Bookish Thursday - Odyssey of Love Blog Tour!
When Linda doesn’t receive the marriage proposal she had long been expecting from her boyfriend on her 41st birthday, she reluctantly visits a psychic, Angelica, who predicts that Linda will soon leave him for a romantic and music-filled Odyssey in Europe. There, a “Russian icon” will lead to her future husband, a “tall man with glasses.”
Skeptical at first, but eager to explore her Eastern European roots and reignite her passion for music, Linda moves to Hungary, the land of her idol, composer-pianist Franz Liszt. In Budapest, she reinvents herself as an English teacher and joins a chorus. Soon, she’s performing at the Liszt Academy of Music and Tel Aviv’s Opera House.
With Angelica’s vision in mind, Linda vows to “settle down, not settle for,” but is tempted by romantic close calls: Gabi is gorgeous but too immature; David in Amsterdam fits Angelica’s description to a T, but his British reserve needs some defrosting. Liszt look-alike Ádám has it all, including a wife.
With her teaching and singing gigs ending, Linda flies to Finland for one last trip before moving back to Boston. But is her Odyssey truly over, or is it just beginning?
Publisher: Tulipan Press (May 2021)
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 194860499X
ISBN-13: 978-1948604994
Genre: Memoir
Now, my opinion...
First off, I was thrilled to be offered a chance to review this book. I am a sucker for books about women who 'chuck it all' and move overseas. And I loved Eat, Pray, Love. There might be a small part of me which would love to have the nerve to do this. Not necessarily to meet a love interest, but just to be considered an ex-pat. So I felt this book would be right up my alley.
However, my expectation of the writing was low. Not that it would be bad, but maybe not as engrossing as I wanted it to be. And there was supposed to be a bit of a 'religious' aspect to the story - definitely not for me. BOY, was I wrong!
Jamsen is 'stuck' and decides to teach English as a Second Language overseas and heads to Budapest for her class to become certified as an ESL teacher. And there she encounters her first taste of living in another country, not just being a tourist.
What I really enjoyed was her description of the other students in her class and the social life she encountered there. She does have a 'vision' concerning Mother Mary, but it's charming and not overly religious in tone.
Another thing I really enjoyed about this book it that it is in Eastern Europe rather than the 'norm' of Western Europe. Plus Jamsen was actually working during most of the book and not just 'seeking' her perfect life. It was much more realistic to me - or something I would have to do - than other books in this vein.
I throughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone, especially someone who is also looking for the life they want to live.
NOTE: As of 11 October 2021, the book was only 99 cents on Amazon for Kindle.
Thank you, Judy, for your kind review and for participating on my book blog tour. Your photos of Montana are stunning! I hope to make it there someday. All the best, Linda
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