A Trip to the Beach (Nova Audio Books) | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert Blanchard
Creator: Melinda Blanchard
Publisher: Nova Audio Books
Category: Book
Buy New: $36.65
New (1) Used (4) from $11.59
Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 3583791
Format: Abridged, Audiobook
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Abridged
Number Of Items: 2
Pages: 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7 x 4.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 1587880172
Dewey Decimal Number: 972.973
EAN: 9781587880179
ASIN: 1587880172
Publication Date: October 10, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Thousands of satisfied customers!
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Amazon.com Review
On a vacation with the family in Barbados, Mel and Bob Blanchard (of the Vermont-based Blanchard & Blanchard specialty foods company) stumble upon a tiny restaurant/shack on a Caribbean beach: I marveled at the ingenuity of the set-up. A secluded spot, sand like flour, customers arriving in bathing suits. The guy barely lifted a finger, cleared at least $35.00, and gave us a lunch we'd remember forever.... The man had sold us a frame of mind. So begins the Blanchards' 10-year pursuit of the illusory notion of "island time." In a literary heartbeat, they abandon the "concrete jungle" that was Vermont and open a restaurant on a little-known island in the British West Indies called Anguilla ("rhymes with vanilla"). Narrated by Mel Blanchard, A Trip to the Beach dispels tired notions of the Caribbean--the steel drums, the lush landscapes, and acres of swaying palm trees--and instead focuses on the understated elegance and easy rhythms of the sublimely "flat, and scrubby" island. Though lacking the richness and finesse of Frances Mayes, and the wit and wisdom of Peter Mayle, Mel Blanchard nonetheless forges a new path in travel writing as the Martha Stewart of the Caribbean. A remarkably intuitive and inspired chef, Mel writes poignant passages on running a kitchen in Anguilla. Here she exposes the meat of the story, sharing her many outrageous adventures--how to cater to pampered and demanding guests, how to cook for a full restaurant in the darkest of island night with no electricity, how to prepare for recurring and utterly devastating hurricanes that wipe out your business. In these chapters the writing is as good as her cooking--inspiring, colorful, and easily digestible. Although she sometimes relies heavily on well-worn cliches and expresses naive and rather privileged assumptions--"Why would anyone choose to live surrounded by concrete and traffic rather than fishing boats, water and palm trees?"--discerning readers will see the true nature of this tiny island--a place of simplistic beauty that struggles to maintain its independence while it depends on tourism for its livelihood. With a strange concoction of anecdotes, island politics, recipes, and sweet memories, the Blanchards seduce readers with the allure of "island time," bringing Anguilla home to the rest of us. --Daphne Durham
Product Description
This is the true story of a trip to the beach that never ends. It's about a husband and wife who escape civilization to build a small restaurant on an island paradise - and discover that even paradise has its pitfalls. It's a story filled with calamities and comedy, culinary disasters and triumphs, and indelible portraits of people who work in a place where the rest of the world goes to play. It's about the maddening, exhausting, impossible complications of trying to live the simple life - and the joy that comes when you somehow pull it off.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 68 more reviews...
 How Could You NOT Like this Book? October 12, 2008
The bitter reviews are totally undeserved and off-base. I felt like I was reading about some other book.
The Blanchards, who were probably the worst business people in the western world decide to open a little beach bar restaurant on the island of Anguilla. Things change when they find the perfect place, but the rent is thousands per month--way too much to build a beach bar. It has to be a fancy restaurant. Did it occur to them to negotiate or look for a cheaper place? They didn't say it did. So, they start designing and planning. They soon learn that most everything has to be imported from elsewhere. Melinda flies home to Vermont to pack everything and put the house on the market and then to Florida to buy EVERYTHING they'll need to build and furnish the restaurant. Bob is back in Anguilla supervising the construction. This is all Very Expensive. Just the customs duty on everything was staggering. Luckily, they had sold their former business which provided them with the dollars they needed--although, they came perilously close to running out of money.
The Blanchards respect and care for the people of Anguilla is obvious. The people of Anguilla seem to have accepted the Blanchards as citizens and friends. In fact, they still have most of the staff they originally hired when they started the restaurant.
I especially enjoyed the sailboat race story. Bob was asked to help build and crew a boat for some locals. He was thrilled to be asked. When he asked about how they were going to get a sail the group told him they hoped he would pay for it. "How much"? he asks. They tell him $2,400 and he says, "OK"!
The Blanchards worry about their son in college in Washington state, but there are no long winded boring phone conversations with him as someone else reported.
This book is not at all a "cure for insomnia" in fact, I found the opposite to be true. I stayed up too late reading it.
While I'm not sure I would like the Blanchards if I knew them and I'm a little disappointed that their newest venture means they can't spend much time on the island they wanted to spend the rest of their lives on--I still loved the book.
a thoroughly heartfelt account of a brave couple July 16, 2008
The Blanchards have done what a lot of us dream of doing: a fun job without bosses in a fun country with fantastic weather--at least in season! Aside from providing a thoroughly enjoyable account of their move to Anguilla, the book is also a passionate description of how one can make a dream come true, and with not that much money at all. Having said that, their repeated references to the Anguillan "paradise" maybe a bit excessive when one considers the horrible red-tape, vicious hurricanes and logistic nightmares they had to deal with. But perhaps that is what makes this book really excellent: it is a realistic view of the pros and cons of the Blanchards' choice, devoid of sticky romanticism and with no trace whatsoever of the smugness and superiority complexes one often finds in writers who move to a foreign country and tell their story.
VERY GOOD READING.....AND TRUE January 5, 2008
This book is very well written, and even better it is true about the island life. My husband and I moved to Anguilla (not because of the book but for a job offer) and when I read the book, I was amazed at how well the Blanchards made it a reality. The book is wonderful and the island is even better, if you get a chance to travel to Anguilla, you should.
 Dreamy October 25, 2007
This book made me want to quit my job and move to the islands. I love the first-hand view of how difficult that really is when there's no major shopping options or supplies for miles. I can't wait to buy the Blanchard cookbook -- they are true pros!
Loved this peaceful interlude!!! September 28, 2007
This was a great book to escape to. If you love cooking and the beach, then this book is for you. Mel shares recipes, tells the tales of changing lifestyles, and paints an incredible picture of the island. I am ready to go pack and have dinner at Blanchards!
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