Wednesday, September 17, 2014

The Wrong Shade of Yellow / Margaret Eleanor Leigh


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Travel Memoir

Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: YES
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Author:

Margaret Eleanor Leigh describes herself as a “writer without roots.” Born in South Africa, she’s lived in New Zealand, multiple parts of the United Kingdom, and Greece where she’s worked in a variety of jobs, from government bureaucrat to proofreader.

For more, visit her website.

Description:

Margaret Leigh needs a change and she loved Greece the time she visited years ago. So she decides to leave New Zealand, where she’s lived for several years, fly to Northern Europe, cycle across Europe to Greece. Once there she’ll find a place to live, get settled in, and send for her elderly mother. Is it any wonder she calls this her “big, fat, Greek midlife crisis”?

Appraisal:

Most travel memoirs have several common qualities. Some adventure. An educational aspect as the author discovers new things about the part of the world where they’re traveling. There are times when everything goes according to plan and those where nothing does. In retrospect, those challenging times turn out to be opportunities for growth, where the author learns something about the world and their place in it. Lessons we might be able to apply to our own lives.

The Wrong Shade of Yellow has most of the standard pieces. The exception seems to be the “everything goes according to plan” times, as the story felt like one growth opportunity after another. In spite of that, Leigh kept soldiering on. That she was able to do so must contain some lessons for the reader. One has to be that the ability to laugh at the ridiculous situations you can find yourself in is a great way to survive them.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues


Rating: **** Four stars

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