24 in ’24 Challenge – Book 2 “Footloose & Fearless @ Fifty +” by Denise O’Leary

Denise O’Leary is a poet, playwright and author. She has also travelled a lot by herself. In Footloose & Fearless @ Fifty + she describes a solo journey she takes to Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rico and ending in New York. The object of the adventure seems to be to tackle her loneliness after a relationship breakup and she finds that the journey increases her confidenceas she tackles a number ofissues and problems along the way.

The author plans her three month route in advance and books very cheap accommodation in hostels and places in people’s houses that they are renting out. She has some money, although not a huge amount, and quite a lot of experience in travel, living abroad and meeting with people who have an alternative lifestyle. What she doesn’t have is any Spanish at all so communication is an issue and she is dependent on people she meets to speak English even though she is going to places away from the usual tourist destinations.

The book is written in diary style and details her arrangements, what she sees and very often what she eats each day. She does meet some interesting people and has some great conversations but a lot of the time she is on her own or spending time with people who want to cheat her or use her in some other way.

The author’s style is engaging and often amusing and I found myself enjoying the journey with her despite being frustrated about her lack of preparation for some elements of the trip. She finds a lot of admire and some things to fear in the countries that she visits but it is interesting that most of the connections she makes are with fellow travellers and that it is obvious that the place she loves the most is New York where she can communicate better. She takes some risks which made me feel uncertain for her safety but I have to admire her belief that her age and sex shouldn’t prevent her travelling wherever she wants.

This is the second book I have read in my 2024 summer challenge and I did enjoy it. I have no idea where I acquired the book from in the first place as it has no labels or prices on or inside the cover – I may have picked it up on a book table at a supermarket or similar. It will now make its way to a charity shop for someone else to enjoy.