve a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Subsequent to my missionary service in Austria, I taught German at the LDS Missionary Training Center in Utah, I met my husband Randall. We've been married for 27 years. Four kids, and all the countries later, we’ve moved to a little Swiss village that sits in the heart of vineyard country on the banks of Lac Léman northeast of Geneva.
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thanks for this fascinating giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
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