The Third Tower Up from the Road

Starred review from June 1, 2009
In this wide-eyed travelogue, there are no phone numbers, websites, addresses or other helpful resources: "you'll get pretty much no practical advice whatsoever in these pages... but if you're looking for a reason to travel, then perhaps this book might provide what you need." New York-born, Paris-based writer Dolgin, a frequent business traveler, has a gift for opening up the world in his popular McSweeney Internet Tendency column, dozens of which are collected here. Dolgin has been seemingly everywhere: Beirut, Prague, Rome, Provence, Huanghuacheng (China), and the Grand Canyon are just a few destinations covered. Quite a few columns are devoted to the island of Corsica, where Dolgin has a summer home with his family. A perfect travel companion, Dolgin has friends (and the ability to make new ones) all over the world, a droll sense of humor and an insatiable curiosity about local history. Again and again, he introduces his readers to charming, unique aspects of familiar and exotic locales, doing an excellent job conveying sights "too wonderful to be imagined." A highly enjoyable read, this should charm any sightseer, and inspire a number of travel plans.

July 14, 2009
When you spend your work life traveling the world as Dolgin does, you tend to stumble upon some of the less touristy places on the map. Dolgin's irreverent column, "Kevin Dolgin Tells You About Places You Should Go in Europe," has been published since 2003 at McSweeney's Internet Tendency. The bulk of the humorous dispatches cover European and Asian locales. Verdict Reminiscent of the writing of Dave Barry or Tim Cahill, Dolgin's observations will leave you wishing he was your traveling partner. Even though some of the shorter pieces include little actual travel advice, this book will make an excellent companion in your armchair or on your own adventure.-Sheila Kasperek, Millersville Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib.

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