Destination Dachshund by Lisa Fleetwood
This was a cute little travelogue. I found the Australian perspective on the magic of winter and Christmas entertaining. And what a trip of the lifetime! To take 3 months to travel throughout Europe, part of the US, and end up in New York in time for the winter holidays! I love that the extended family was able to be part of much of the trip, complete with a massive (27 people!) family get together at one point.
I did like the descriptions of Russia and the Balkans the most, as there was a hint of danger or uncertainty. Estonia seemed both bleak (especially near the border) and full of mystery. Of course, all the food descriptions were entertaining – sometimes delicious and sometimes full of mystery as well (ha!).
Parts of the tale did lag a little for me because they seemed a little empty, a little vapid. I wanted a bit more substance here and there. The dachshund spotting contest was cute at first but then got a little silly. Still, it was fun for the family and that’s what matters most for this book.
In the end, the family makes it home safely to Australia where the hunt for another dachshund begins (one of there dear beasties having died shortly before their adventure began). I was a little sad to see how fixated they were on getting a dachshund puppy, calling all the breeders three times over until they got the object they desired. After all, there’s plenty of pups and older dogs looking for good homes and getting hung up on a specific breed feeds into puppy mills, etc. So, for me, the tale ended on a sad note. It wasn’t about the dog, but about the object. 3.5/5 stars.
The Narration: Stephanie Macfie was a lot of fun for this book. I feel she nailed the author’s voice perfectly. I also liked her voices for the family members and the occasional side character. Her male voices (which admittedly weren’t required often) were believable. Her pacing was perfect and she was upbeat and engaged for the entire book. 5/5 stars.
I received a copy of this audiobook via The Audiobookworm in exchange for an honest review. The gifting of this book did not affect my thoughts on the book.