Review of Man Mission
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Review of Man Mission
Four friends from university commit to an annual vacation together, which comes to be called a Man Mission. Over fifteen years Alec, Daniel, Sam, and the narrator Eytan, journey near and far on these annual and rugged retreats into nature. The book covers each mission in detail and snippets of each man’s home life as they grow and change over the years. Through career changes, marriages, kids, divorce, and grief, these friends keep the travels going as the years go by. The trips become an escape from the troubles of demanding careers and families as the characters struggle to maintain their passion and identity through mid-life crises.
Part travel journal and part coming-of-age novel, Man Mission by Eytan Uliel is a wonderful and exciting read. Each new location for the Man Mission is so well detailed that the reader feels like they have vacationed there themselves. The travel journal side of the book brought back many happy memories of my own travel exploits and had me wishing to explore more of the southern hemisphere after the beautiful descriptions of Vietnam, Fiji, and New Zealand. As a voracious reader of woman’s fiction, it was refreshing to see a male perspective on middle age. They honestly cope with the pressures of careers, dating, providing for a family, and keeping their relationship viable. All in a slightly macho, uniquely male way.
I did not find any negative aspects of the novel and loved every page. Some readers may not enjoy the privilege portrayed. The main characters are fairly upper-class professionals. They have the money to jet across the world each year with the latest gear while the wives tend to the family at home. If this isn’t a viewpoint you cannot relate to then reading about their complaints about life may not be enjoyable.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for being a very entertaining read filled with epic travel adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed it and have even looked for other books by the author. The character growth is believable and how they deal with the events life throws at them makes the reader empathetic to the main character.
I recommend this novel to an older audience, about 30 and up. The characters start their travels after undergrad and professional degrees, which puts them in their late twenties. They are dealing with middle-aged bodies and life issues which may not be as relatable to younger readers. Sensitive readers are warned the dialogue is uncensored with coarse language and crude topics.
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Man Mission
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