A land of two halves

Fifteen years ago, Englishman Bennett (Fun Run and Other Oxymorons: Singular Reflections of an Englishman Abroad) arrived in New Zealand to teach English for a year. These many years later-though he's given up teaching to write full time-he's still there, living in Christchurch. Wondering what has kept him, he sets out hitchhiking around the country to find out. Similar only in premise to Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson's Slipping into Paradise: Why I Live in New Zealand, Bennett's first-person narrative of his exploits is witty, self-effacing, and compelling. While readers may never quite understand why Bennett has stayed, they come away wanting to visit this beautiful, unique, quirky country on the far side of the world. Indeed, Bennett's travelog is a joy to read-not only for those interested in traveling to New Zealand but for anyone with an appreciation of fine wit. Recommended for libraries with travel collections.-Louise Feldmann, Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.