LOVE AROUND THE WORLD by Katherine Russell

Book Summary

Following a break up and feeling disappointed with her life, Maris writes up a list of all the ideal characteristics she looks for in a man. She decides to travel around the world to look for men who embody each characteristic. In this whirlwind search for love, you will be taken from the colorful canopies of Costa Rica to the rugged mountains of Peru; from the Sistine Chapel to Turkish baths; from Pamukkale to Kanyakumari. Through Mari’s journey, she will find more than love; she will find a better part of herself that she always knew was there.

Excerpt from the book

“It’s strange that two strangers in an everyday situation, let’s say, can sleep together for just one night, share the most guarded and vulnerable parts of their outer bodies and never speak again, yet if two strangers start being kind to one another, it becomes far too intimate.”

My Review

I was asked by the author to give an honest review in exchange for the book.  I will admit, to me this isn’t a romance in the normal sense.  What started out as a break up between a man and woman, turned into a search around the word for her to find the perfect man.

She had always dreamed of traveling but found that she had settled into the normal routine of teaching and being with her boring boyfriend.  Where did she go, where did her dreams and excitement for life disappear to?  She had to summons the courage to plan a trip around the world in search for her dream man.  She didn’t want to be alone for the rest of her life, but she didn’t know if she had the feeling of adventure that she was going to need to accomplish this goal.

She met man who turned her on, only to find out he was married to a knife welding wife, she met a man who she would have never given two looks at before but became an inspiration to her and a friend.  She moved to another country to encounter a man who taught her to push past the pain and climb the mountains.  He also taught her how to break into houses and steal beer from the locals.  Her next step was to fall for a con man who lied and told her all the things she wanted to hear while he took her money. A heart crushing lesson that she was forced to learn.  Moving onto yet another country she found a couple who were getting married and became friends.  She saw what she longed for in her own life and it made her reflect on her parents marriage.  Did they really have the perfect marriage of was that just a fantasy she was trying to duplicate?

She came across grieving, guilt ridden father who professes his love for her immediately as she tries to convince him that the tragedy that happen to his daughter wasn’t his fault. The list just keeps going on and on for her, every place she lands, she seems to pick up a new man only to leave him so she can move on with her journey.  The ending leaves her being confronted by her past adventures and she is left to wonder if this journey was even worth continuing.

I don’t think this book  was romance for her as much as it was more of developing a romance with herself.  She needed to learn to let go of herself, to open herself up to others and new experiences.  To put away the old tapes telling her she was boring and learn to redefine herself as an independent woman.  She appears to be the type that needed to not only get out of the box, but be away from the safety nets so she could experience the falls and climbs and victories on her own.

It is a short book, full of adventure, travel, self discovery and some humorous parts.  It was engaging to see how she is growing both emotionally and in her self-confidence.  I admire how the author is taking us on this path with her and allowing us to not only see parts of ourselves in her but to also have the chance to learn about our own self discovery through her.  I enjoyed this experience but I caution if you are wanting hot sex and fictional romance I don’t think this is for you.  If you are seriously interested in reading about self discovery through the form of broken hearts, disappointments and a confused woman, then I think you will love this book.