The Miss Elaine-ous Life

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We’ll Always Have Paris – Review & Giveaway!

by

When I was growing up my parents dragged me and my brothers all over the Western United States.  I remember one drive in the middle of Arizona in which we did not meet another car for miles and miles as the burnt orange landscape surrounded us and the two-lane road that stretched on and on and on.  I started to get very nervous and asked my Mom if we were okay.  She assured me we would see another car soon and that all was well.

On another trip we experienced some of the most amazing food at a restaurant that was run by Native Americans;  I can still taste those enchiladas.  The restaurant was next to a gas station and a hotel, all in one parking lot and pretty much the only thing for forever.  Or at least until Flagstaff.

Oh and there was that one trip where the brakes went out on my Dad’s pick up truck the day after we had just driven up and down a mountain in Colorado.  We are still pretty sure that because my grandmother sat at the table in our camper praying the rosary that day, our lives were saved.

Despite a few tribulations, I am extremely grateful to my parents for the experiences they gave me and I believe it is because of them that I have such a love for travel and exploration.  What a gift to give to you child.

And that is what Jennifer Coburn did for her daughter too in her book, “We’ll Always Have Paris“.

 

paris

 

In the story, Jennifer chronicles her European adventures with her daughter Katie as her traveling companion.  The ladies begin in Paris when Katie is only eight years old and continue to travel the continent off and on until Katie is sixteen.  As Jennifer tells of their expeditions she interweaves the stories of her own upbringing, which include her parents’ divorce, her experiences with an addict father and his subsequent death in her later teens.  Because of her fear of death, she decides to try and live life to the fullest and make sure she spends plenty of quality time with her own daughter.

Jennifer does a beautiful job of of developing the “characters” in her book, which include her own family and the people she and her daughter come across in the many places they visit.  She also gives the reader a good sense of each European city they venture into, including the sites, culture and architecture.

On the back of the book it says, “How her daughter and her passport taught Jennifer to forget about dying and truly live.”

That is so true.  Through her travels and recollection of them in her writing, we the reader are able to see how Jennifer puts the past behind her and moves on, even though those experiences will always be a part of her and her life.  We also witness how traveling with Katie changes her in some ways and the deeper bond they form as mother and daughter.

Personally, I think this is great guide for when I want to take my own Katie to Europe (especially Paris!) with me. 😉

I do love to travel and this is another reason this book was so intriguing to me.

Jennifer’s voice in the book is fun, observant and honest.  If you need a great book to read this summer I would recommend this one for sure.

Or, you can just win a copy below!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

*I received one advance copy of We’ll Always Have Paris to review and one copy will be sent to a random winner.  I received no other compensation for this post and all opinions are my own.

Comments

  5. I loved road trips with my family. We took them constantly. We were always driving somewhere. We drove across the country one summer, and came back through the Northern States. We drove down to Florida one year. We always went to New England and Ontario a few times a year. I never flew with my parents.

    I really hope to do things like that with my kids, though my husband is not a road tripper at all. We’ll see what happens.
    Laura recently posted…That Time I Talked with John GreenMy Profile

  6. This sounds incredibly wonderful, to have this experience with one’s child, to have it as a shared memory. I covet the ability to travel with my children, especially individually. I’ll add this to my reading list for the summer.
    Arnebya recently posted…ReprogrammingMy Profile

  10. Cannot wait to take Ava to Paris one day soon! Hoping to take a trip next year for my 40th and her 8th birthdays. Looking forward to reading this book!