Tuesday, December 2, 2014

France Book Tours: We'll Always Have Paris

We'll always have Paris cover

We'll Always Have Paris: A Mother/Daughter Memoir

SYNOPSIS

How her daughter and her passport taught Jennifer to live like there's no tomorrow.

Jennifer Coburn has always been terrified of dying young. So she decides to save up and drop everything to travel with her daughter, Katie, on a whirlwind European adventure before it's too late. Even though her husband can't join them, even though she's nervous about the journey, and even though she's perfectly healthy, Jennifer is determined to jam her daughter's mental photo album with memories—just in case. From the cafés of Paris to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Jennifer and Katie take on Europe one city at a time, united by their desire to see the world and spend precious time together. In this heartwarming generational love story, Jennifer reveals how their adventures helped vanquish her fear of dying...for the sake of living.

MY REVIEW

Well you all know I am a sucker for any sort of travel memoir, especially one that involves Paris, so I jumped at the chance to review this book.  The author, Jennifer Coburn, loses her father at a young age and out of fear that she will suffer the same fate, she is determined to make as many memories with her daughter as she possibly can.  And so they embark on a series of mother-daughter trips to Europe.  They visit Paris, Italy, Spain, and Amsterdam.  

Coburn weaves together the story of their travels with reflections on her memories of her father.  It's clear that she has never fully recovered from losing her father at a young age, which is understandable.  So while this trip is about creating memories for her daughter, it's also about resolving some of the feelings of guilt, remorse, and anger that resulted from losing her father.  

I enjoyed the book but sometimes the jump between present day and her memories of her father felt a little abrupt and was difficult to follow.  But besides that, I thought it was a fun, escapist read so I recommend it to others that love travel memoirs!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer CoburnJennifer Coburn is a USA Today best selling author of six novels and contributor to four literary anthologies. Over the past two decades, Coburn has received numerous awards from the Press Club and Society for Professional Journalists for articles that appeared in Mothering, Big Apple Baby, The Miami Herald, The San Diego Union-Tribune and dozens of national and regional publications. She has also written for Salon.com, Creators News Syndicate and The Huffington Post. Coburn lives in San Diego with her husband, William, and their daughter, Katie. We'll Always Have Paris is her first memoir. Visit her website.

Follow Jennifer Coburn on Twitter | Facebook
Buy the book | on Amazon | on Barnes & Noble
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book, and for highlighting what worked for you and what you think you be improved. glad it was a nice escapade - travels is always a great place to be, especially when Paris is one of the stops, lol

Marlys said...

Sounds interesting! You have read lots of books involving Paris, so you must learn more and more about that city in your reads!

Jeanie said...

As you might guess, lisa, it sounds like one I would like! I'm always glad my mom and I did London before she died three years later.

Nora said...

I've seen this one a few times at Barnes & Noble and I'm intrigued. I haven't picked it up (yet) because, well, I think it may make me cry! I love all things Paris as well. Glad you enjoyed it!

Jolene - EverydayFoodie said...

This sounds like a good read, and I really, really want to go to Paris one day!!

Amber said...

This sounds like a good book!! I generally tend to enjoy books that jump between present day and memories.