Author Jennifer Coburn
on Tour
November 28-Decxember 7
with
We'll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Memoir
(memoir)
Release date: April 8, 2014
at Sourcebooks
400 pages
ISBN: 978-1402288630
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SYNOPSIS
How her daughter and her passport taught Jennifer to live like there's no tomorrow.
Jennifer Coburn has always been terrified of dying young. So she decides to save up and drop everything to travel with her daughter, Katie, on a whirlwind European adventure before it's too late. Even though her husband can't join them, even though she's nervous about the journey, and even though she's perfectly healthy, Jennifer is determined to jam her daughter's mental photo album with memories—just in case.
From the cafés of Paris to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Jennifer and Katie take on Europe one city at a time, united by their desire to see the world and spend precious time together. In this heartwarming generational love story, Jennifer reveals how their adventures helped vanquish her fear of dying...for the sake of living. [provided by the author]
***
My Review:
Pro: This was just fun. I was a little worried going in that the book would focus on Coburn's fear of dying young but it really didn't. It gets mentioned of course but she's so matter of fact about the whole thing that it doesn't feel like a huge part of the book. Travel memoirs can sometimes drift towards either pretentious or "look how wacky I am" but this didn't. Throughout the book Coburn came off as authentic. There were several times I found myself nodding with her because I just knew that would be exactly how I react. Like when she let her daughter change plans but Coburn wanted to change it in their notebook "just because" or when she started having flashbacks to the movie Taken while having a conversation with a stranger in cafe. And on their first night in Paris when she decided that they were going to stay in the hotel the entire time because she just knew the trip would be a mistake. I admired that she pushed past her insecurities and worry and made herself leave the hotel, or deal with someone who didn't speak the same language or the countless other things she did that she started out being convinced she couldn't do. Then there's Katie. At the beginning the book Katie's 9 and we see her age through the trips. Katie's a pretty awesome kid. She's adventurous and intelligent without coming off as bratty. The flashbacks to Coburn's childhood were well done and it never felt confusing or disjointed as multiple timelines sometimes feel.
Con: After awhile it started to drag a bit. The writing was still entertaining but it felt a little repetitive. Different city, different county but same story. Maybe it was too long? Whatever it was I found myself getting impatient at around 65% or so.
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I did get impatient I enjoyed it to the end. It was a lot of fun traveling Europe with Coburn and Katie!
Con: After awhile it started to drag a bit. The writing was still entertaining but it felt a little repetitive. Different city, different county but same story. Maybe it was too long? Whatever it was I found myself getting impatient at around 65% or so.
Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I did get impatient I enjoyed it to the end. It was a lot of fun traveling Europe with Coburn and Katie!
WATCH THE TRAILER
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUpO3eO_81k]
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Coburn is a USA Today best selling author of six novels
and contributor to four literary anthologies.
Over the past two decades,
Coburn has received numerous awards from the Press Club
and Society for Professional Journalists for articles that appeared in Mothering,
Big Apple Baby, The Miami Herald, The San Diego Union-Tribune
and dozens of national and regional publications.
Looks like an interesting book, and I'll bet it's fun to see their takes on European locations. I can see where it might be a bit long at 400 pages, but glad it was good!
ReplyDeleteCobourn sounds like she's a really great character! Too bad it dragged a bit after a while though. Great review Katherine!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to remember this for the Paris in July event next year... it sounds like fun!
ReplyDeletethanks for posting your review, I like the way you highlighted what you really liked and sometimes your impatience. If your readers want to read more reviews, read an excerpt, an interview by the author, watch a trailer, and find ways to connect with the author or buy her book, they can go here: http://francebooktours.com/2014/09/26/jennifer-coburn-on-tour-well-always-have-paris/
ReplyDeleteI've got this one on my kindle. I'm a sucker for anything 'Paris' and having just returned from a UK holiday and 3 days in Paris, I'm keen to read it. Enjoyed your review :)
ReplyDeleteI love that we see Kate age with each trip. I love these types of stories and it's been a while :)
ReplyDeleteOh that's kind of neat. Glad it turned out enjoyable even with dragging just a bit.
ReplyDeleteBeing a travel agent and traveler, I do love me a good travel book. I've had some great experiences with them but also there those not so great ones. I hate when they get too preachy and go on to much about their life and missed pointing out all the great aspects of where they traveled.
ReplyDeleteBut this book sounds like it could be good. So I will add it to my TBR and check it out when I can. :)
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
I think it's great that she made sure she did the things she wanted to do - travel, spend time with her daughter. It's so easy to let fear hold us back; she used her fear to push her into living. I'm glad you enjoyed the book - but you're probably right, pushing 400 pages is a tad long for a travel memoir!
ReplyDeleteSounds fun! It's a great way to get an insight in to some European cities but I can see that it would get repetitive. But still...fun!
ReplyDelete