Independence Day: A Lonely Heart's Voyage Around the USA

Independence Day: A Lonely Heart's Voyage Around the USA

by JimKeeble (Author)

Synopsis

Newly-weds are difficult to avoid in Niagra Falls. Each year 500,000 freshly hitched sweethearts book into one of the 55 motels offering heart-shaped jacuzzis, tiger rugs and mirrored ceilings. That's 700 couples a day. Not the best place to be then, when your girlfriend rejects your proposal of marriage, and proposes instead that you go your separate ways. His self-esteem heading south, Jim Keeble decides to follow suit, hoping that the United States - and the women of America - can help mend his broken heart. He says viva to Las Vegas and the showgirls of the 21st century; tries to catch a crab-catcher's daughter in historic Virginia, and cheers on an ex-cheerleader on a Dude ranch in Arizona. Funny and romantic, INDEPENDENCE DAY is a true-life travelogue of a broken heart.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Edition: New e.
Publisher: Abacus
Published: 06 Dec 2001

ISBN 10: 0349112940
ISBN 13: 9780349112947

Media Reviews
'INDEPENDENCE DAY is a funny and informative little book that manages to scrape the veneer off many of America's more ludicrous sacred cows ... he's written a damn funny travel book. You get the impression that he reports what the average American is really thinking. Scary' TIME OUT 'Keeble provides a light and breezy mish-mash of tour guide statistics, solid observations and chuckle-worthy one-liners. His simple scene-setting is effective and the characters he meets on the road are rendered with similar earnestness' THE TIMES 'A laugh out loud delight' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'Jim Keeble is a Brit with his heart in North America. At least, he was, until his Italian-Canadian fiancee Angie- beautiful, funny, caring, bubbly, outgoing, vivacious Angie --decided to chuck him. In, of all places, the world's number one honeymoon destination, Niagara Falls. Given the circumstances, surrounded as he was by thousands of euphoric newly-weds humping away in motel-rooms expressly designed for the pleasures of nuptial love, Jim Keeble did the only right and honourable thing: he ran away. This, then, is an account of Keeble's ensuing emotional Odyssey, his epic schlep around the highways and byways of America, from the frigid Minnesotan heartlands to the frazzled Mexican borderlands to the fantastical Las Vegas NeverNeverlands, in search of serenity, dignity, tranquillity, and a possible bunk-up. It's a quixotic, rambling, dishevelled, mostly endearing tale, at once a light-heartedly laddish travel diary and also a heartfelt, funny-sad, very contemporary male confessional. Of course, Keeble doesn't get the girl. Any girl. Though he tries the crab-fed Cornishwomen of Carolina and the long legged Croatian horsewomen of Virginia, though he tries Yummy Mummies in Brooklyn and silicon-breasted sophomores doing Spring Break in Daytona Beach, he gets totally nowhere, fast. But what he does get is a lot of first-rate material for this rather likeable, rather readable travelogue. Only question: whatever happened to Angie? She sounded wicked.' - Sean Thomas, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW
Author Bio
Jim Keeble writes regularly for the travel pages of the DAILY TELEGRAPH, THE TIMES and the EVENING STANDARD. He lives alone in North London without any cats.