From Publishers Weekly
Despite a very witty introduction from Govier (Hearts of Flame) and some big-name contributors, this collection of travel essays remains unfocused and its juxtapositions of wildly differing subjects jarring. In a poignant examination of what it means to travel for pleasure, Clare Boylan accompanies her mother on the latter's first trip ever ("except to Blackpool on her honeymoon and three times to the maternity ward"). In the next entry, Wendy Law-Yone describes escaping from Burma in 1967 to be with her foreign husband. Susan Musgrave's essay about leaving her husband to travel to Panama with her drug-dealer boyfriend is fascinating, not because it is lurid but because it is so everyday. Irene Guilford retraces the steps her mother took in leaving Lithuania in 1944; and in a very different kind of homecoming, Michelene Adams returns to her birthplace in Trinidad and comes to terms with how she has become, in some aspects, a foreigner. Alice Walker's loose descriptions of photos from her trip to China are occasionally schmaltzy ("I must fly to see even more of the Earth I love"), but her images of African Americans traveling in that country (one of their Chinese hosts sings "Old Black Joe" to impress with her knowledge of African American culture) are incisive. E. Annie Proulx strikes a humorous tone in her recounting of an endless train ride during a book tour. Each essay is introduced by the author's own commentary about it, and few of these introductions add anything-except to obviate any surprise contained in the story itself. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Govier aimed to collect essays recalling the journeys or jaunts of some extraordinarily gifted women writers not associated with the travel genre. The resulting anthology proves exhilarating in its originality, distinguished not so much for its value as travel literature as for compelling vignettes that as often as not celebrate a resonant intimacy existing between travelers. Emerging from tales of visits to ancient, enthralling sites is one astonishing truth--the most insightful portrayals in these pages are not those of strangers encountered in strange lands but, rather, glimpses into one's own spirit and the psyche of known companions. Still, vastly entertaining reflections on youthful adventures are conjured up, along with quests of a different sort. Ann Beattie's participation in a Japanese group tour of California sights is just one facet of this supremely satisfying collection. Alice Joyce


Review
?Beguiling? these outstanding stories enlarge our world.?
?Quill & Quire

??witty, quirky, attractive collection.?
?Globe and Mail

FROM OUR EDITORS

This collection of travel essays, penned by some of the literary world's most respected authors (Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood, and E. Annie Proulx, among others), celebrates the new freedom women feel to travel the world.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

More and more women today are moving around the globe for reasons as numerous as their destinations. These stunning essays, almost all of which have never been previously published, reflect a unique genre of travel writing that will appeal to actual and arm-chair wanderers. Contributors include Alice Walker, Susan Musgrave, Margaret Atwood, E. Annie Proulx, Kirsti Simonsuuri, and others.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly