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Americashire: A Field Guide To A Marriage (2013)

by Jennifer Richardson(Favorite Author)

3.17 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1938314301 (ISBN13: 9781938314308)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

She Writes Press

review 1: I read--or rather devoured--Americashire on the plane from San Francisco to Dallas. When I landed at DFW, rather than feeling exhausted by the flight, it seemed as thoughI I'd spent the entire ride listening to the story of a good girlfriend. Jennifer Richardson is a skilled and concise storyteller who paints a vivid and detailed picture of rural England. While her book is likely going to be promoted as a travel book (and it should, I'm dying to find the idyllic England she found) it is also an honest and revealing memoir about her personal journey as well as her travels. Akin to Cheryl Strayed's WILD (which I just finished right before this), Americashire is a candid and revealing memoir in which the author doesn't sugar-coat her flaws, but you end up loving her for ... morebeing so real, so honest, and letting you have a glimpse into her life. She explores not just her experience as a traveler, but also as a woman in a wonderful but flawed marriage and struggling with her own decision about becoming a mother. This is brave territory and Richardson navigates it well. Beautifully written, brave, and just right.
review 2: As I was reading Americashire: A Field Guide to Marriage, my first thought was that the book would appeal to readers who enjoy memoirs and travelogues such as Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, particularly because of the rich descriptions of Richardson's adventures with the various festivals, foods and drinks. During the time that Gilbert was writing Eat, Pray, Love, she had many personal issues she was grappling with, and in Americashire, Richardson is also searching for answers, particularly those pertaining to her relationship with her husband and ambivalence toward motherhood. She is torn because she and her husband made a promise to her parents that they would start trying to conceive within a year, and throughout the book, the proverbial clock is ticking.Richardson has a dry but witty writing style that really appealed to me. I enjoyed reading about the couple's many adventures to the festivals and auctions steeped in traditions that would make any outsider feel a little out of place, and her description of the memorable cast of characters in such chapters as "The Cotswold Cult" was hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud at many of her musings, particularly one chapter where her husband fretted over not having the proper attire for an afternoon hike through the countryside and what he eventually chose to wear: "an orange, sweat-wicking tank top, black running shorts, hiking boots, mud-protecting gaiters, and a backpack." I had a similar reaction to the chapter "Checkpoint Charlie with Palm Trees," where she describes a visit back to the U.S. to visit her parents in Florida:Like a toddler who prefers the bubble wrap to the fancy toy that came in it, expatriates find Taco Bell and Target to be two of the chief pleasures of returning to the States.Richardson also tackles the subject of her husband's ongoing battle with depression by describing it as a "mistress" in their marriage that often interferes with their plans and decision making, something I could personally relate to (with roles reversed, actually) and am sure many other readers will, too.One aspect I wish Richardson would have addressed more thoroughly was the question of motherhood theme in the book. The author is thirty-six-years-old at the beginning of the book, and she alludes to having to make a decision in the prologue, "Pink Foil Strips." From there, the book dives into the couple's decision to purchase a cottage in the Cotswolds and the frequent and colorful charity events and festivals they attend, as well as evenings spent socializing in the local wine bar. She does make a brief mention in one of the earlier chapters about how she's unsure they should have a child together when they are having a hard time getting along, but the majority of the first half of the book is devoted to describing their many (albeit humorous) adventures exploring their new surroundings. The couple is forced to make a decision regarding parenthood when Richardson is confronted with a diagnosis of a chronic illness in the second half of the book, and she does spend more time discussing the topic there.I found Richardson's honesty in this memoir refreshing and when she starts exhibiting worrisome health symptoms, readers will find themselves unable to put the book down until the final diagnosis is determined, an event that finally helps Richardson put those questions of motherhood to rest once and for all. less

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