Stephanie Rosenbloom

There were some good bits, but the sense I got overall was of a writer who is trying to sell a concept that she doesn't believe in wholeheartedly. Kind of like a door-to-door salesman who has a good sales pitch, but doesn't use the product himself. Not that she doesn't travel alone. She does. For work. And she's used that experience and the writings of others (most of whom really do value solitude) to make a book. All along I had the feeling she was begging the question by referring to others who had positive things to say about solitude, and the final giveaway was when she was in Florence and couldn't change to a later tour because she had a lunch appointment with a friend. She was in Florence for something like five days, revelling in a short period of solitude, but she couldn't get through it alone.… (altro)

This was an interesting mixture of travelogue along with factoids about people doing things solo. I appreciated reading about visiting museums alone especially since it’s very rare for me to be with anyone I know in a museum, and I’ve treasured wandering them by myself. The author visits Paris, Istanbul, and Florence all for writer/reporter reasons and then New York as a resident. I don’t think I’ve felt so much of the “writer reasons” in other books as I did here, and it put me off of it. Having an empathy with and even just liking the author is important to me, and I realized that what felt like pretentiousness to me was what put me off as well.… (altro)

This is definitely more of a travel memoir than a meditation on alone time, but I enjoyed it. The author breaks one year into her time in four cities: Paris, Istanbul, Florence, and New York. I've traveled to all but one of those and I loved revisiting them through her descriptions. I do agree that traveling alone is empowering and wonderful. You enjoy museums, eating, and sightseeing in a whole new way.

On dining alone while traveling:
“When you’re not sitting across from someone, you’re sitting across from the world.”… (altro)

I really enjoyed following Stephanie's alone time travels to Paris, Istanbul, Florence and New York (I've been to Paris many times, and Florence twice). A lot of nodding went on in regards to the joys and pleasures of travelling alone. I've been doing it for forty years. This is a great reminder of its benefits, and a wonderful inspiration for those of all ages who haven't yet given it a go.

The only thing that lost it half a star was the endless name checking of researchers and studies that confirmed what I already knew.… (altro)