It's very easy to read and I definitely recommend it.
I've now read three books by this author and enjoyed them all but this was my favourite. It's beautifully written, the evocative descriptions taking the reader on the author's journeys both past and present. Emil Rem has a good eye for detail and a way of commenting on what he sees that gives the reader a sense of who he is. It's very easy to read and I definitely recommend it.
Pauline Braisher, A LoveReading Ambassador
This is a really easy to read travel memoir that delivers the adventure and the feeling of discovery you get from travel, while also detailing the author's life in a way that is compelling and encourages you to consider your own experiences.
A thought provoking travel memoir filled with a sense of nostalgia. ‘Chasing Aphrodite’ by Emil Rem is the first in a series of travel memoirs that recounts the author’s trips while also offering insight into his past and personal life. I have previously read Emil Rem’s latest book, The Vanished Gardens of Cordova, so I’ve read these books out of order but I don’t think that has had an impact on my enjoyment of the books. The book contains vignettes for travel memories that are steeped in nostalgia, from how sharing ice cream with his wife in the dark brought back memories or a worrying time of financial instability to re-visiting travel destinations of his youth to find everything had changed. This is a thought provoking collection that will have you thinking of your own travel destinations and how they (and you) have changed over the years. There are moments of love, moments that are bittersweet and, as with all travel, opportunities for enlightenment and to broaden your horizons. I liked the illustrations throughout, the cover and map with the ribbon to show the author’s journey reflected in each black and white image that features at the start of each chapter ties them all together and to the story as a whole. It’s probably not quite part of the collection of stories but I found the tale of how Emil Rem found his editor for this book to be a humorous addition too. This is a really easy to read travel memoir that delivers the adventure and the feeling of discovery you get from travel, while also detailing the author's life in a way that is compelling and encourages you to consider your own experiences.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador