A Visit to Don Otavio

by Sybille Bedford

Book Overview

Before returning to the Old World after World War II, Sybille Bedford resolved to see something more of the New. A trip to Mexico inspired her to write what Bruce Chatwin called a book of marvels - a text which is part affectionate study of the Mexican temper and part travel book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 158243171X
• ISBN13: 9781582431710
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.02 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

A visit to Don Otavio, or the pleasure to travel in his own bedroom.

No doubt one of the most satisfying book you could possibly find! You go back in a lost world, you travel for almost free, you plunge in a pool of humor, you learn some history. Your life will just got better. Read or steal as they said..

laughing & learning

I've enjoyed this travel book more than any I've read in a long time. Educational and enjoyable. Anyone who has done any traveling anywhere can have a good chuckle at the culture clashes that come from traveling in Mexico or any country where you're not familiar with the customs. These women weren't afraid of adventure and certainly found plenty of it! In spite of the frustrations of things not always going their way, they never resort to racial slurs or any real putdowns of the people they meet. And what a trip. They saw some of the most beautiful parts of Mexico before they've become over-run with tourists. I think the spirit in which they travel is something more people need when going to a foreign country. Go with the flow and everything will work out in the end. A wonderful read.

Unsweetened Charm

This is an absolutely charming but non-sacchrine account of travel in Mexico following World War II. A surprisingly important bonus is a better understanding of the history of this country and why it is what it is today. Wonderful. I will read it again.

Fascinating

The understated writing and excellent descriptions tell all about this 1952 visit to Mexico. Charming and entertaining. But I did skip the chapter on the history of Mexico.

Barefoot me.

Sublime. I am profoundly uninterested in Mexico, but it charmed my socks off. Wonderfully written. Up there in the clouds with Paula Fox, William Trevor, Alice Munro.