Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own

Queen of the Road

This lovely little tale had everything I was looking for: adventure, true love, quirky relatives, and animal sidekicks. Though Doreen Orion tells her story with a tongue-in-cheek attitude (each chapter begins with a martini recipe), she can't help but admit that it was a life changing experience. Like all good travel adventure stories she discovers that the most meaningful experiences aren't the ones you plan. By the end I felt as if I had been along for the ride myself, in addition to having made new friends in Doreen, Tim, Shula, Miles and Morty. Pick up this book if you are ready for an unexpected adventure with some real heart.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disapointed

I chose this book for our bookclub, based on the subject matter and the good online reviews. I found it to be rather boring and difficult to get through. Some in the club liked it, but not enthusiastically.

remembering Queen for a day!

I was totally absorbed in reading this book. My dream has always been to rent a RV and see as much of the united states as possible. One of my favorite movies is Lucy and Desni Arnez "the long long trailor", and Queenie did remind me of Lucy on numerious occasions. I found the humor in this book to be on an even keel with myself, so I could relate, and laughed a lot. I have tried the receipe's at the beginning of each chapter and now I have my favorite!! The lesson learned is what I really understood and accepted the most.. I would recommend this book to all of my friends, and I did send it in the mail to a friend in another state. She read it in two days!!! and is now sending to yet another friend, in another state!

Fun read

I read this on vacation and thoroughly enjoyed it and immediately recommended it to everyone around me. Her writing is engaging, honest and just all around fun.

Rollicking Good Memoir!

Subtitled: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband and a Bus with a Will of It's Own. Okay, how could you not want to pick up this new title from Broadway Books ??? The cover and subtitle grabbed me, but I was captivated in the first 10 pages of this travel memoir from Doreen Orion. Both Orion and her husband Tim Justice are practicing psychiatrists. Tim is still seeing patients in an office setting while Doreen consults from home for insurance companies etc. Tim is a busy guy, always with a project on the go. He enjoys the outdoors as well. On the other hand, Doreen is more than happy to stay in her pajamas, work from home, watch television and never leave the house. Her record is 118 hours in without stepping a foot outside. Two seemingly polar opposites. Without quite knowing how it happened, Doreen agrees to Tim's dream - to travel across America in a bus for a year. That's right - a bus. But what a bus it is! (Take note that their bus ends up being the September centerfold for Bus Conversions magazine.) Orion is an extremely funny woman. I was laughing out loud right from the beginning and wondered if she could keep it up throughout the book.....she did. After an initial 3 week test run, they set out. Not everything goes quite to plan - the bus has some issues and so does Doreen - she's terrified of the bus. With a fantastic sense of humour, Orion describes the trip, her relationship with Tim, the people they meet and the situations they find themselves in. Just a few weeks into the trip they notice a shift in their outlooks and attitudes. 'Getting to the top of the bell tower reaffirmed for me that Tim and I were making new choices about how to live our lives and whether it was finding time for that climb or putting our careers on hold, we were doing things differently that we had in the past, giving us hope that the lessons learned on the road about what was truly valuable might just stick'. And this is really the essence of the book. How do you want to live your life and what is really important? As we follow Tim and Doreen's travels, you start to look at your own life and wonder what you could do a little bit differently. It's also a love story. They are together 24/7 for a year. Although they already have a good marriage, they rediscover each other on the road. Fascinating as well is the ongoing travelogue. The places they visit are detailed, and an appendix gives web addresses for many of the places. I love a good travel memoir and this was one of the best I've read. This would be a great selection for a book club. There is a thoughtful list of discussion questions to get you started at the end. ( Oh - and a cocktail recipe at the beginning of every chapter!) As well, Orion will attend your book group - either in person or by speakerphone. The idea of a boat trip was bandied about at the end of the book. Sounds like a great idea Doreen and Tim - can't wait to hear what adventure you embark on next! You can always follow along at Doreen's blog.

Chick lit for chicks with brains

I loved this book, particularly the recipes! The writer manages to capture your attention quickly and keeps it from start to finish. This is one of the few books I have not been able to plow through in one sitting because it is so well-written and funny. A must read for a beach trip, long weekend, or anytime you want to relax with a nice cocktail.

Fun read!

Doreen Orion, in her book - Queen of the Road has captured the wild adventure of living on a bus and wrapped it up in page after page of laughs. She uses her flaws and foibles openly to draw in the reader, making it seem as though we are right there with her. Bus Butt and all. As the story unfolds, she shifts from self proclaimed Princess and shoe worshipper to someone who appreciates a night sky and no-TV dinners, reminding us that there is more to life than this crazy game we live in.

A reviewer

I've never made it beyond the 'Hmm, interesting idea' stage regarding RV travel across the country with my husband. Fortunately for me, now I don't have to. Doreen Orion has lived through the ups and downs for me, and recorded them in all kinds of agonizing and hilarious detail. Queen of the Road is about more than just wacky hijinks: the dogs, the nudists, the cocktail recipes. Reading it is a window onto a marriage -- a very honest and illuminating portrayal of the way a marriage works in extreme circumstances. More than just 'we grew, we changed,' it's a road map to a certain kind of communication, a certain kind of togetherness, that was very interesting to witness. Chatty, honest, anecdotal, and real, this book asks nothing of you but your time, and in return delivers a read that feels like a funny friend with all the time in the world to share her exploits with you over martinis. Not your traditional travelogue, but something more accessible and less pretentious than the usual fare.

A reviewer

Psychiatrist Doreen Orion and husband Tim (also a psychiatrist) take off on an adventure most of us can only dream of as they travel the country for a year in a luxuriously converted bus. A self-proclaimed 'Princess from the Isle of Long', Orion struggles with the radical change of lifestyle she's committed to out of love for her husband. Despite bus mishaps and an unfortunately timed and ironic phobia of the bus crashing, she manages to keep her sense of humor, her love for her husband and her sanity. As much of a surprise to her as it is to the reader, Ms. Orion comes away with some real insights into who she has been in the world and who she now wants to become. Hilarious anecdotes of the people she meets along the way avoid the overly folksy mannerisms of some 'on the road' memoirs. With her sharp, incisive, and occasionally cynical wit, Orion always gives the reader something to laugh about while clearly enjoying everyone (well mostly everyone) she meets along the way. The changes in her worldview, while not earth shattering, feel genuine and inspiring. A great read for anyone who wants to get out and 'do' something meaningful outside of cultural definitions, and with a lot of laughs along the way. And the cocktail recipes that start each chapter are not only whimsical and fun, but are also cool and delicious!

Fun For All Readers

Queen of the Road details author Doreen Orion's year-long cross country bus trip with her husband and a large assortment of animals and shoes. While Orion claims to be a spoiled princess, her humor has an endearing self-effacing tone which belies her claims of sloth and superficiality. We go along with her as she not only travels through this diverse nation, but develops a deeper appreciation for her partner's way of thinking (and cooking and cleaning and hiking) as well. Readers will enjoy the quirky characters Doreen and Tim meet along the way, and there are some great laugh out loud moments (you'll love her husband's ring tone nickname for her.) By the end of the book you'll have genuine affection for not only the author, but also for her dear patient and highly-skilled-in-many-ways husband and their furry menagerie. Highly recommended reading to anyone who wants a fun book at the beach or on vacation, anyone who enjoys travel books, or anyone who enjoys reading about relationships and personal growth. This witfest would also make a great gift for just about anyone who enjoys reading for pleasure.

Adventure at it's best!

Go on the road with your husband of all things!!Find the new you that you didn't know existed! Doreen is hilarious as she relates the trials of life on a bus and finds her new true love(living in almost constant motion)and finding peace in the freedom of the road.

Road Trip!

A bus trip where you live on a converted bus through 47 states? Oh no! I am a hotel gal, a cookie on the pillow gal 'ain't messin' with no tiny mint', a have someone clean up after me gal. So, when I started to read Doreen Orion's Queen of the Road I thought that I would have a laugh at her expense. I indeed did, many times, but then what I discovered shocked me. I started to envy her and Tim's excellent adventures. As well as her Queentastic way of celebrating near death experiences with creatively concocted martinis. Her telling, in her uniquely humorous way, of her self-diagnosed bus phobia had me nervously watching the road with her. Would they make it across those bridges? Would the turns be too tight? Would they be able to turn the bus back if need be? Was Tim driving too fast?! Tim, slow down!! Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Tim kept driving while Doreen kept us informed of what they saw, who they met, and how she came to terms with the year she could have never imagined. If you love the idea of the open road and wonder what it would be like to live in a converted bus 'with pets no less', then this is the book for you. If you are like me and start feeling faint at the idea of no hotel service, then this is also the book for you. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you'll be thankful Doreen was riding shotgun and survived her bus phobia to tell us all about it.

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