I spent a lot of time while reading this book trying to decide if I thought this plan was amazing or just completely insane. Maybe it's both. What it does do is kind of highlight one of the reasons why I don't believe in soul mates. The notion that your One could be halfway across the world, and some bizarre twist of fate or whatever is supposed to lead you to him/her? I think that requires believing a bit more in fate and pre-determination than I'm necessarily down with.That said, by the end, this book also addresses the notion that maybe The One is in fact one of several, which is much closer to what I believe, and why I would be very nervous about continuing my dating odyssey after meeting a One. I believe that, before I met my husband, I had met two others who could have been my One, if circumstances had been different, and I have no doubt that I will encounter others, and I don't see that as a problem. And of course, on a dating quest or not, you never know when you'll meet someone special. But to deliberately put yourself in the path of oncoming suitors right at the beginning of the soul mate relationship you've found, knowing full-well (at least, I feel this way) that there are definitely other Ones out there? To me, that seems like too much of a risk to that new relationship. On the other hand, in a way, I guess that's what it took to really, really cement her feelings and convince her to really take the full leap, so for her, I guess it was a good thing.The book itself was fun, and definitely provided some food for thought. I loved that her dates weren't really all potential suitors (Date #11 was Jim Morrison — yes, that one— and Date #54 was with a lesbian social club). Some of them were more for perspective, so to speak, which was kind of neat. And I liked how her ultimate decision really did recall some of the advice she'd received from various dates along the way, which suggests that, aside from accomplishing the stated goal of this journey (to find her soul mate), she also gained some insight into herself, which I think is perhaps almost as (or maybe more) important.Ultimately, I think it was worth the read, and I think that, despite the insane nature of her methods for finding her One, she has a pretty mature and realistic outlook on relationships and how to balance your checklist for your Ideal Man with the reality of a flesh-and-blood man. Like I said, it was fun, and I enjoyed her journey. I can't seem to find anything more recent than 2005 to see if she and her One are still together, but I hope they are.
Alright, so I started this book a few months ago. Mind you, I am the type to finish a good book in a day or two. This book was wonderful, but the author tended to spend too much of the book's energy on topics that led away from the overall feeling or were just downright boring at times. This caused me to lose interest and have to "push myself through" many parts of the book. It was a shame because the "good stuff" was really good! I had a love/hate relationship with this book. Because it took me longer than a few days to finish it, I had to take away a star. Because it took me longer than a few months to finish it, I took away another star. Other than that, it is a great read. A nonfictional tale of a woman who sets out to find her soul mate by randomly going on eighty dates, away from home (as she is convinced that all men from her neck of the woods are too involved in their careers to form a realtionship). This book is peppered with some real love advice gems, so be prepared to have your notebook and pen ready to jot these down....I did! It is also rich with culture and history. You will learn a thing or two while reading this, without it feeling like you were schooled at all! It is a fun book...honest and searching. You will cheer the author on along her journey. I won't spoil the outcome, but I think you will be as happy about it as I was. The ending doesn't feel forced or cheesy, just right.
Do You like book Around The World In 80 Dates (2005)?
I was both attracted and repulsed by the concept of this book, where a woman looks for her soul mate by traveling all over the world. Mostly, I was interested in the traveling around the world part, and she has some great descriptions of some interesting things. I got a little sick of her false drama in the form of hypothetical questions that seem to ignore the fact that this is a contrived situation: "Will I ever really find my soul mate? Can I survive dating all these men? Can I complete this journey? etc etc" But otherwise breezed through this more quickly than I'd care to admit!
—Jennifer
After 89 pages, I just don't want to read on :( I just. don't. care. I feel kind of guilty as I practically always finish a book once I start it. Even if it's bad (I finished Hilary Duff's Elixir!). But this is not just bad but also boring... I've only gotten as far as 4 dates or so and already I'm bored out of my mind. I don't like the narrator and her views on love and relationships. And don't like the endless repeating of those views. Self-centered whining. I don't know what I was thinking picking this book from the library, I expected it to be more of a quirky travel book (I found it in the travel section). It's not.
—Ninja Neko
I was disappointed with this book. I was looking for a light summer story to read while hanging by the pool and thought this book would be a fun, travelogue book that highlighted different dating customs throughout the world. Unfortunately, it was less about the travels and more about the author’s (what I consider) crazy and somewhat dysfunctional love life. She also whined a lot. About halfway through the story an event happened that encouraged me to keep reading. There were some funny and interesting dates and a few LOL moments. The premise was interesting, and could have been a good book, if written differently. I'd say skip this one and read “Eat. Pray. Love.” instead.
—Ginger
