Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman

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I truly enjoyed this wonderful book. Alice Steinbach makes a very haunting realization when she comes to the understanding that her entire personality and life had been framed by the needs of everyone else in her life. Her life and activities revolved around her two sons, her husband (now ex),her friends, and her career. Like most of us, she felt her world, although it was happy and good, was very small and influenced only by those things that had grown with her throughout her life. Thru her independent travels, she found intrigue in discovering what she might enjoy about herself outside of the influences of her current life. I found this book to be an adventure within my own soul. We should all examine our lives and allow ourselves to grow into our own unique beings. We can ofer so much more to those people we love if we give them ourselves, unique in every individual way, and not just what they need and expect from us. I would LOVE to do what Alice did....what a journey!

Having heard about Steinbach's book on public radio, and being a divorced mother of a grown son, with my own love of travel, and some experience traveling on my own, I was anxious to find out how the author's experiences compared to my own. I got so much more than I had expected, and was sorry to have the book end. "Without Reservations" is non-fiction but reads like a novel in many ways. She is a fine story teller, and her descriptions of all that she observed in her travels, (from the distinctive and unpredictable rooms she rented in small European hotels, to the views of an amazing Italian countryside, as well as the wide array of interesting, yet unexpected short-term relationships she developed along the way) were vivid and very entertaining. I would have liked a little follow-up regarding her life since her travels which took place back in 1993, but this is a minor complaint. I highly recommend this book!

This book is excellent and very easy to read. As she travels through Europe, Alice makes many keen observations on life & the changes within herself. We all tend to get into a rut with our daily routine and jobs and forget to enjoy life and the beauty around us. This book helps to awaken your soul & reminds you that life can be fun and interesting!

This book is beautifully illustrated with postcards the author wrote and sent to herself; and it is a wonderfully written account of her travels through Europe. But it is much more than a travelogue. Ms. Steinbach weaves details of her travels along with memories of the past and her hopes for the future. This book is an inspiration to those women who have always been defined as someone's mother or wife and long to be recognized as their own person, undefined by relationships. So whether you yearn to become an independent traveler in the literal sense or desire to travel through life on an independent journey, this book is well worth reading.

As you can tell by the 5 Stars I loved this book and was loathe to reach the end, I was so involved in the life and travels of Alice Steinbach.Reaching the last words of the first section, Paris, I was sad knowing her other places of destination could never be so interesting, I was wrong, each had their own charm. The one *reservation* I have, I don't think she succeeded in finding her way as the independent woman she was seeking. She seemed to find at each stop along the way others to validate who she is. That said it takes nothing away from the book...One comes away knowing Alice and feeling she would be a wonderful friend. In fact I must have three more copies, two for friends I know will love it and one for myself..the copy I read I marked so many passages and made so many notes in the margins I want another copy in pristine condition not only wonderfully readable this book is lovely to look at, each chapter begins with the picture of a beautiful postcard...and the messages Alice wrote and mailed to herself, a wonderful idea! Another book by Alice Steinbach I read and enjoyed Miss Dennis School of Writing and Other Lessons from A Woman's Life, I saw no mention of this on the book jacket or in the book but I think after reading Without Reservations the reader will want to seek out more by this writer.