I really enjoyed this (audio)book. Started it without any expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. Witty and conversational, introspective yet also with perspective. ( )

This memoir is one of those cases when the title actually matches the book perfectly. And I mean it in the best way possible. It is a lovely creation, a memoir full of hilarious moments (and some really moving ones) and the most unique travel book Iā€™ve ever read.

I tend to be cautious when I choose to read a memoir, because there were quite a few instances when self-indulgence took control of the writer and destroyed everything. Also, travel books can easily become boring, in my opinion. Here, Geraldine DeRuiter has created a delicious account of journeys that are of special importance and are related to key moments of her life. New York, Paris and Ireland are in a prominent position but the real star of the book is Italy. This is what made me love it even more since my family on my motherā€™s side is Italian, coming from Napoli (Naples in English). Weā€™re talking Southern Italy here, a beautiful, wild, sunny place. You have been warned...

Geraldine comes across as a lovely person, but you will find no trace of self-indulgence. She apparently has unlimited resources of patience to deal with her mother, unlimited resources of love for her husband and, most importantly, unlimited resources of courage to overcome a very serious obstacle. I really enjoyed the way she narrates her experiences and the optimism that comes from her writing. I bet that she must be a wonderful travelling companion. She is quirky and weird and down-to-earth.

Iā€™m not a fan of blogs outside of our book community but judging from this book, I should definitely start reading hers. If you want a memoir that balances humour, life experiences and adversities, along with beautiful descriptions of Italy, then ā€˜ā€™All Over The Placeā€™ā€™ should find a place in your reading schedule.
( )

All Over the Place had me laughing so hard at times that I had tears streaming down my face. Geraldine DeRuiter has written a travel memoir unlike any other travel memoir that I have read, and the result is fabulous. She writes about both her travels around the world and her own internal journey through brain cancer, spousal trouble, and dealing with her hilarious mother (more hilarious when you are not the one having to deal with her I am sure). DeRuiter manages to cover numerous destinations that I have now added to my list of places to see while telling absolutely hysterical stories about her time in each place.

My favorite stories were the one about her mom bringing a pickax through airport security and the time she and her husband went to Italy to meet her relatives and see the towns her grandparents grew up in. I laughed so hard at a section of the Italy story that I had to put the book down for a few minutes to recover. I also love that she is completely prepared for a zombie apocalypse.

The book ends with the following sentence about traveling which will stay with me for a long time: ā€œEven if you donā€™t end up where you planned, you still might end up somewhere great.ā€ This is a great motto to keep in mind when taking a trip, but even more broadly to remember in our day-to-day lives. I also have to mention that I was so excited to see in the Acknowledgements that DeRuiter shares my obsession with Hamilton. I was not aware of her blog but plan to locate it and start following it.

I am so glad I read this book and highly recommend to everyone. Thanks to PublicAffairs and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )