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Learning to Float: The Journey of a Woman, a Dog, and Just Enough Men by Lili Wright
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Learning to Float: The Journey of a Woman, a Dog, and Just Enough Men

by Lili Wright

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I really expected to like this more than I did. I think I expected more of a travel memoir -- more details about the places visited and the trip Lili was on. There was some of that but a big chunk in the middle was a reminiscence about her past relationships. While that was not by any means unexpected or out of place, I would have like more back and forth between the current trip and past experiences (rather than such a big piece on its own about the relationship history). I suppose the only reason this was a let down was because I thought I was at perhaps a similar place in my life to the one Lili was writing about. And though her experience made sense to me, it did not resonate with me as much as I expected. This is not the book's fault, or the author's fault (obviously). There were quite a few striking passages [I wanted to say 'memorable' but since I don't actually remember any of them specifically, I had to find a more apt word]. Having opened up the book randomly, I found one right away: "It took years for me to see that every family is its own Tangier [an island where the residents have little contact with the outside world], an island where you can propagate your own brand of weirdness, design a world in your own flawed image." ( )
  Deesirings | Jun 13, 2009 |
The memoir started off a little bit like Eat Pray Love, but it focused much more on relationship issues and less on the spiritual. The first part of the book detailed the author's various romantic entanglements, and explained her pattern of "overlapping" men, i.e. dating the bf's friend while still seeing the bf. She was still very likable inspite of her lack of restraint with men. Once her narrative caught up to the present, she led the reader on a roadtrip from Maine to Key West, a journey peppered by various quirky characters. The ending wasn't so much a solution or a revelation like Eat Pray Love but a new beginnining in life. ( )
  emigre | Dec 1, 2008 |
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0767910036, Hardcover)

Lili Wright is a thirty-something woman on the emotional lam. Faced with a choice between two men--Stuart, the steady veterinarian, and Peter, the dreamy writer--she climbs into her car and leaves them both behind.

With only a borrowed dog named Brando for company and a map of twelve states in her pocket, Lili sets out on a road trip, hoping that by setting herself in motion she will find a way to settle down. Charting a course from Cadillac Mountain in Maine to the faded glory of Key West, Florida, she camps out on beaches and crashes on couches, in sketchy motels and even in a cop's trailer. She travels not only south, but also back in time, trying to figure out why previous relationships with a Nantucket waiter, a French tennis clown, a Utah ski bum, and others flared and fizzled.

Along the way, Lili meets a string of unlikely gurus, including a well-worn shrimper, a vegan astrologer, and even a woman who marries herself. These and other unassuming strangers offer offbeat wisdom and guidance as Lili struggles to understand the nature of love, the voodoo of sex, and how couples can settle down without settling for. Between adventures, Lili tackles tough questions: Why does everything love touches turn risky? Does staying with the same person mean staying the same? Where does love come from, and where does it go? By journey’s end, this restless traveler begins to see how she can share her life with just one other person, and how love, like water, can make a body float.

Lili Wright’s engaging memoir from the road updates the tradition of the picaresque traveler’s tale. With unflinching honesty and refreshing wit, she captures the torn emotions, comic misfires, and inevitable trade-offs felt by young people everywhere.

(retrieved from Amazon Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:20:09 -0500)

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