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What the Critics Say... |
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The real girl's Eat, Pray, Love. - Asarum, goodreads.com
I have met the Master of similes and metaphors and she is the author of this book. ... Erika is undoubtedly very strong and courageous (or stupid and very lucky). - Cindy, goodreads.com
This book makes me get on my bicycle and see my county, state, and country (never mind the world!)! - Lisa, goodreads.com More reviews from Goodreads readers.
There was only a thimble-full of romance in Where the Pavement Ends ... but it was far and away my favorite of these three [books] —perhaps because it took me so far and away. ... What mesmerized me most, however, was that this was a woman traveling in countries where she didn’t speak the language, on a bike that she barely knew how to fix, riding places on roads that often didn’t exist—all by herself. ... What part of her upbringing, what gene for bravery and determination did she possess that enabled her to make this trip? And was mine just buried deeper—under the ‘what is that noise?’, check under the bed twice gene? - Tracy J Gates, Squeaky Feet
I have just returned from Mongolia and read your book prior to leaving - apart from being a fabulously well written book it was probably one of the best pre-Mongolian travel advisory books!! ... Three of us in the group had read your book and as we traveled (bumped) across the "roads" of remote parts of Mongolia via mini bus we marveled at how any bicycle could travel these roads. ... We met a couple of cyclists who have been inspired by your book and have put their two wheelers to the Mongolian test!!! - Andrea Leven-Marcon, Toronto Canada, August 2006
Her memoir is striking not only because of her description of the difficulties inherent in such a journey, but because of her appreciation for the people and places she encounters. - Nancy Pearl, Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason
This is a terrific book, written with tremendous insight and deep personal reflection. - Daniel D’Ambrosio, Adventure Cyclist Magazine
Erika Warmbrunn is one of those people with more nerve than caution. ... Where the Pavement Ends sings with detail and resonates with courage. - Kathryn Eastburn, Colorado Springs Independent
Warmbrunn transcends the typical format of subjecting the reader to blow-by-blow descriptions of her daily cycling challenges. Instead, she provides wonderfully evocative descriptions of the landscapes and people she experiences…. Readers will come away with a much clearer sense of the special people who inhabit these countries – and perhaps a renewed sense of wanderlust. - Guilderland Public Library, Staff Picks
Much more than a story about bicycling. It’s also a parable of learning and acceptance, of taking risks that occasionally earn rewards, of realizing that traveling involves more sensations than simple sight. - Herald and News, Klamath Falls, OR
Where the Pavement Ends is a delicious story of an exotic adventure, but also much more. Ms. Warmbrunn is not a foreign correspondent or a renowned athlete; she is a humble, observant woman who imagines that when she returns to Seattle, people will tell her, "I could never do that." "‘Of course you could,’ [she] will answer ... ‘The only difference between me and you is that I decided to do it, that I thought up the itinerary and got on the plane. Once out there, underway, I didn’t do anything you couldn’t do, too.’" This reviewer believes her and thanks her for such generous confidence in us all. - The Asian Reporter
Warmbrunn's … account of this improvised tour … captures the wonder and otherness of other cultures without condescending. Too picaresque to be political, Where the Pavement Ends has the surge and wobble of our first favorite bike. - Barnes & Noble.com
She crossed the Russian border into northern Mongolia with a new bicycle and a goal outrageous for a young woman traveling alone. … Erika Warmbrunn of Seattle spoke neither Mongolian, Chinese nor Vietnamese. She had few supplies and knew almost nothing about bicycle repair. But she had a bike manual, a compass, a few tools and an abiding trust that the remote people she would find would share their modest meals and tiny homes. They did, and they and their customs, not the hardships of the journey, are her story. … The English author H.G. Wells once said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race." Warmbrunn's is the sort of book that renews confidence in humanity, at least those humans who live off the tourist routes. - Jim Beamguard, The Tampa Tribune
Everyone should make such a journey at least once in their lives. - Gordon Wiltsie |
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by bicycle across Mongolia, China & Vietnam |