Review of Vive la Brussels

[Harty Muli]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Vive la Brussels" by Carrie Joiner Woliver.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

As a Texan teenager, Carrie’s first experience with Europe was nurtured in a classroom and developed by watching European movies. Even so, her lucky break in experiencing the wider world came about when she turned eighteen, coinciding with the time she joined a college in Dallas, Texas. At twenty-four, just a few years after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin and accompanied by a family friend, Carrie toured ten European countries for six weeks. This was followed by a later visit where Carrie, this time accompanied by her husband, Ron, had an extended stay in Europe for five years. The author, Carrie Joiner Woliver, describes her European experiences in her memoir Vive La Brussels!

In high school, I had a mentor who encouraged me to either study or work abroad. As a French student, my mentor reasoned out that I could learn a foreign language faster if I were forced to put it into practice daily. A few years later, as fate would have it, I had a chance to tour Spain as an exchange student. Other than acquiring me French proficiency, my international exposure gave me an edge over other candidates when it came to securing my first job. However, unlike Carrie who lived in Europe for a couple of years, I stayed in Spain for one academic semester of three months.

I liked Carrie’s memoir because she was able to recount experiences that escaped me as a student. Based in Brussels, Belgium, in the '70s, Carrie gave a lot of reviews on her adventures while eating out, looking for accommodation, and exploring popular destinations. Since she crossed borders frequently, Carrie also narrated a few peculiarities of the European cultures she came across. My favorites of these were about a beach where people sunbathed nude and her friend’s story about the liberal dating customs in Holland. I also enjoyed her first-person account of historical events, such as the effect of the 1973 Arab–Israeli War on ordinary Belgians.

In summary, I didn’t find anything to dislike in this book. There were only a few errors that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the memoir. So, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.

Though based on a bygone era, Carrie’s memoir will charge your literary wanderlust and inspire you to start planning for your next trip. I recommend it to anyone looking for a book to spark his or her joy of traveling. As observed earlier, though, it may not suit everyone because of the portions that contain outdated or historical information.

******
Vive la Brussels
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[abstactlemon]

It's a bit eerie how similar your experiences are to Carrie. Memoirs are a window into someone else's life, but they can also be a window into yours. Great review.