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Welcome to News From Italy, my blog about our Italian Adventure. Although this blog has now ceased publication I will be continuing to blog and I am sincerely hoping that my many followers here will move with me to Travel Tales blog to follow my next adventures wherever they may take me. The links to my other blogs are:-


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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Italy in Books Reading Challenge November 2011

Passeggiata Strolling Through Italy by G.G. Husak

  • Paperback: 355 pages
  • Genre: Travel memoir
  • Publisher: Booksurge Publishing 2008
  • Source: Sent to me by another blogger Maggie of Normandy Life via Bookmooch
  • First Sentence : Prologue ‘for almost fifteen years, March has signified not only the coming of spring, but my husband Al’s and my pilgrimage to Italy.’
  • Quote From Amazon.com : Ms. Husak’s memoir of travels to Italy with her husband will appeal to those who love travel in general and Italy in particular.
  • My Opinion: Suited especially to the first time visitor or virtual traveller to Italy.

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    The November post for the list of books that the other people taking part are reading this month has already been posted. November Reviews

    Although I enjoyed this memoir about this couples travels in Italy, I did not really find it excited me. I hope that does not mean I have been living here too long for a travel memoir of Italy to inspire me. Personally I feel this is more suited to the first time visitor or virtual traveller to Italy and better read in small doses as it did tend to be repetitive in parts. The repetitiveness was a shame as I felt it was due to poor editing as were some of the mistakes I found. Mistakes I hasten to add that those that do not live here or speak any Italian I doubt will even notice, so I am not going to be pedantic and will not even mention them in detail.

    The Cinque Terre is one of the couples favourite places and it also saddened me somewhat to be reading this so soon after the recent disasters caused by flooding in the area. That withstanding they covered many of the major tourist centres on their annual holidays, including Roma, Florence, Venice, Milan, Orveito, Siena, Naples, Sorrento and Positano. A wide selection indeed. Some of the things that they had to say about various places and the way things work here in Italy did niggle me a bit at times. Again this was probably a case of knowing both the places and the vagaries of life in Italy, a little better in some aspects, not others) than this intrepid pair of adventurers. Also one must remember that this was the early nineties they were writing about for their first trips and times have changed a lot since then.

    There is no doubt in my mind that Italy has got under this couples skin and really enriched their lives, otherwise why would they still be coming here, as we are led to believe they still do. I would be very interested in a sequel as I think they may have learnt a lot more about Italy since those early days. Although even on those early trips they soon learnt to relax and go with the flow, it is the only way to happily exist in Italy.

    ‘Passegiata strolling through Italy’ certainly has a lot to recommend it to lovers of all things Italian, who wish to immerse themselves in the personal details of the Husak’s adventures.

    Since 1993, Glen Grymes Husak has made an annual pilgrimage to Italy. Glen brings her background and insight as an English teacher and museum docent to the history and art of Italy.

    Glen Grymes Husak has travelled with her husband Al to Italy since 1993. Their adventures in Italian cities and villages and growing love for the Italian experience provide the inspiration for her writing. She brings the background and insight of an English teacher and museum art docent to historical sights and art of Italy. She tells her friends that she enjoys writing about Italy almost as much as being there.
    In more recent years, Glen and Al have added other Mediterranean destinations to their travels but always end up in Italy. They have not found a place that they like better. The author is I believe currently based in Houston, Texas.

    Other sources of information used in this post :-

    Author's Goodreads Profile

    G.G. Husak's Official Website

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    I also post these ‘Italy in Books’ reviews on my other blog.
    LindyLouMac's Book Reviews

  • 11 comments:

    1. Hello Lindy! Love the slideshow on Milling from Olive to Oil and also the pics of you windsurfing. Thank you for your kind comment on the blog. I will check in from time to time to see how you are doing. Drop me an email if you have time and I'll send some pics of the house on completion. Cheers, Susan :)

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    2. I am Italian but I what's going on in Italy. I will check this one out. We're in Rome at the moment but we live in Sicily. I am following you immediately so that I can keep up to date.

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    3. Lindy, so nice to meet you. I'm impressed that you and your husband took on this journey. We have talked of moving to a foreign country, but it's all talk. ;-)
      Look forward to following along with you on this adventure. I'm your newest follower. ~ sarah

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    4. ..."learning to relax and go with the flow"..
      LOL Linda! ;-)
      x

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    5. Relax and go with the flow.....that is a bit hard for most Americans! That's why we have such a nasty reputation in Europe. We are spoiled brats!

      Thanks for the lovely review, Linda.
      xoxoxoxo,
      Ricki Jill

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    6. A very interesting book. Greetings.

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    7. I don't know this book but I know Italy ! The first time I was there was in 1964 by plane to Sicily when there were no tourists at all. In 1965 I made a whole tour through Italy from top to bottom, I can tell you at that time Italy was completely different. And then of course with my husband from 1968 on ! I think it is the country I know the best ! Certainly more than Germany.

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    8. Hi darling, I love to read, this will go on the list, I hope this finds you and yours doing well. hugs ~lynne~

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    9. Thanks for this suggestion. i'd love to read this book and realize now i've been spelling Passeggeata wrong. Passeggeata was such a wonderful time of day in Cortona.

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    10. Very interesting review here. I think I can understand your position well as I seldom read other people's travel books about Italia. I have travelled so much of the country, and have such vivid impressions and stories of my own that I find I never really enjoy these sorts of books. My passion and love for Italia are all in my own heart and in my wonderful memories.

      I can't wait for spring and hopefully (budget permitting) I shall make my own annual pilgrimage.

      Thanks for sharing your comments here X

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    11. Further to above, I wondered if you had read a book called "Siren Land" by Norman Douglas which has just been reprinted? It is listed as being a classic of travel writing, and covers history & myths etc of southern Italia. I was looking at it in the shop and almost bought it, in spite of my saying I usually didn't like travel books about Italia :)

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