Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman by Alice Steinbach
October pick by Leah.
posted by Juliann @ 11:43 AM
3 comments
Ladies' Book Blog
Old friends and roommates share their thoughts on books, life, and other stuff.
3 Comments:
Top 3 Reasons Leah is so late in getting book club going for October (gasp!!):
3. Too many apple-picking trips and an overdose of all apple-related recipes (this is huge in New England!!) 2. A giant pumpkin rolled over my copy of the book and it took weeks to extract it 1. Finding time to read has become more precious than gold!!
I hope you'll forgive me for my utter lateness, and I'll understand if you retaliate by not even having read the book. My dear friend Genevieve recommended the book (and even lent me her copy) and I'm so glad that I had the chance to read it. What kept me turning the pages was this idea of "To learn of the pine, go to the pine." Which of course, is a bit ironic, seeing how I personally only get to learn all these cools things--like cooking at the Ritz and herding sheep in Scotland--by reading of someone else's efforts to "go to the pine." But oh well... I loved how the author always tried to submerge herself in the everyday culture of a place--caring more about the people and their food and their neighborhoods--than the tourist hot spots. I noticed in each story, it seemed that some key ingredients to really learning about a place were the ability to stay awhile (she almost always was in a place a week or two) and staying in places other than your local Holiday Inn. Even bett er, is the chance to stay with the people you're hoping to learn about. When I was in England for a summer, one of my most memorable weekends was a trip to Scotland where I got to stay with a family...more than all the cool stuff we saw in Edinburgh, I remember talking with this sweet older couple about their lives and feeling like that is where I really "learned" about the Scots (if only very briefly).
Reading this also increased my faith in people's willingness to help a stranger and even their desire to share what they have and know with others. I'm sure that Alice's personality played a strong role in all the times she met people who were willing to go to lunch or invited her into their homes....but overall, I finished the book thinking that there are so many good people in the world and if we'd just forget our crazy zeal in emphasizing our differences, we'd find out how much we really are the same. And learn from each other (something the author seemed to excel at).
I also adored her Nancy Drew tendencies & could totally relate (from a girl who WAS Nancy Drew one year for Halloween!).
So questions I had...Naohiro plays such a huge part in her life and yet we only get glimpses of him. In a way it seemed more real--the way you can't know everything about a person when you first meet and only have parts of them revealed to you the longer you know each other. But I really wanted to know more what she felt and why they weren't together...just sort of together every now and then. Also, every time I described the book to people who asked about it, they all asked--well was she rich or something? How did she afford that? Probably because we all secretly desire to go off and do this sort of thing but can't afford it!! I also wanted to know more about how she chose her learning adventures. Were all of these things really topics she'd always wanted to learn about? or did she choose with an eye toward what could make a good story (because she clearly wrote about everything she did). Perhaps as a writer (which I'm not) you can't really detach your writer-ness from the t hings you choose for yourself.
My favorite quote--which I think captured her philosophy on how she lives her life--was on p. 189:
"The truth is, I'd bailed out of the right choice-wrong choice mentality a long time ago. It seemed so clear to me--once I'd wised up to the idea that life is not a straight road with no exit ramps--that life presented opportunities all along the way for a person to change direction." (so very liberating and forgiving)
And the adventures I'd most have wanted to go on with her--the Jane Austen retreat (oh how I want to be a Janeite) and the Kyoto expedition.
My favorite terms I wish I could incorporate into my own vocab.--sheepherding terms of "come bye" "away to me" and "that'll do". They just all make language sound so beautiful and gentle to me!!
If you haven't read it, definitely put it on your list!!
Leah :)
Hooray! I loved this book. Actually, I have a tiny bit more to read but it won't really change what I have to say so I will say it now. Thanks Leah!
Does Alice have the dreamiest life? Maybe there are some draw backs but as far as I can see....I need to try this curious woman stuff out. Maybe I have been stuck inside with too many kids for too long but how cool to go somewhere and take a class and immerse yourself in that world.
I loved that each chapter was a good read on its own but at the same time each story had some connected parts. I really loved the idea of her "thinking voice." I feel like my "thinking voice" is going non-stop. I loved her connections with people - her kindred spirits everywhere she went. She was able to connect with people at various ages and savor the opportunity to get to know someone. I also loved her constant desire to go eat and her descriptions of food. I got a kick out of the part where she loved the dessert at one of the gardens and she wanted to say no but the host said something like if you love it say yes. I always say yes to a little more delicious dessert. Bring it on The other food scene that made me laugh was when she said she tried to eat as many cookies as possible without being noticed. Love it. I would do the same, I am sure. (of course, I then pay for it the next morning but oh well -- speaking of which - - I have been going to spinning cla sses at the gym. If you have never done that - YOU SHOULD! What a killer work out).
Back to the book...
I think my favorite chapter was Sense and Sensible Shoes. I too followed the path of Jane Austen while living in England. Of course, not quite the way she did but my friend AImee and I made several trips to Bath, Chawton and around London to visit places Jane had been. Love it. Love England. One of the things I loved about reading this book is that between the group we have been to most of these places - or at least the country it was in. So I thought of you as I read about Japan, Florence, Paris, Provence, England, etc... Have any of you been to Havana? I think that was the only one.
As I flip through the book again I had other favorite parts but I will stop for now. Thanks for picking this book. If anyone wants to go somewhere I am game (except for the three kids stopping me at the moment). It does make me wish that 1) I was a better writer and 2) that even though I am not that great a writer - I wish I had been a better recorder/journaler while living in different places.
I had the same questions Leah had and I would love some answers...
Thanks.
ANNIE
Hi everyone,
I haven't been reading most of the books that you have since I joined a neighborhood book club, but thanks for keeping me on the e-mail list.
This month I did read (at least most of) Educating Alice. Normally I am not a non-fiction fan, but she did a really good job of writing this as a story.
If I could choose one experience from her list, it would be cooking at the Ritz. I can only imagine how intimidating it would be. Like Annie and Leah, my ongoing question was HOW can she get away with this? I was also amazed at how bold she was in places that she was unfamiliar with. Unlike many of you, I haven't traveled out of the country and honestly, It is really intimidating to me. Going to an unfamiliar place, especially a big city and then adding the language barrier. Wow! I don't think I could do that by myself. I definitely wanted to know more about Niko too. As I haven't finished the book, I don't know if more is revealed, but as of now, she is doing a good job of keeping us wondering.
Thanks for keeping me in the loop,
Wendy O.
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