Whether it is curiosity about the world, a thirst for adventure or escape from personal tragedy, the women in this Virago collection all approached their journeys with wit, intelligence and empathy for the lives of those they encountered along the way.
Mary McCarthy conveys the vitality of Florence while Willa Cather’s essay on Lavandou foreshadows her descriptions of the French countryside in later novels. Others are more active participants in the culture they are visiting, such as Leila Philip, as she harvests rice with Japanese women. The collection also includes writing by Joan Didion, Vita Sackville-West, M. F. K. Fisher, Christina Dodwell and more.