The Road to Somewhere - Softcover

Dodson, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452286573 ISBN 13: 9780452286573

Publisher: Plume, 2005

Synopsis

Bestselling author James Dodson sweeps readers along on his once-in-a-lifetime trip with his young son through the great cities and eccentric byways of Europe.

As Jim Dodson discovered during the summer of 2001, when he and his ten-year-old son Jack set off to spy the wonders the world has to offer, traveling with a kid can almost make a grown man feel—and behave—like a child again. Father and son encountered many unforeseen obstacles to their journey—some hilarious and others heartbreaking— but they discovered something far more valuable in each otherÂ's company: a world where, at the end of the day, unexpected laughter and pain can make us all friendly small- town neighbors.

“RemarkableÂ...[a] touching storyÂ...[This is] not just a travelogue, but a memoir of a fatherÂ's cherished time with his son.”
—Publishers Weekly

“DodsonÂ's humor and easy writing style make for enjoyable reading, and the touching story of his relationship with his son is likely to encourage more than one parent to make similar travel plans.”
—Library Journal

About this title

About the Author:

James Dodson is the author of Final Rounds, a bestseller in 1996 that has been translated into six languages; The Dewsweepers (available from Plume); Faithful Travelers; and the New York Times bestseller A GolferÂ's Life, coauthored with Arnold Palmer.

From Publishers Weekly:

Dodson (Final Rounds; A Golfer's Life) recounts an ambitious journey through England, Holland, Belgium, France, Italy and Greece. But it's his companion on the road, not the elaborate itinerary, that makes his book remarkable. Just days after his second wedding in 2001, Dodson, a former Departures magazine editor, left small-town Maine to explore the world with his 10-year-old son, Jack. Their goal was to "wander like a pair of Mark Twain's proverbial innocents abroad to see what we could see for the two months of summer freedom allotted to us before Jack (a big fan of mythology, a good student of history) moved on to the mysteries of Mount Ararat Middle School." The two are accompanied at separate points by Dodson's new bride and, interestingly, his ex-mother-in-law, but their dynamic father-son duo provides the real backbone for this touching story. When logistical details about the trip occasionally become tedious (do readers really need to hear about where they changed money?), Dodson's frank discussions of traveling with a kid save the day. For instance, jaded voyagers who might skim through the section about exploring Paris on foot will be distracted by an interlude where Jack acquires a pair of comfortable sandals just in the nick of time. Such simple reminders that Dodson is accompanied by a real kid whose feet hurt make this not just a travelogue, but a memoir of a father's cherished time with his son.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Plume
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0452286573
• ISBN 13: 9780452286573
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304