Synopses & Reviews
Review
"An appealingly graceful, generous, and memorable travelogue. Schur opens herself to the mystery of others; her effort is amply rewarded."
The Literate Traveler/San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, February 9, 2006
Review
"Schur offers here a chronological compilation of essays about the 18-month honeymoon she took in 1971 with husband Stephen, which began in Mexico and crossed 31 nations to end in Wellington, New Zealand, where the couple ultimately lived for five years. These essays, previously featured in publications like Salon.com and anthologies such as Lonely Planet's 2003 The Kindness of Strangers, are memorable in their reach: more than just recounting events in the life of the writer, they capture the atmosphere of places like a tramp steamer in Panama, a dream chalet in the Swiss Alps, or a customs house in Afghanistan; they also distill the character of the local people and recount their stories. Perhaps the most striking of Schur's journeys is the car trip she and Stephen took from Switzerland to the border between India and Pakistan, where the car had to be sold. Another essay, "A Memory of Herat," resonates especially in this age of fear and suspicion. Schur's fascinating account of her young life as a trusting, adventurous traveler will make the reader long for the seemingly carefree travel of the days before 9/11."
Lisa N. Johnston, Sweet Briar Coll., VA Library Journal, February 15, 2006
Description
Places in Time introduces a host of colorful personalities as it affords rare glimpses into regions beyond which many dared to venture. Looking back at travel through the lens of time, Maxine Rose Schur, says, has provided the meaning that was missing when she was young. "When friends ask me why I waited so long to write about this trip, I answer, 'Only now do I understand it.'" Places in Time is about her understanding. It says something poetic and poignant not only about how the right travel haunts us forever, but how all of us travel in a world we are unwittingly changing.