Review of A Toast to Travel
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Review of A Toast to Travel
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Toast to Travel" by Fraser Beath McEwing.]
In this book titled A Toast to Travel, Fraser Beath McEwing takes us on a fun and engaging journey through his travels with a clear and honest look at the world from the perspective of an experienced journalist. McEwing’s background in the textile industry and as a writer gave him a unique view of his experiences and he was able to clearly relate to those experiences. Whether he was on the fashion-forward streets of Melbourne or exploring ideas for his fiction writing, everything was well laid out. The book is actually a collection of stories from McEwing’s travels around the world, capturing the essence of each place with humor and a sharp eye for detail.
He visited many countries including China, India, Russia, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, New York, Thailand, and more. Each country he visited brought unique and wonderful encounters that come alive and his adventures were diverse and entertaining as well. From one country to the next, McEwing’s experiences are always interesting and memorable, and he showed the excitement and uniqueness of each place. In summary, this is a collection of stories that take you on a journey across continents from wherever you are in the world.
There is so much to say concerning this book, but one thing that caught my attention about it is how the author brings humor into his travel experiences. The author known for his funny take on the fashion industry in his novel Feel the Width, uses the same humor inthis book examples are when he finds himself in an amusing situations like accidentally eating decorative food or dealing with the quirks of local transportation. One of the highlights is his account of the Hindu religion. Here, he shared the story of a guide named Rajiv explaining the 33 million gods. It was both interesting and funny. He explained this scene so well that it is difficult not to laugh. This shows that the author is quite talented at combining education with entertainment. It was a fun and engaging read that combines humor, cultural insights, travel tips and lots more. I recommend this book to readers who appreciate a personal touch in travel writing and to those who enjoy stories that delve into the human element of exploration.
However, I did not like that the book sometimes falls into clichés when describing certain travel experiences. Although McEwing’s storytelling is usually fresh and original, there were parts where his descriptions of popular tourist sites, like the Taj Mahal, felt a bit like what we already knew of them and lacked the unique perspective found in other parts of the book. For example, when he described the Taj Mahal as a dream that has become a reality, it sounded like something we’ve read in many other travel accounts; it did not sound like him. So, while a huge part of the book is mostly engaging and original, these occasional lapses into clichés made some parts of the book less interesting. It would have been better if he had brought his unique style and fresh perspective to all parts of his travel experiences, even the well-known tourist spots as well. Apart from these, his character development was on point. His writing style was great, and I did not notice any kind of error in the book, whether grammatical, typographical, semantic, or structural. Of course, what do I expect from someone who has years of experience in the writing sector? He did a good job here, documenting all his beautiful travel experiences. I like the pacing and editing of the book as well.
I gave this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars because the book has so many strong points. The pacing of the book is well managed. The author's writing style is polished and engaging, with no noticeable grammatical, typographical, semantic, or structural errors. There was a good sense of humor with a fine balance between education and entertainment and the character development was on point as well. Although some parts of the book sounded so conventional and cliche the book was worth reading.
******
A Toast to Travel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In this book titled A Toast to Travel, Fraser Beath McEwing takes us on a fun and engaging journey through his travels with a clear and honest look at the world from the perspective of an experienced journalist. McEwing’s background in the textile industry and as a writer gave him a unique view of his experiences and he was able to clearly relate to those experiences. Whether he was on the fashion-forward streets of Melbourne or exploring ideas for his fiction writing, everything was well laid out. The book is actually a collection of stories from McEwing’s travels around the world, capturing the essence of each place with humor and a sharp eye for detail.
He visited many countries including China, India, Russia, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, New York, Thailand, and more. Each country he visited brought unique and wonderful encounters that come alive and his adventures were diverse and entertaining as well. From one country to the next, McEwing’s experiences are always interesting and memorable, and he showed the excitement and uniqueness of each place. In summary, this is a collection of stories that take you on a journey across continents from wherever you are in the world.
There is so much to say concerning this book, but one thing that caught my attention about it is how the author brings humor into his travel experiences. The author known for his funny take on the fashion industry in his novel Feel the Width, uses the same humor inthis book examples are when he finds himself in an amusing situations like accidentally eating decorative food or dealing with the quirks of local transportation. One of the highlights is his account of the Hindu religion. Here, he shared the story of a guide named Rajiv explaining the 33 million gods. It was both interesting and funny. He explained this scene so well that it is difficult not to laugh. This shows that the author is quite talented at combining education with entertainment. It was a fun and engaging read that combines humor, cultural insights, travel tips and lots more. I recommend this book to readers who appreciate a personal touch in travel writing and to those who enjoy stories that delve into the human element of exploration.
However, I did not like that the book sometimes falls into clichés when describing certain travel experiences. Although McEwing’s storytelling is usually fresh and original, there were parts where his descriptions of popular tourist sites, like the Taj Mahal, felt a bit like what we already knew of them and lacked the unique perspective found in other parts of the book. For example, when he described the Taj Mahal as a dream that has become a reality, it sounded like something we’ve read in many other travel accounts; it did not sound like him. So, while a huge part of the book is mostly engaging and original, these occasional lapses into clichés made some parts of the book less interesting. It would have been better if he had brought his unique style and fresh perspective to all parts of his travel experiences, even the well-known tourist spots as well. Apart from these, his character development was on point. His writing style was great, and I did not notice any kind of error in the book, whether grammatical, typographical, semantic, or structural. Of course, what do I expect from someone who has years of experience in the writing sector? He did a good job here, documenting all his beautiful travel experiences. I like the pacing and editing of the book as well.
I gave this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars because the book has so many strong points. The pacing of the book is well managed. The author's writing style is polished and engaging, with no noticeable grammatical, typographical, semantic, or structural errors. There was a good sense of humor with a fine balance between education and entertainment and the character development was on point as well. Although some parts of the book sounded so conventional and cliche the book was worth reading.
******
A Toast to Travel
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
