Title: What I Was Doing Whilst You Were Breeding
Author: Kristin Newman
Published: 2014
Genre: Memoir
I was given this book by a family member because it sounded like "my kinda book". Just reading the title I laughed. As a twenty-eight year old single person with friends who are settled, engaged with mortgages and steady jobs, I'm that one friend who has been none of these things for the best part of my twenties. There's been a few times over the years where I've questioned and doubted the difference in my path to theirs. If ONLY I had gotten a hold of this book years ago...
Blurb: Kristin Newman spent much of her twenties and thirties buying dresses to wear to her friends' weddings and baby showers. Not ready to settle down and in need of an escape from her fast-paced job as a sitcom writer, Kristin instead travelled the world, often alone, for several weeks each year. In addition to falling madly in love with the planet, Kristin fell for many attractive locals, men who could provide the emotional connection she wanted without costing the freedom she desperately needed.
Kristin introduces readers to the Israeli bartenders, Finnish poker players, sexy Bedouins, and Argentinean priests who helped her transform into "Kristin-Adjacent" on the road - a slower, softer, and, yes, sluttier version of herself at home. Equal parts laugh-out-loud storytelling, candid reflections, and wanderlust-inspiring travel tales, What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding is a compelling debut that will have readers rushing to renew their passports.
Plot
I'm pretty sure Kristin Newman is my kindred spirit. At twenty-eight, after a 6-year long relationship she found herself single and surrounded by close friends who are all starting to settle down with partners and children. That's when she finds a new love: Travelling. This book details her adventures that she has over the next 10 years and all of them are filled with adventure and love, and both self and planetary exploration. Some of these stories will leave you gobsmacked, others cringing and some will leave you reflecting on your own experiences. But all of them will have you wanting to book a ticket on the next flight out to your own adventure.
Characters
As I say, Kristin Newman at 28 years old is pretty much me at 28 years old. Only difference is that I already have a love for travelling but that just made me feel even more connected to the story and the message Kristin was trying to tell. I couldn't help but be in awe about how hilariously and brutally honest she is about some of the things she got up to but also her courage to take chances and risks with new experiences and strangers in new and strange surroundings.
Writing Style
Kristin's style is uplifting, witty and easy going. This is the type of book that you want to have held in one hand, sipping a large glass of wine with the other whilst soaking in a nice, indulgent bubble bath. Also, it's probably best not to read this in a crowded public space as there is a high chance of randomly letting out an ugly burst of laughter on a regular basis!
Book Cover:
I'm not sure I would have noticed this book immediately in a bookshop as the dark background doesn't stand out too well but the title is cleverly named to stick out and be noticed by the right readership.
Overall Review:
I'm not a big believer in fate, but I get the feeling that this book was supposed to be added to my bookshelf at this point in my life for a reason and after a year of not being able to travel anywhere and having time to reflect on aspects of my life, I have been reassured by the lessons Kristin Newman puts across in this amazing memoir that it's okay not to follow the trend your friends set, that taking chances in life leads to epic adventures to last a lifetime and that travelling heals the soul. Thank you Kristin Newman! 🙏
Review Summary:
Plot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing Style ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 (4.5 Stars)
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