Selected Product:
| A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean
Paperback
Author: Melinda Blanchard, Robert Blanchard
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Release Date: 2001-11-20
ISBN-10: 060980748X
ISBN-13: 9780609807484
List Price: $13.95
Average Customer Rating:
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An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude
ISBN-10: 0767914279
ISBN-13: 9780767914277
List Price:$14.95
At Blanchard's Table: A Trip to the Beach Cookbook
ISBN-10: 0609610821
ISBN-13: 9780609610824
List Price:$32.50
Island Wise: Lessons in Living from the Islands of the World
ISBN-10: 0767912047
ISBN-13: 9780767912044
List Price:$12.95
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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
This is the true story of a trip to the beach that never ends. It's about a husband and wife who escape civilization to build a small restaurant on an island paradise -- and discover that even paradise has its pitfalls. It's a story filled with calamities and comedy, culinary disasters and triumphs, and indelible portraits of people who live and work on a sliver of beauty set in the Caribbean Sea. It's about the maddening, exhausting, outlandish complications of trying to live the simple life -- and the joy that comes when you somehow pull it off.
The story begins when Bob and Melinda Blanchard sell their successful Vermont food business and decide, perhaps impulsively, to get away from it all. Why not open a beach bar and grill on Anguilla, their favorite Caribbean island? One thing leads to another and the little grill turns into an enchanting restaurant that quickly draws four-star reviews and a celebrity-studded clientele eager for Melinda's delectable cooking. Amid the frenetic pace of the Christmas "high season," the Blanchards and their kitchen staff -- Clinton and Ozzie, the dancing sous-chefs; Shabby, the master lobster-wrangler; Bug, the dish-washing comedian -- come together like a crack drill team. And even in the midst of hilarious pandemonium, there are moments of bliss.
As the Blanchards learn to adapt to island time, they become ever more deeply attached to the quirky rhythms and customs of their new home. Until disaster strikes: Hurricane Luis, a category-4 storm with two-hundred-mile-an-hour gusts, devastates Anguilla. Bob and Melinda survey the wreckage of their beloved restaurant and wonder whether leaving Anguilla, with its innumerable challenges, would be any easier than walking out on each other. Affectionate, seductive, and very funny, A Trip to the Beach is a love letter to a place that becomes both home and escape.
a thoroughly heartfelt account of a brave couple
| Customer Rating: | | The Blanchards have done what a lot of us dream of doing: a fun job without bosses in a fun country with fantastic weather--at least in season! Aside from providing a thoroughly enjoyable account of their move to Anguilla, the book is also a passionate description of how one can make a dream come true, and with not that much money at all. Having said that, their repeated references to the Anguillan "paradise" maybe a bit excessive when one considers the horrible red-tape, vicious hurricanes and logistic nightmares they had to deal with. But perhaps that is what makes this book really excellent: it is a realistic view of the pros and cons of the Blanchards' choice, devoid of sticky romanticism and with no trace whatsoever of the smugness and superiority complexes one often finds in writers who move to a foreign country and tell their story. |
VERY GOOD READING.....AND TRUE
| Customer Rating: | | This book is very well written, and even better it is true about the island life. My husband and I moved to Anguilla (not because of the book but for a job offer) and when I read the book, I was amazed at how well the Blanchards made it a reality. The book is wonderful and the island is even better, if you get a chance to travel to Anguilla, you should. |
Dreamy
| Customer Rating:  | | This book made me want to quit my job and move to the islands. I love the first-hand view of how difficult that really is when there's no major shopping options or supplies for miles. I can't wait to buy the Blanchard cookbook -- they are true pros! |
Loved this peaceful interlude!!!
| Customer Rating: | | This was a great book to escape to. If you love cooking and the beach, then this book is for you. Mel shares recipes, tells the tales of changing lifestyles, and paints an incredible picture of the island. I am ready to go pack and have dinner at Blanchards! |
Mesmerizingly Dull
| Customer Rating: | If you have ever been cornered by an innkeeper or B & B owner whose life contains five minutes of interesting tidbits, but who takes two hours dragging you through a poorly synthesized tale, you've already had the experience of reading this book. To make matters worse, the quality of writing and tone are comparable to a sixth grade essay along the lines of "What I Did on My Summer Vacation."
If you are looking for an interesting book about life as an American in the Caribbean, try Herman Wouk's semi-fictional "Don't Stop the Carnival." |
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