A new perspective on New York (Only in New York - Caroline Overington)

Member Name: Snu210

Product:	Only in New York - Caroline Overington
Date:	24/02/07 (170 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, fascinating, witty and realistic...you'll love it

Disadvantages: None at all.

Having read several travel humour novels about travelling to New York, I was absolutely delighted to read this novel as it is a brilliant autobiography about a female journalist who whisks her young family there for a new travel experience and new job.

With two toddlers and a reluctant husband in tow, Caroline swaps sunny Bondi for a grim, rat-infested and flooding apartment in the Upper West Side. Written with a good eye for detail, Only In New York describes the city well, with subjects such as rent control, Sex in the City, a US$15,000 kindergarten enrolment and online dating interwoven with a fascinating and fast-paced lifestyle. Not only does Caroline cover the downside of such a momentous move, she also finds a lot of unexpected positives – and avoids most of the usual clichés.

Having a young family myself, I totally related to telling toddlers to put on their coats twenty times before walking out the door and to training a husband to be a father instead of a breadwinner. However, I could not say I had any experience in covering an Oscars event while said husband quietened children in a hotel room. Other humorous anecdotes and Caroline’s own storytelling make this 245 page book a rich experience, with other subjects such as surfing, Halloween, nannies, real estate brokers, winter, September 11, meeting President Clinton, Manhatten twins and a Siberian tiger kept as a pet in someone’s apartment keeping the plot flowing thick and fast.

Caroline writes exceptionally well and keeps in mind that her readers may not have travelled to New York. In describing her experiences through story rather than description, a meaningful memoir is evoked. I highly recommend reading this book – it’s funny, fascinating and a real taste of New York from an Australian perspective.

Caroline Overington is a senior writer for the Australian, and former New York correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. She won a Walkley Award for investigative journalism in 2004.

OTHER INFORMATION:
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Year Published: 2006
IBSN No: 1-74114-961-4

© 2007 Snu210

Summary: A must have - you'll want to read it over and over