Peter Moore
Vroom by the Sea
Pro: A perfect travel companion; fun, easy-going and full of interesting anecdotes.
Con: It won’t change your life, merely brighten up a few hours of it.
Verdict: An enjoyable, easy read.
This – Peter Moore’s second book on Italy – is a personal favourite. It sees Peter return to Italy for one final fling before fatherhood (nothing scandalous, the object of his desires is a Vespa he christens Marcello). Armed with nothing more than Marcello, some holy fridge magnets and a vague idea that he’d like to see Sardinia, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast, he spends his time getting swept up in whatever suggestions are put to him with a good-natured spontaneity which is to be admired. This is travel writing at its simple best; some really good, light-hearted fun.
Tim Parks
Italian Ways
Pro: it’s well written, and the book is rich in detail…
Con: …if a train-spotter’s guide to Italy is your thing.
Verdict: If you’re interested in infuriating train networks, spend your money on a journey with East Coast Trains instead.
When Italian Ways was published in 2013, it received almost universal praise. A 30-year veteran of Italy, and already a successful author, Tim Parks had apparently written a masterpiece, at times a homage to and at others railing against (geddit?) the Italian ferrovie. Only here’s the thing; Parks doesn’t seem to enjoy travelling at all. More than once on his journey around lo stivale by train, whilst sat in an empty compartment, he prays that nobody come and disturb his peace, so that heaven forbid he won’t have to talk to other people. The best travel writers learn as they go, hearing about and experiencing the local culture, and allowing the reader to learn alongside them. They’re endlessly curious, open to experiences and adventures, and wanting to learn. Parks, on the other hand, is content to simply tell the reader (and the people he meets along the way) things that, to him, are obvious. To give just one example, a black woman in a short, bright dress on an early morning intercity train automatically becomes a prostitute back from a night on the streets (this particular encounter is referenced on the books blurb under “Along the way, Parks meets a prostitute…”, when in reality, he sees her sleeping on the other side of an empty carriage, and then projects his version of her life story onto her). He comes across as the sort of person you wouldn’t want to meet while travelling, and if you wouldn’t want to talk to them, why would you want to read their views? He does say the book is not intended as a travel book, but if you’ve written a book detailing your experiences travelling around a country, then what you’ve written – when you get right down to it – is a travel book. It’s just one written by someone who seems like he would have been much happier staying at home.
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