Panama? Why Panama?
by Iris M. Todd-Lewis
Trafford Publishing
by Iris M. Todd-Lewis
Trafford Publishing
reviewed by John E. Roper
"I guess it's my Parisian French spoken with an English accent that
confuses them? If one more set of eyes roll into someone's forehead I'll smack
him or her!"
Life in exotic destinations intrigues us, and due to this an entire
subgenre of true adventure books revolving around the building projects of
individuals determined to carve out a new life for themselves in a foreign
locale have emerged. Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence along
with Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy may
be the premier examples of writing in this field, but newcomer Todd-Lewis' book
seeks to do them one better by recounting her and her husband's experiences a
full two and a half years before they ever emigrate!
Based on her ongoing blog but expanded for this format, the author's
book starts out with the couple's decision to move somewhere close enough to
Canada for family visits yet far enough south to be better for Iris' arthritis.
After some careful research Panama is selected, and thus begins the long and
frequently frustrating odyssey of trying to build a house in another country
while closing down life in your own. In a weekly series of posts Todd-Lewis
takes her readers on a lively and often humorous trek through foreign red tape,
banking delays, building issues, house renting (and selling) hurdles, and the
ever-looming anxiety of trying to unload a business that no one either wants or
seems able to buy.
Written with transparency and a personable manner, Todd-Lewis' narrative
retains the newsy appeal of a blog but with the clear beginning, middle, and
end that a book requires. As a postscript she even includes a critical analysis
of some of the decisions she and her husband made along the way to help guide
future emigrants in their own moves. Overall, the author has constructed an
enjoyable and well written memoir that practically begs for a sequel.
RECOMMENDED by the USR
Needless to say, I am elighted and agree with every word! The sequel has been written and is out there for sale as "Postcards from Panama", also available through Trafford.
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