Escape to Lisbon

Rating:
Summary: Lily is No Shrinking Violet!
Review: I fell completely in love with Lily! I'd either like to BE her, or at the very least have her as a close friend and live vicariously through her spirit, sense of adventure, gutsiness, and moxie. Bill Coulton has done a wonderful job of skillfully weaving the many facets of Lily throughout this book. He also has given us a small cast of diverse characters, some of whom we warm to and some of whom we don't, but they all complement the book as a whole. Having no real sense of Lisbon beforehand, I inhaled the atmosphere of the city and surrounding area along with Lily, and by the time I finished the book I felt as if I'd been there myself. In spite of moments of intensity and excitement, this is basically a quiet and gentle book with many layers. The reader quickly becomes eager to go along for the ride and see how it all turns out for Lily. I highly recommend ESCAPE TO LISBON to anyone who enjoys rich characterizations and unique settings.

Rating:
Summary: Lily is No Shrinking Violet!
Review: I fell completely in love with Lily! I'd either like to BE her, or at the very least have her as a close friend and live vicariously through her spirit, sense of adventure, gutsiness, and moxie. Bill Coulton has done a wonderful job of skillfully weaving the many facets of Lily throughout this book. He also has given us a small cast of diverse characters, some of whom we warm to and some of whom we don't, but they all complement the book as a whole. Having no real sense of Lisbon beforehand, I inhaled the atmosphere of the city and surrounding area along with Lily, and by the time I finished the book I felt as if I'd been there myself. In spite of moments of intensity and excitement, this is basically a quiet and gentle book with many layers. The reader quickly becomes eager to go along for the ride and see how it all turns out for Lily. I highly recommend ESCAPE TO LISBON to anyone who enjoys rich characterizations and unique settings.

Rating:
Summary: Lily is my new Hero.
Review: I found this to be a book of possibilities. Inspirational! For anyone who intends to grow old I think this will inspire you to take chances and make some of your dreams come true. When life changes bring darkness this book will offer you light. Coulton has created a character whom after finding her life has changed forever breaks all the 'self made' rules and creates an exciting approach to living. Through Lily, Coulton offers endless opportunities for dreaming the life fantastic. Proving that when we take down walls and remove the box anything is possible! Looking foward to Lily's next adventure.

Rating:
Summary: A Pleasurable Escape!
Review: I loved this book. Lily is a wonderful character and I hope I will be just like her when I grow up! (I'm already a grandmother!) Bill Coulton has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of Lily and her need to do "just one more thing" before she cashes in her chips. The other characters are well depicted and believable, the plot is compelling and the pages almost turn by themselves. Deep down, don't we all have a secret desire to escape, if for only a little while? You can do that with Bill Coulton's book, "Escape to Lisbon." Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: patrice's review
Review: I throughly enjoyed the book, it made me cry at the end. I was somewhat surprised it was written by a male. I will definately share it with some friends. I do think it needs a new cover, it looks more like a travel guide.

Rating:
Summary: patrice's review
Review: I throughly enjoyed the book, it made me cry at the end. I was somewhat surprised it was written by a male. I will definately share it with some friends. I do think it needs a new cover, it looks more like a travel guide.

Rating:
Summary: Never too late for adventure and awakening
Review: Lily Fuller, an elderly woman on Shaker Island, N.C. who is recovering from a mastectomy, is looking for a less restrictive life. She invites an old friend, Hank, to join her adventure in Lisbon. His children object to him going, so he brings along his son and daughter-in-law. Was it to placate them?

The heart of the book is Lily's story. The locale allows her a reawakening to life as she drinks in a new culture and environment. "Lily becomes free to be what she wants to be, when she wants, and how she wants."

The book made me reflect on my views on aging. Lily objected to "assisted living" and looks back on her "small life" on Shaker Island.

Also thought-provoking were the relationships between the grownup children, and Hank and Lily. It all rang true and forced me to reflect.

It is a thoughtful and sensitive story of real people who might be us.

Rating:
Summary: Never too late for adventure and awakening
Review: Lily Fuller, an elderly woman on Shaker Island, N.C. who is recovering from a mastectomy, is looking for a less restrictive life. She invites an old friend, Hank, to join her adventure in Lisbon. His children object to him going, so he brings along his son and daughter-in-law. Was it to placate them?

The heart of the book is Lily's story. The locale allows her a reawakening to life as she drinks in a new culture and environment. "Lily becomes free to be what she wants to be, when she wants, and how she wants."

The book made me reflect on my views on aging. Lily objected to "assisted living" and looks back on her "small life" on Shaker Island.

Also thought-provoking were the relationships between the grownup children, and Hank and Lily. It all rang true and forced me to reflect.

It is a thoughtful and sensitive story of real people who might be us.

Rating:
Summary: Escape to Lisbon a must-read
Review: Lily, with determination to move on with her life after suffering the death of her husband and a bout with breast cancer, plans a trip to Lisbon with an old friend, Hank, also widowed. She is horrified to find right before leaving that he has invited his children to accompany them. She tried to make the best of the altered plan, but the young people's pedantic, insular behavior clashes with her adventurous spirit, and everything changes.

Lily's tightly knit and very believable island community conflicts with her renewed embracing of life. Hank can't cut it and goes home with his children. What happens next is a skillfully drawn travel romance, spiced with gallows humor. As Lily reevaluates her own convictions and puts herself back together, she finds new strength and insights gleaned from her willingness to listen and learn new things despite her age.

This book should be a must-read for "seasoned citizens," as Lily calls herself. Bill Coulton, an introspective story teller, wields his pen like a surgeon's scalpel as he cuts away at staid traditions and superficial values. *Escape to Lisbon* is a rich read worthy of national attention.

Rating:
Summary: Escape to Lisbon a must-read
Review: Lily, with determination to move on with her life after suffering the death of her husband and a bout with breast cancer, plans a trip to Lisbon with an old friend, Hank, also widowed. She is horrified to find right before leaving that he has invited his children to accompany them. She tried to make the best of the altered plan, but the young people's pedantic, insular behavior clashes with her adventurous spirit, and everything changes.

Lily's tightly knit and very believable island community conflicts with her renewed embracing of life. Hank can't cut it and goes home with his children. What happens next is a skillfully drawn travel romance, spiced with gallows humor. As Lily reevaluates her own convictions and puts herself back together, she finds new strength and insights gleaned from her willingness to listen and learn new things despite her age.

This book should be a must-read for "seasoned citizens," as Lily calls herself. Bill Coulton, an introspective story teller, wields his pen like a surgeon's scalpel as he cuts away at staid traditions and superficial values. *Escape to Lisbon* is a rich read worthy of national attention.