Alice Steinbach (1933–2012)

Alice Steinbach was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun in 1993 when she decided to take some time off and see if she could find her true self, undefined by labels. This was at age 59, the year after both of her sons had moved away from home. To do this she needed to travel to places where she was not known and do things that inspired her at the moment. Then see what woman emerged.

She knew she wanted to start in Paris and probably spend time in England and Italy. She ended up spending 9 months show more including 2 trips home for funerals. Most places she stayed in one location for an extended period. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir with its combination of travelogue, anecdotes and introspection. No whiny memoir of running away from a bad time in her life, but a true seeker of who her real self was.

She is a great writer as expected for someone who won a Pulitzer for her feature writing. Also, being an interviewer and observer, was the perfect background for her study. Her strategy for travel was to set a loose agenda for the day and then set out; if you got side tracked and never did anything on the agenda that was ok. She met interesting people, had busy and lazy days, good and bad weather, a few uncomfortable situations and some joyous ones. And in the end was satisfied with the woman who emerged. She ended up making some changes to her work life as a result, eventually becoming a full time writer.

I look forward to her second travel book published in 2004 covering 2 additional years of travel. Unfortunately Ms. Steinbach passed away in March of 2012 at the age of 78. show less

What I should probably say, right away, is that I found the book immensely readable. I spent a couple of weeks reading this, during a time when health complications often left me tired, listless, and easy to distract. I would huddle up with the book for fifteen or thirty-minute sessions, sometimes clearing a chapter in as many as four or five installments. That's not a criticism; Steinbach's prose was inviting and easy to read, and it didn't put any stress on me as the reader. It was a show more perfect recuperative read.

If I had to get more critical, I might say that Steinbach's "adventures" start to blend together after a while. They generally follow a set pattern: Steinbach arrives in a new location prior to an educational tour, seminar or conference she plans to attend; she uses her journalistic skills and her innate curiosity to delve into the less-touristy areas; she makes friends with a local woman or a fellow female tourist (or both). The details are different enough in every case that, especially when read in small segments, the repetition doesn't really matter. You, the reader, are along for a lackadaisical tour through Alice Steinbach's life; there's no pressure, no timetable, nor really even a goal. The aim is just to enjoy yourself as the author satisfies her curiosity. (There is a very loose attempt at a recurring epistolary romance throughout the book, but while the letters are charming, they never really amount to much, and it's a little bit of a mystery why they're ultimately included.)

I don't know why Steinbach's memoir wasn't fashioned into something just a bit more of a, well, narrative; perhaps she was aiming for a Sunday afternoon read, and if so, that's pretty much what she got. It's a terribly pleasant little volume, perfect for reading in the garden. Just don't expect any grand revelations. show less

It's interesting to see the reactions to this book. I fall on the positive side, I enjoyed the stories Steinbach told about her experiences in England, France and Italy and plan to read the sequel. For sure most of us would not be able to travel as she did, leaving a job and the U.S. to spend a year in Europe, but more the reason to read the story of someone who did. Be aware that the title does not refer to the type of travel she did, her traveling year was well planned and places she would show more stay were arranged in advance of leaving the US. Apparently she meant the title to refer to her attitude towards the adventure she undertook. This was adventure on the refined side. show less

Journalist Alice Steinbach decided that she was going to take a break from the life she was living. She was happy, but she felt that she needed some time to get acquainted with herself now that her two sons were grown. So she planned an open-ended months-long trip to Europe. She had only the vaguest of itineraries and very few travel reservations. She went to Paris, London, Oxford, Milan, Venice, Rome, Siena, and Asolo.

I genuinely liked the Alice Steinbach I found in these pages. She is show more intelligent, educated, and interested. My copy is littered with post-it flags marking books she mentions that I have to read or artists whose work I want to look up. She is curious and she is friendly and she is a traveler, not a tourist.

Her writing is beautiful. I've had a sort of "I'd like to go to Paris but, you know. That reputation Parisians have" attitude for a while. Within pages, I was dying to go. The city came alive for me as she described it. I want to follow in her footsteps and take the time to just stand in the light in the chapel of Sainte-Chappelle. I want to buy a ridiculously expensive French dress. I want to see the Carré Rive Gauche celebrate Five Extraordinary Days.

Ms. Steinbach is a curious, friendly traveler. She strikes up friendships wherever she goes and writes meaningfully about the people she meets. She is willing to learn whatever they teach her either directly or indirectly.

Paris was the strongest section, but I enjoyed her other destinations as well. She dislikes Rome, for a very good reason, but I wish she had liked it. I somehow loved the city when I visited.

Each chapter begins with a picture from a postcard and a message that Alice has mailed to herself at home. I loved these. I looked forward to each new chapter for that reason.

There is a lot of introspection in the book as well. She never crosses the line into being self-indulgent. She always pulled her story back into her travels before I lost interest in her internal musings.

I recommend this for the well-read armchair traveler. I feel like I've had a mini European vacation now that I've finished it. show less