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Passport Diaries
Kia Carson, a Los Angeles district attorney with beauty, brains, taste, and style, is about to turn thirty-five. There's just one problem with her picture-perfect life -- she's not got one eligible man in sight. Well, thank God she has her career . . . at least until she gets suspended from her job. To regain her sense of purpose, she plans a restorative girl's night out -- all the way to Europe.In this fresh and funny Los Angeles Times bestseller, Kia embarks on what becomes a defining journey to London, Paris, and Greece, where she finds a little bit of trouble, a whole lot of laughs, and what she didn't even know she was looking for -- herself.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 6, 2013
Loved! Loved! Loved this book! No other book has made me want to pack my bags and travel as much as this one. There are cute, funny and informative parts as well. I loved that Tamara Gregory added a list at the back of all the places the main characters had visited and their contact info.
November 13, 2018
This was so good!
So rich and fulfilling in multiple ways. And funny :-)
Great narrator (Myra Taylor), as well!
Totally enjoyed.
So rich and fulfilling in multiple ways. And funny :-)
Great narrator (Myra Taylor), as well!
Totally enjoyed.
July 30, 2010
So I gave fiction another shot. And modern chick fiction, at that. $1 book sale drew me in. Single professional woman's solo travels in Europe... I can do that for $1. Finding out on the first couple of pages that she's heading to London, Paris, and Greece by herself on her 35th birthday... heck yeah... sounds familiar. I might just keep on reading (and I did, pretty much non-stop, until I finished). Oh surprise she's black... this I like... bonus for different perspectives. First political rant and I'm totally digging this chick. If not for the fashion sense, the loving family, the persuasive skills, the ability to make an f-buddy situation "work" for 2 years, and the desperately seeking Mr. Right, this could be me (oh yeah and the trendy L.A. nightlife... gag). My European birthday trip was not quite this successful but definitely had hints of Kia in it. Come to think of it, we even went in the same year. So yeah, I totally got sucked into some chick lit. Definitely a few instances when I thought, "What am I reading? A harlequin?" And very predictable, but I still wanted to know how it was going to evolve to eventually turn out the way you just know it's going to turn out. Overall, a very successful random pick with a fun, quick read that makes you think just enough to keep turning pages. This would make a cute movie, too.
June 17, 2010
I have read this book over and over. It is such a great story! Wish Ms, Gregory would come out with another, she is very talented!
July 8, 2008
Kia Carson is an ADA at the LA District Attorney's office. Her passionate zeal to see justice done doesn't quite match up to what her boss during an election year considers appropriately "going for the jugular" during a trial of a pair of juvenile defendants.
What was supposed to be four weeks of over-work required vacation is now a four week suspension. To top it off, her planned European jaunt with her sister is now just a solo holiday. Feeing utterly sorry for herself, Kia sets off on her transatlantic journey all alone. And for the next several weeks, she finds herself embarking on a funny, sexy, romantic journey through London, Paris and Greece.
I LOVED!! this book. It was sharp, witty, sexy, sophisticated and....did I say witty?
First, I could hear the voice of Kia Carson in so many of my girlfriends. Her wry observations, her inner dialogue her love of shoes and clothes....everything about Kia was very accessible and real to me.
Second, the writing is just sparkling. I could sit and read this type of funny, energetic, incisive prose all day! There were so many laugh out loud moments, one example: Early in the book Kia is touring Buckingham palace listening desultorily to the ever so proper Prudence, their tour guide , when they come upon the portrait of Queen Charlotte. To Kia's surprise, Queen Charlotte is rather dark complexioned and she exclaims aloud:
"Look at her coloring. She's damned near a Hershey's kiss compared to her husband. And look at her nose. It's as wide as Asia!"
"It is no secret...." Prudence struggled to find the right words "That due to calculated and frequent interbreeding many European blue bloods can trace their roots back to Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Moorish branch of the Portuguese aristocracy."
Translation: Sistagirl was black!
And there are so many more great moments like this as Kia expands her world and ours. I enjoyed her travels the people she met and how her horizons were expanded. I especially liked the Parisian, Marie, who explains the French woman's logic for keeping both a husband and a lover. The whole interlude with Marie -- the lunch, the cigarettes, the sophisticated conversation--- was just so ... oo La La! I wanted to be on this vacation too.
And since this is also a love story, I got an immense amount of satisfaction when she finds Mr. Right at the end of her journey.
I HIGHLY recommend this book!
What was supposed to be four weeks of over-work required vacation is now a four week suspension. To top it off, her planned European jaunt with her sister is now just a solo holiday. Feeing utterly sorry for herself, Kia sets off on her transatlantic journey all alone. And for the next several weeks, she finds herself embarking on a funny, sexy, romantic journey through London, Paris and Greece.
I LOVED!! this book. It was sharp, witty, sexy, sophisticated and....did I say witty?
First, I could hear the voice of Kia Carson in so many of my girlfriends. Her wry observations, her inner dialogue her love of shoes and clothes....everything about Kia was very accessible and real to me.
Second, the writing is just sparkling. I could sit and read this type of funny, energetic, incisive prose all day! There were so many laugh out loud moments, one example: Early in the book Kia is touring Buckingham palace listening desultorily to the ever so proper Prudence, their tour guide , when they come upon the portrait of Queen Charlotte. To Kia's surprise, Queen Charlotte is rather dark complexioned and she exclaims aloud:
"Look at her coloring. She's damned near a Hershey's kiss compared to her husband. And look at her nose. It's as wide as Asia!"
"It is no secret...." Prudence struggled to find the right words "That due to calculated and frequent interbreeding many European blue bloods can trace their roots back to Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Moorish branch of the Portuguese aristocracy."
Translation: Sistagirl was black!
And there are so many more great moments like this as Kia expands her world and ours. I enjoyed her travels the people she met and how her horizons were expanded. I especially liked the Parisian, Marie, who explains the French woman's logic for keeping both a husband and a lover. The whole interlude with Marie -- the lunch, the cigarettes, the sophisticated conversation--- was just so ... oo La La! I wanted to be on this vacation too.
And since this is also a love story, I got an immense amount of satisfaction when she finds Mr. Right at the end of her journey.
I HIGHLY recommend this book!
December 14, 2014
Loved it. Reread over and over. Bought it after checking out in library. I gave it four stars because I thought the ending was too succint, I would have loved to see more of them as a couple after their journey toward becoming a couple and there was really no hot and heaviness until the last few pages. I guess he's Greek-American. SIll loved it. Would love a sequel.
December 28, 2016
IQ "If you're worried about your street credibility, don't. You're from Ladera. You did Jack & Jill. You went to Harvard Law School. You don't have any street credibility. The only reason you still get to call yourself black is that you're darker than a paper bag and you have a phat ass. Trust me, dating a white boy could only help you at this point." Maya pg. 220
Honestly except for the Ladera (a suburb of California), Harvard Law and ass part that whole quote is me summed up, just replace Ladera for my Chicago suburban hometown and lips with ass. Suffice to say this book was perfection, a rollicking read enhanced by my ability to deeply relate to the main character due to similarities in background, not just values. This book also reminded me why sometimes chick lit can be a welcome respite from the heavy literary fiction (and non fiction) out there while still managing to not put me to sleep. The author weaves in social commentary through Kia's job and travels and it feels particularly striking given that this book was written back in 2005. Kia notes "I used to believe in the law. Not so much in the practice of it, that's all about manipulation-manipulating the judge, the jury, whoever stands in the way of your getting what you want0but in the fundamentals of it. If A, then B. IF you murder someone, you go to jail. If you sell drugs, you go to jail. These are concepts I understand. A funny thing happens, though, when the law meets up with racism and poverty. The absolutes become maybes, sometimes, almost nevers. If you sell crack, you go to jail. If you sell cocaine, you might not. Black men sell crack. White boys sell cocaine. You do the math" (60), I may be completely slow to the "chick lit has its deep moments" party but this little tangent shook me. Especially since I didn't realize our justice system was wack until a few years ago (I know, I know).
It was nice to not read about a woman whose life is completely falling apart, yes Kia is unsatisfied with her life but she uses the trip to clear her head and good things just happen to her. Normally that annoys me but there seems to be so many books focusing on how screwed up adult lives get that this felt refreshing and vibrant. The trip is described in wonderful detail and so perfect it could be gag worthy except for Kia's hilarious reactions to people and incidents. The end romance does bother me because it's a little too predictable and I hate when protagonists are blind to the obvious but I had so much fun traveling vicariously through Kia that I'll let it slide. Kia's family, friends and flames also manage to be extraordinary well rounded for people who make few appearances throughout the book. The author including the addresses and websites of the places Kia visited in London, Paris, and Greece are the pièce de résistance.
I wish I'd read this book when it originally came out because the book offers a free trip to Paris on the back cover. And I wish Tamara Gregory had written another book. Passport Diaries is airy, boisterous and inspiring (I've always wanted to return to Paris but it confirmed my need to get to Greece ASAP) with enough smart tidbits to not make me feel like I read complete fluff.
Honestly except for the Ladera (a suburb of California), Harvard Law and ass part that whole quote is me summed up, just replace Ladera for my Chicago suburban hometown and lips with ass. Suffice to say this book was perfection, a rollicking read enhanced by my ability to deeply relate to the main character due to similarities in background, not just values. This book also reminded me why sometimes chick lit can be a welcome respite from the heavy literary fiction (and non fiction) out there while still managing to not put me to sleep. The author weaves in social commentary through Kia's job and travels and it feels particularly striking given that this book was written back in 2005. Kia notes "I used to believe in the law. Not so much in the practice of it, that's all about manipulation-manipulating the judge, the jury, whoever stands in the way of your getting what you want0but in the fundamentals of it. If A, then B. IF you murder someone, you go to jail. If you sell drugs, you go to jail. These are concepts I understand. A funny thing happens, though, when the law meets up with racism and poverty. The absolutes become maybes, sometimes, almost nevers. If you sell crack, you go to jail. If you sell cocaine, you might not. Black men sell crack. White boys sell cocaine. You do the math" (60), I may be completely slow to the "chick lit has its deep moments" party but this little tangent shook me. Especially since I didn't realize our justice system was wack until a few years ago (I know, I know).
It was nice to not read about a woman whose life is completely falling apart, yes Kia is unsatisfied with her life but she uses the trip to clear her head and good things just happen to her. Normally that annoys me but there seems to be so many books focusing on how screwed up adult lives get that this felt refreshing and vibrant. The trip is described in wonderful detail and so perfect it could be gag worthy except for Kia's hilarious reactions to people and incidents. The end romance does bother me because it's a little too predictable and I hate when protagonists are blind to the obvious but I had so much fun traveling vicariously through Kia that I'll let it slide. Kia's family, friends and flames also manage to be extraordinary well rounded for people who make few appearances throughout the book. The author including the addresses and websites of the places Kia visited in London, Paris, and Greece are the pièce de résistance.
I wish I'd read this book when it originally came out because the book offers a free trip to Paris on the back cover. And I wish Tamara Gregory had written another book. Passport Diaries is airy, boisterous and inspiring (I've always wanted to return to Paris but it confirmed my need to get to Greece ASAP) with enough smart tidbits to not make me feel like I read complete fluff.
July 11, 2012
During the first chapter of this book I almost stopped reading the book entirely. I liked the premise but having read other Chick Lit books I felt like I had read it another time with another character. The book "Eat, Pray, Love" popped into my head at one point and that is what I had wanted to compare this too. But I kept reading and by the first 50 pages or so I grew to like Kia and her travel adventure. I read this in less than a day (one of the best things about a Chick Lit book). I can say that this was my first African American Chick Lit and while I liked Kia I couldn't understand why the author would have this well-educated, 35 year old lawyer speaking in slang. I felt that it took away from the book some. It was somewhat predicable but sometimes that's to be expected In this genre.
October 28, 2011
I loved this book. I really need an epilogue or better yet a sequel. I was rooting for Drew from the beginning, glad she didn't kill the relationship before it got started. Hated the ending because I need to know at least how the first meeting with the parents went. Although the blurb from the book says Drew was white, I didn't think the book was an IR romance because I didn't actually think they were gonna get together in the book.
May 7, 2021
I pretty much love any book encouraging black women to travel, but when I first read the book, I really disliked Kia. She seemed as if she were always focusing on her blackness. I also got the vibe that she was one of those who believed that whites were the enemy. I, on the other hand, rather liked Drew, her coworker. The ending was predictable, but the author certainly can write. The dialogue between Kia and Drew was oftentimes witty and really showed Kia's intelligence.
May 19, 2011
I liked it and after reading it I really want to dust off my passport and book me a trip around the world. However, I felt that the story left me with a lot of unanswered questions. But it was good for a first story.
May 29, 2020
Good read
I like that this book included touristy sights and a reference in the back of the book. I felt like her love with Drew could’ve been highlighted more in the highlights. Still a great book.
I like that this book included touristy sights and a reference in the back of the book. I felt like her love with Drew could’ve been highlighted more in the highlights. Still a great book.
May 16, 2015
Cute storyline, but I could have done without the sex and the focus on race.
December 24, 2020
A fun romp thru Europe just finding yourself no entanglements but love sure does show up
August 5, 2022
Cute story. Took a while to get to the romance and then the book was over. I enjoyed it though.
May 18, 2023
Very informative about different cultures placed neatly in between a cute love story .. it was cute !!
May 29, 2023
Kia discovers what happens when life serves you lemons, options, & a passport; you make lemon chiffon, vacay plans, & domestic love in other regions.
March 4, 2018
This was one of the first books I read that opened up my eyes to traveling abroad (while black).
Although fictional, the prose helped to assuage my early fears of what foreign (to us) cultures believed to be true about foreigners (to them).
Tamara Gregory's writing is insightful, funny and deliberate. Passport Diaries was an enjoyable read.
Although fictional, the prose helped to assuage my early fears of what foreign (to us) cultures believed to be true about foreigners (to them).
Tamara Gregory's writing is insightful, funny and deliberate. Passport Diaries was an enjoyable read.
April 16, 2019
I chose this book for my book club and I’m so glad I did. Very funny, cute story. Great summer read
September 14, 2021
Third time around reading this ( only this time in audiobook format) and it was just as great as the first time over ten years ago :)
February 18, 2024
This one was a slow starter for me, but I loved the ending! A fun read.
July 5, 2024
cute
Cute book about traveling to find a love that is as there the whole time. Not just a lover or a friend but self love and self discovery.
Cute book about traveling to find a love that is as there the whole time. Not just a lover or a friend but self love and self discovery.
April 10, 2013
When Kia Carson loses her job and her traveling partner, she decides to go to Europe anyway. That is a great decision. She learns a lot about herself as she visits London, Paris, and Mykonos, and finds the man of her dreams, who turns out to be not at all what she expected.
June 16, 2016
My favorite book- it stars a young professional black woman who embarks on a tour of Europe only to discover a part of her self she hadn't encountered in a long time...no spoilers but the ending is incredibly sweet :D okay so one spoiler :D:D
January 15, 2008
"This is a great book to take on a trip, easy read. I can't wait for her next book"
April 30, 2008
This book makes me want to take off on an adventure in a new country.
May 26, 2009
rounded from 4.5
LA Attorney with stressful job ventures on a European vacation to London, Paris and Greece. Funny and light.
LA Attorney with stressful job ventures on a European vacation to London, Paris and Greece. Funny and light.
June 3, 2009
The perfect book for the beach.
October 12, 2009
good summer read!
July 15, 2010
Very funny summer read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews