Melinda and Robert Blanchard, after selling their business at far below what they should have, decided they want to live on the island of Anguilla. Not as well known to the tourists, but still with a thriving tourist economy, they decide they will open a restaurant on the beach and make their living that way. The only problem is that things are very very expensive in Anguilla and bringing things in from the outside even more expensive. And running a restaurant is tough enough when you can get everything easily. The easy peaceful life they were looking for quickly evolves into something a little more fast paced and difficult.
I found Melinda a somewhat ok narrator. She focuses on the hardships more than the pleasures of island living and even insults her husband by calling him an optimist like its a bad thing. I guess I just didn't like the negativity. Her husband seems like he'd be the more enjoyable narrator but he doesn't really write this book despite his name being on the cover. She does describe the island people fairly, but I would have liked to hear a lot more about them.
Most of this book, as opposed to being about the island and the people, was more about the running of a restaurant. And while I enjoy books about food immensely, that wasn't what I expected going into this novel. Although I was happy that she included several recipes for different foods. But the food they did cook wasn't really island food per say. It was more fancy stuff as they opened a fancy restaurant. I guess thats what happens when you're in a tourist area though. To be honest, the food places they visited sounded more appealing to me than their restaurant.
An ok travel book with food elements thrown in. Not my favorite of the travel books I've read but not the worst either.
A Trip to the Beach
Copyright 2000
296 pages
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