Critical Commentary
Referring to Voice of a Voyage:
“A rich, entertaining, narrative of an emotionally affecting late-life voyage. Houghton is a hardy sailor and, more important, a heart-felt traveling companion.”—Carl Safina, host of the PBS series “Saving the Ocean and author of, for example, Song for the Blue Ocean and The View From Lazy Point, whose writingabout the living world has won him a MacArthur “genius” prize, Pew, and Guggenheim Fellowships; and the John Burroughs, James Beard, and George Rabb medals.”
“In this 10-year memoir, Doann Houghton-Alico has given us a guided tour around the world, complete with historical, cultural, and personal commentaries….I found this book to be emotionally engaging, as well as educational, and I’m personally grateful for the wealth of knowledge and experience I gained from vicariously making this journey with the author.”—
Anita Jepson-Gilbert, President, Columbine Poets of Colorado and author of Maria and the Stars of Nazca / Maria y las Estrellas de Nazca, a bilingual illustrated book about the mysterious Lines of Nazca and the woman who discovered them for the world.
“I am a wanderer at heart and know the joys of a journey in which every day holds new experiences, new people and eagerness tinged with anxiousness about the unknown path ahead. So it was with anticipation that I dived into Houghton-Alico's travel/memoir. Not a page disappointed.…This is a book for all who question life, all who want to know more about the world we live in, and all who enjoy traveling the world—even if it's a voyage made in a favorite recliner. It both delights the soul with beauty and disturbs the mind with unpleasant realities. Best of all, it makes one think.”—Pat Bean, Story Circle Book Reviews.
“This book is certainly a great read for any traveler, and for many others, too. The writing, for one thing, is a joy. There’s not a clunky phrase in the whole book—but then the author is a poet. There’s also a sprinkling of her poems in the book, and although I usually find the inclusion of poems counterproductive, these are clear and sharp and relate not only to the narrative, but act as riffs on the thorny problems of life in general….Throughout the book there are short and succinct passages explaining the history and political background, and in these I thought the author did a pretty good job in putting her finger on the pulse of wherever they were. Then that’s what a travel writer is supposed to do—to get under the skin of wherever they happen to be. Some of the best parts of the book are when she shares her thoughts about the big issues of life—love, fear, bravery, family, how we should live our lives and death. But although this might sound a real turn-off, she has woven them into the story with such a lightness of touch and with such insouciance, that they never fail to strike a chord.”—Amazon Reader, Verified Purchase (no name attached)
