Book Review #20:nowhere for very long

 

I wanted to love this memoir.  But I didn't. 

I actually saw the author's 2nd book first but then discovered there was a first one (pictured above) so took that one out of the town library instead.  Maybe I should have started with the 2nd book. 

SUMMARY OF BOOK and MY THOUGHTS

This is basically the adventures a young woman makes in the mid-2000s after college graduation with a young man who eventually becomes her husband, and then her ex-husband. 

It chronicles some of her upbringing (affluent Connecticut suburban home with all the things) and her not super great relationship with her parents. Brianna has always wanted to be different. She buys a beat up old van and fills it with her two dogs (Bucket and Dagwood) and they head towards the canyons of Utah across the United States, leaving behind the East Coast and the East Coast lifestyle. She does this with Neil, her husband. 

It 's about the trials and triumphs of living out of a van for the most part and by the middle of the book I was thoroughly bored.  Some of the sections were interesting especially the parts where she talked about her relationship and emotions regarding her father. 

However...it would be a lot more inspiring to me if she hadn't been a poor little rich girl. The tone of the book comes across to me as complaining about her affluent upbringing...yes there were problems with her dad, yes she did a stint with drugs, yes she wants to be different. But I found all of this so sad because she truly is looking for peace and as a Christ follower, I know she won't have lasting peace in her heart until she looks for, and accepts God. Then again, I don't know her heart but....the whole tone of the book was just one sob story after another, in my opinion. I mean, there is some humor in it....and I get the whole idea of living unintentionally......living off the grid.....not succumbing to society's expectations. But I find that sad because she is  clearly has a desire to write.  She's written two memoirs. 

I'm happy she gets to live her life for herself....but a large part of me is wondering just how she's going to feel when she is in her 60s and alone?? 

I guess, in my opinion, she's just another influencer who has a large internet following and has made a name for herself on social media. 

But isn't that sad???

What about real life friendships??

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (Due to some mature content).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 6.