While this anthology’s theme may sound niche, its appeal and scope is universal. Indeed, it’s underpinned by fundamental age-old questions: “What does compel someone to leave their country of origin, which is the story before their departure? And then what happens to them on their journey to the new place, which is the story of getting from one place to another? And what causes them to finally land somewhere and decide to stay, if not for the rest of their lives, then for an extended period?” The answers to such questions are voiced here by twenty women whose stories are vary vastly, with contributors hailing from places as diverse as Lebanon, Scotland, France, Germany, the USA, Mozambique, Spain, Brazil and more countries besides. Together their stories constitute a fascinating chorus of experiences borne from the author’s enrollment in an organisation created to help newcomers “feel at home in this beautiful country,” her desire to chronicle female oral history, and a belief in the human need for agency.
Joanne Owen, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
| Other Genres: | |
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If you want some ideas about how you could live your life differently, there are plenty here. Warning – these women will make you wonder what you have been doing with your life!
The author belongs to a walking group comprising women who have arrived in Portugal from a range of other countries and are trying to settle into their new lives and to make friends in the area, hence the subtitle ‘How 20 women from 16 countries came to live in Portugal’. She finds her fellow walkers interesting and so decides to interview them to create this book. She, somewhat reluctantly you sense, is the final ‘interviewee’. All of the women are ‘international’: they have lived in a number of different countries, cultures and languages and, whilst they all seem to love Portugal, they may or may not have settled there for good. All of them have lived or are living lives which are unorthodox in various ways. And all of which makes their lives interesting, if better lived vicariously in some cases.... Read Full Review
Highly recommended, makes you start dreaming though!
Not the catchiest title ever but it definitely does ‘what it says on the tin’. Why read this book? Well for me it has nothing to do with the setting of Portugal although I’m sure if you know/are interested in that country that would be another good reason to read this book. Rather I’m interested in the lives of women and this book illustrates the fascinating lives of ordinary women (is any woman ordinary)? We meet amongst others a model, an acupuncture practitioner, a teacher and a conservationist; a rich and diverse group. I thought I would just dip in and out of this book - perhaps be tempted by the country they originated from….I have to warn you that these chapters are addictive “just another one” They do read as the conversations they began life as.... Read Full Review
They give you a sense of culture and tradition as the women come from all over the world.
This book follows the lives of 20 women who now live in Portugal but who all grew up in different places. They moved to follow spouses in some cases or to further their careers or for simply adventure. I loved it because each story is short (though how such stories are condensed I don't know) which kept my attention and unique. They give you a sense of culture and tradition as the women come from all over the world. Those who love traveling and have wandered what it might be like to up sticks and move to a foreign land will love this book but also those who love being inspired by those who break with tradition and go against the grain of society.... Read Full Review
