Mitchell Phillips McCrady- Pittsburgh To Cadiz

5/5

The first book of a series, the adventure begins near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While painting for the summer, Mitch Phillips and his coworker Kevin make plans for Europe. Long days mean nothing when there’s a reason. Fall comes and they catch a ride to NYC. Buying one-way tickets from a cheap airfare voucher company, they wait a couple days for an available flight at Kevin’s buddy’s flat. After landing in Luxembourg, they get lost in Amsterdam and then wait for the final leg in Manchester, England.

A hard, cold place. A dark humor, with stark personalities, they are greeted with mumbling accents, black hash, and wild mushrooms. Drugs and searching minds. Losing time. Anything is better than there or here or wait …

Up the road a bit, after a brief yet dramatic stop in Bolton, on Mitch's twenty-seventh birthday they are finally driven to the Highlands of Scotland for real purpose. Contracted to harvest Christmas trees, of all things, Mitch battles with his traveling partner, the weather, and his penchant for drugs and alcohol. He’s searching for the difference in life and the real meaning of art. He has a guitar, a camera, and a snowboard—nothing out of the ordinary. Everyone does this, right?

“Intelligently riveting”

McCrady brings adventure and destiny along the journey of a lifetime. A one way ticket can change everyday opportunities but also break one's mentality and trust along the way.

The journey into Mitchell Phillips McCrady world really gives the reader the true sense of getting to know him within this coming of age story. I found myself smiling while enjoying this novel as this travel log type of story really ties down to life's biggest challenges and facing them straight on rather than turning a blind eye.

I felt as if I was travelling alongside McCrady as his perspective targeted every sense in which the reader can vividly imagine the surroundings and characters expressions. I loved the humor and realness behind this novel as I felt McCrady left no stone unturned and really made this book his own.

McCrady gives a blunt side to his writing style as he swears persuasively to draw attention to an important moment within the book or to break tension which really gave me a good laugh during some of the bickering between characters in the book, especially Rob, Paul and Jed.

Through the book, I loved how every place was described to really give the reader the look into where life took him and how he became who he is today.