BootsnAll Travel Community

I'd like to introduce you to a classic travel book in the form of fiction called "Ship of Fools" by Katherine Ann Porter. It's absolutely brilliant and insightful. It's about a shipful of travellers, all travelling for various reasons. Most compelling so far are the almost-married couple, the drug addict countess, and many other oddballs, all singularly human and yes, fools of one sort or another.
Its a very Human book, so to speak, and now I know why Fellini made a movie of it.

Heres a paraphrased quote(the book not being handy)

"You say you like the lifestyle of the ragged mexican who sleeps on a straw mat on the floor, and that its romantic. What you really like is that someone else is being forced to use that straw mat, and seems to like it. If it were you, you wouldn't like it in the least as a lifestyle"

Yeah, the character, David, is a cynic of the worst kind, but sometimes his comments just make all kinds of sense.The book is full of comments like that, and descriptions of kinds of travellers that still ring true.

BTW- having used the equivalent of a straw mat, and a bed, I can firmly say I prefer a firm bed.

Sounds interesting...I'll have to get a copy.

Thank you for giving us a review of this book. It sounds great! I'm heading to Amazon right now.