I just finished Lois Pryce's first travel book, Lois on the Loose. Unlike many of these find-yourself-on-a-long-bike-ride books apparently written by people with a lot of time on their hands and no financial demands, Lois gives a real world account of the necessary evils of working in a job that anaesthetizes you. You know where she's coming from and why she leaves.
You're on board with her once she gets going. On the road Lois is an honest, witty writer who never leaves you waiting for the next moment. Her prose is tight and well edited... you'll fly through this book, but it never lacks for detail or continuity. Ashuaia feels like the galactically distant goal that it is throughout.
From shockingly rude Canadians to wonderfully supportive Guatemalans, this book makes you question all the prejudices we have about foreign lands (as well as the one I happen to live in). Lois is amazingly fearless and committed to her journey. You can't help but admire her for her bravery.
If you enjoy travel writing you'll love this book. If you enjoy motorbikes you'll love it even more. When things go sideways past Titicaca I was riveted, reading until way past my bed time. You will too!
Fortunately I've still got Red Tape & White Knuckles to look forward to over the holidays.
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| On April 30th 2003 I left my job at the BBC and my cosy houseboat in London to motorcycle the length of the Americas on my Yamaha XT225 Serow. My route took me 20,000 miles from Anchorage, Alaska to Ushuaia at the tip of Argentina, the most southerly place in the world that can be reached by road. The book of this journey, Lois on the Loose is available in the UK, USA and has also been translated into German, Dutch and Italian. |
