Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its OwnDoreen Orion
I envy Doreen Orion. In many ways, she and I are like two peas in a pod, except that she has found a way to do what I have always dreamed of: She has conned her husband into doing most of the housework. She works from home. She rarely removes her pajamas. She has had Nick Arrojo cut her hair.
Why not me, God? WHY NOT ME???
I'm saved from totally dissolving into a covetous puddle by the presence of her husband, a man who was able to convince the author to do the unthinkable. Tim, who bears a striking resemblance to my own husband, is a man who actually enjoys leaving the house and doing (shudder) "projects." Not surprisingly, he has found a way to ruin the domestic bliss Doreen has enjoyed for so long. The result? The two of them (plus a few pets and 200 pairs of shoes) spend the next year in a renovated bus, touring the good ol' US of A.
I tip my hat to you, Ms. Orion. I, for one, never would have made it.
But Orion has, and she's flourished because of it. Once a shopping addict, she has learned from her year on the road. Her relationship with her husband has improved, as has her outlook on life.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before these lessons could be learned, Orion had to endure the trip from hell. She recounts her experiences and epiphanies in Queen of the Road, a memoir that is both humorous and poignant. Along the way, they experience dozens of misadventures, such as visiting a nudist RV park, seeing the "Chattanooga Choo Choo," and failing to properly aim a fire extinguisher.
While I enjoyed the various misadventures experienced by husband and wife, it was Orion's writing style that made Queen of the Road a true pleasure to read. Her style is conversational, and it read as though she were sitting next to me, recounting her adventures over martinis. I also enjoyed the appendices, which not only contains specific places visited during their journey, but also lists books read along the way. I'm always a sucker to see what others are reading -- but Ulysses? On the road? I tip my hat again, Ms. Orion.
In a nutshell: Queen of the Road is humorous and heart-warming, but I don't see myself following in the author's footsteps any time soon.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
Why not me, God? WHY NOT ME???
I'm saved from totally dissolving into a covetous puddle by the presence of her husband, a man who was able to convince the author to do the unthinkable. Tim, who bears a striking resemblance to my own husband, is a man who actually enjoys leaving the house and doing (shudder) "projects." Not surprisingly, he has found a way to ruin the domestic bliss Doreen has enjoyed for so long. The result? The two of them (plus a few pets and 200 pairs of shoes) spend the next year in a renovated bus, touring the good ol' US of A.
I tip my hat to you, Ms. Orion. I, for one, never would have made it.
But Orion has, and she's flourished because of it. Once a shopping addict, she has learned from her year on the road. Her relationship with her husband has improved, as has her outlook on life.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before these lessons could be learned, Orion had to endure the trip from hell. She recounts her experiences and epiphanies in Queen of the Road, a memoir that is both humorous and poignant. Along the way, they experience dozens of misadventures, such as visiting a nudist RV park, seeing the "Chattanooga Choo Choo," and failing to properly aim a fire extinguisher.While I enjoyed the various misadventures experienced by husband and wife, it was Orion's writing style that made Queen of the Road a true pleasure to read. Her style is conversational, and it read as though she were sitting next to me, recounting her adventures over martinis. I also enjoyed the appendices, which not only contains specific places visited during their journey, but also lists books read along the way. I'm always a sucker to see what others are reading -- but Ulysses? On the road? I tip my hat again, Ms. Orion.
In a nutshell: Queen of the Road is humorous and heart-warming, but I don't see myself following in the author's footsteps any time soon.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
3 comments:
Someone else reviewed this recently (couldn't tell you who) and I immediately added it to my wishlist. They didn't mention Nick Arrojo, but that just makes me want to read it more.
Nice review, she had me from the martini recipe at the beginning of the book.
I haven't had a chance to read much more yet, but I am looking forward to reading the rest of this book.
I thought this book was funny too. Still can't figure out how she got her husband to do all the cooking and cleaning..
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