Book Review: Water Water All Around by Beth A. Smith

*** Product was received for free in exchange for an honest review. ***

Water Water All Around Captures Europe by Kayak

The new book Water Water All Around: Paddling European Countries Sea to Sea, by Beth A. Smith, is a series of adventures between nine European countries by a lone woman kayaker.

An adventure story depicting events such as paddling difficulties and equipment failures, this book is not a travel guide, but rather a testimony about determination, fear, frustration, and fatigue. Very little is left out of her daily journal entries, giving the adventurous reader a chance to follow her dialogue and maps to make their own way across these nine countries.

With first-hand photography of these beautiful exotic places coupled with actual written accounts, thrill seekers can imagine and become inspired by Smith’s journey.
Beth A. Smith was born and raised in California, and still makes her home conveniently near the water of San Francisco Bay.

Water Water All Around: Paddling European Countries Sea to Sea, is available in softcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-081-9) and hardcover (ISBN 978-1-62137-080-2)from Virtual Bookworm, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. This book can also be ordered from most bookstores around the United States and United Kingdom. More information can be found at the author’s website, www.bethsmithbooks.com.

Our Thoughts
I was really excited to read this book - imagine, a senior woman, all alone, kayaking across NINE European countries!  My maternal grandmother was quite an active woman up until her last few years; traveling, doing all sorts of interesting things and she was always fun to talk to, so I was hoping this book would be as enjoyable.  Getting into the spirit of things, I took it with me to read up at our cabin, which is surrounded by water.

Well . . . it was interesting, but not as much as I had hoped.  Part of it is that I am not familiar with kayaking terms, and being at the cabin with  no internet access, I couldn't look any of them up.  The tales of the first 6 countries can be summed up by: I paddled, I ate, I slept, I drank coffee. And repeat.  But then the trip to Germany comes up (Part VI).  That trip was much more descriptive - of the people, the water, the scenery, everything.  I wish the whole book had been written as descriptively as was Germany.  The last two countries after that were a little more descriptive than the first several, but not quite as much as the Germany trip.  I felt there was a lot left out - things I'd like to know - like a little more of Beth's background, a little more detail to the maps - that matched the stories better - lots of the stops were missing from the maps.   In one part you realize Beth is in a different boat, not the Junior, but what happened to the Junior?  She mentions once that a boat was stolen while she slept, but which boat was it?  Was it on any of these trips?  Then later she mentions the Junior again, but then even later mentions it's actually the Junior II.

I give the book 4 stars, mainly because it is an amazing feat! I think Beth would be a fascinating conversationalist, but the book, as written, may be more suited to those that already know more about kayaking than I do.

***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were not influenced in any way.***