Reviews

I enjoyed reading about this journey around Eastern Europe during the pandemic, with all the challenges and disasters that brings. I learnt a lot about the various countries. https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2DLQNAFOVFXUS

When lockdown restrictions are eased Jacqueline and Mark are delighted to escape their confinement and get back on the road again. Reading about their travels is an absolute delight. I have laughed and gasped at some of their exploits but I'm full of admiration for their sense of adventure and the pleasure they take from simply being together. Oh, and did I mention the fabulous four? Travelling in a caravan with four dogs adds an extra dimension. From Italy, through France, Germany and on into the Czech Republic ( I'm still giggling at their stay in a campsite near Prague) eventually that drove them to escape to Hel. I love the author's wonderfully descriptive writing, so engaging I didn't want to stop reading. I particularly enjoy all the historical detail whch sends me off to read more of the places she has visited. Best of all I love her irrepressible sense of fun and witty asides which are often side splittingly funny. Not a book to read in company for fear of getting odd looks! Highly recommended. I was privileged to Beta read this for the author. This review is my honest opinion. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5084540217 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RZV5MMJW26ROR

I endured lockdown in Italy - one of the worst covid hotspots - with Jackie and Mark, along with the Fab Four cavapoos, in her previous book It Never Rains But It Paws. So I was longing to find out what happened next. This book doesn’t disappoint. Learning to go back into society after months of solitude wasn't easy. I'd forgotten how restricting it was just two years ago. As usual, life is never straightforward for Jackie et al. From Italy to France, Germany and Poland, the spectre of Covid is always around, and changes their planned itinerary. Written in Jackie's usual easy to read style, it's an eclectic mix of everyday life with a touring caravan and four dogs, travel tips, history, and excruciating puns and bad jokes. I loved the chapter about their visit to the Pont du Gard in South West France. One of my favorite places in the world, Jackie's words painted such an incredible picture of it, and brought back many happy memories. What a talented author she is. I'm looking forward already to the promised new adventures in their new and upgraded mode of travel - The Beast. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1B03DHHVI57AU

I really enjoy Jackie Lambert’s doggy memoirs. They are informative, fun, and filled with the fab four; what more can anyone ask of a book? In this, the sixth in her Adventure Caravanning with Dogs series, Jackie, Mark, their four Cavapoos, the pawsome foursome, plus Big Blue and Kismet, their van and caravan, head to the centre of Europe… during a pandemic. This book is fast paced. There’s a nice amount of political commentary without being preachy, some fascinating facts and lots of doggy stories. Another great read! I was given an Advance Review Copy of this book, but am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased review https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1C2528K7ZIZXI

I have ‘just’ the one dog. Jackie has four. Pile them all into a seven metre caravan, add a husband in to the equation, then tow all around Europe - oh, and then throw in a pandemic (COVID-19) for good measure and you have all the elements of a disastrous long term road trip. On a budget, too! But it works. This book has just the right balance of historical facts, geography, mishaps and humour (plus a smattering of politics). All washed down with copious cups of coffee and slices of cheesecake. Tag along for the ride and you’ll be informed, entertained and amused in equal measure. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R1C2528K7ZIZXI

This latest book in the travel adventures of Jackie, Mark and the Fab Four does not disappoint. Jackie’s optimism and enthusiasm for life shine through on every page, even when events take a turn for the worst. Sharing their adventures travelling through the centre of Europe, this author writes fabulous, evocative descriptions of people and places, adding a smattering of historical facts in a down-to-earth manner. Highly entertaining, often laugh-out-loud funny, Jackie shows us the positive and negative sides of their lifestyle. It isn’t easy to be constantly moving around, with the stresses of navigating from place to place. Covid travel restrictions only add to the uncertainties. I am already looking forward to the next instalment. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book, and I am leaving my honest and unbiased review. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book, and I am leaving my honest and unbiased review. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/R15DTME701WPOW

Once again Jackie delivers a delightfully entertaining digest of her travels from Italy to Poland and home again. Living the dream, although a few nightmarish moments creep in. Jackie doesn’t shy away from telling the warts and all story, but on the whole it is a cheerful recap of her and her husband’s adventures with the pawsome foursome. Also, some interesting insights into a couple’s interactions while driving and navigating! This book isn’t just a journal of travel adventures, Jackie also takes the time to thoroughly research the areas she visits which makes this book a great read for those also keen to tour through those areas. It has certainly got me planning some adventures for next year. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RZT70FN61O3KK

Jackie’s adventures in caravanning with dogs are a perfect read for many of us who have dreamt of leaving it all behind and exploring the world in a caravan. No day is the same. It really is armchair travel at its best. In this instalment, Jackie, Mark and the Fab Four travel from Italy, across France and Germany, to Central Europe. I particularly enjoyed her descriptions of small towns and villages that they explore en route. Jackie’s narrative is both a personal memoir, with the good, the bad, and the ugly of caravanning and an excellent travel guide to France, Germany and Czech Republic and Poland. https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3EMP8U8QOCKWX

In Jacqueline Lambert’s latest travel memoir, To Hel in a Hound Cart her irrepressible sense of irreverent humour and quest for knowledge once more shine through. The comic asides are one of my favourite parts of her writing and this time I found myself laughing out loud as she tells of her husband’s interpretation of the French song “Sur le pont D’Avignon” and again at an imagined conversation about heraldry in Saluzzo. I also love all of her nods to popular culture such as British TV shows Brookside, Blackadder and the lyrics to popular songs. Jacqueline has a talent for painting pictures with words when describing scenery. Her descriptions are evocative and easy to imagine, to the extent that I found myself cringing during parts of the journey on mountain roads such as the Crest of Gorges route, which sounded horrific if beautiful. I would have loved to see the griffon vultures her and her husband encountered, but I have trouble with such roads and admire people who are able to endure them without ending up cowering in the back seat (which happened to me when we took a trip up Mount Washington in New Hampshire). I enjoyed the many wonderful and unusual little historical details included in the book. The composer, Chopin travelling with a jar of Polish earth so that he was never too far from his home was one which piqued my interest and I think the amount of historical and political detail in general throughout the novel is just enough to be educational without getting boring. Some difficult subjects such as the Jewish prisoner of war camp Auschwitz are handed over to Jacqueline’s husband to discuss as he is a history buff and his take was very interesting. These difficult subjects are handled with care. I also found it interesting hearing how mundane tasks such as the laundry get done while living in a van. As usual the four pups are adorable and draw a crowd of fans wherever they go. A couple of them suffer hardships during this book, but nothing too serious thankfully! Humorous, educational and entertaining - I highly recommend this book! https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2YVQIK0RD1TXI

It’s always a joy reading one of Jackie’s books, but in To Hel In A Hound Cart she’s surpassed even her own high levels. Exuberant, sparkling with wit, insights and well researched historical facts, generally if the weird and wonderful, I couldn’t put it down. It’s laugh out loud, poignant and superbly written. Don’t read it with anyone else in the room tho as you won’t be able to stop yourself sharing excerpts https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5057075924

This is a sparkling romp across Europe, full of fascinating facts, hair-raising adventures, and sharp witty stories. And four adorable pups! For lovers of adventure and travels off the beaten track, this is a book full of real-life stories, a smattering of history and a smorgasbord of European towns and villages to add to your travel wish list. The perfect book to curl up with and escape the humdrum of life – and a book to make you think ‘I wonder if I could do that too?’ Jackie is a great author and the book follows on nicely from her other travel adventure memoirs, but this one can also be read as a standalone. It’s a lovely easy read and highly recommended! https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RO9W5K7MFKXYZ