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A review by compass_rose
Novel Destinations: Literary Landmarks From Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Hemingway's Key West by Joni Rendon, Shannon McKenna Schmidt
4.0
This is a book I've wanted to write for years. I have always sought out literary sites when I travel (fictional ones are my favorites). I keep a running list (which I couldn't find when writing this review) of such sites.
So, naturally I was very excited to see that someone else has created a collection like this. The book is clearly only a piece of the pie. You realize instantly that there are so many places NOT included. And you realize that no one book could cover them all. But the authors have presented a range of interesting sites, including authors' and characters' homes & haunts, libraries of note, hotels with book themes, book/author festivals, book-to-film locations, etc. Most are in the US and Great Britain, though France, Ireland, and Prague are also mentioned. Some of the obvious sites, like 221B Baker Street, are joined by less-obvious (to me) places like Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow). I was happy that some local favorites were represented -- like Robert Frost Farm in Derry and Frost Place in Franconia. Lots of sites for the predictables--Austen, Hemingway and Wilde.
Though I am not faulting the book for this, it did not include some fun places I have visited, like 84 Charing Cross Rd. in London, Reichenbach Falls (where Sherlock Holmes reportedly met his demise), or Sarah Orne Jewett's home in South Berwick, Maine. And it was pretty scant on children's literature sites (nothing Harry Potter related) [I think there is a book out there already on children's book sites--I need to look for that:].
All in all, I enjoyed looking through this and hope to add it to my collection of thematic travel guides.
So, naturally I was very excited to see that someone else has created a collection like this. The book is clearly only a piece of the pie. You realize instantly that there are so many places NOT included. And you realize that no one book could cover them all. But the authors have presented a range of interesting sites, including authors' and characters' homes & haunts, libraries of note, hotels with book themes, book/author festivals, book-to-film locations, etc. Most are in the US and Great Britain, though France, Ireland, and Prague are also mentioned. Some of the obvious sites, like 221B Baker Street, are joined by less-obvious (to me) places like Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow). I was happy that some local favorites were represented -- like Robert Frost Farm in Derry and Frost Place in Franconia. Lots of sites for the predictables--Austen, Hemingway and Wilde.
Though I am not faulting the book for this, it did not include some fun places I have visited, like 84 Charing Cross Rd. in London, Reichenbach Falls (where Sherlock Holmes reportedly met his demise), or Sarah Orne Jewett's home in South Berwick, Maine. And it was pretty scant on children's literature sites (nothing Harry Potter related) [I think there is a book out there already on children's book sites--I need to look for that:].
All in all, I enjoyed looking through this and hope to add it to my collection of thematic travel guides.