This was a nice read just for learning about new places and their restaurant culture. However, it’s not especially helpful unless you are actively planning a trip to one of the cities he covers. That said, it was a nice little escape in a COVID world where traveling internationally isn’t really a good option for most. Gave me lots of inspo for the future!

This was not what I was expecting, but it was overall pretty enjoyable to read. The book has some great stories and recommendations that I hope to visit one day! For fans of Anthony Bourdain, this book is written as a "travel guide" with a few pages per country/city with an overview of the city, Bourdain's favorite hotel, a few restaurants and possibly some stories. I enjoyed the short stories and the dive into most popular foods in each city.


Thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

Not quite what I was expecting but still lovely for the publisher to have moved forward with the project. I'm not sure how long the recommendations will hold relevant but I still take them with huge respect for Bourdain. If nothing else, I will definitely order on pub date to have in the house as a reminder of his memory.

It was a good escape from the world right now. I liked reading through different places in the world. But the content wasn't very well organized. Furthermore, the book I downloaded was very badly formatted and no amount of changes in the settings fixed it. But, I am sure the print will be better reading experience. I wish the content has more Anthony Bourdain in it

Not what I was expecting, but good in its own way.
Clips/lines from Bourdain explained in the context of a travel book. Transportation from airports, expected costs, etc.

Read if you: Are a Bourdain fan and enjoy armchair travel books.

Honestly, this book is...a bit of a mess. An entertaining mess to read, and an excellent diversion from the real world. It's tempting to think about what this book could have been if Bourdain had had time to fully envision it and shape it. Each country (and cities in US) includes lenghty quotes from Bourdain about the country/city and his favorites places (from his various shows), practical info about airports/transportation, and occasionally an essay from coworkers/brother/friends. Telephone numbers/websites/addresses are included (if available), along with sample prices. Not a practical guidebook, especially in the uncertain era of COVID-19, but certainly a fun read.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase if amrchair travel books are popular.

Many thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of Bourdain and travel literature fans will enjoy this guidebook of essays that gives just a small taste of the places Bourdain traveled to when he was alive. You could think of it as small bites of the world since it hovers somewhere between guidebook and travelogue. Good reading during these pandemic times!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I am a big fan of Anthony Bourdain. I’ve seen every episode of No Reservations and Top Chef and have recently reread Kitchen Confidential. I was heartbroken when he passed, so when I saw the ARC for a new Bourdain book, I was very excited to read it. Unfortunately, it didn’t surpass my expectations. The main author/editor (Laurie Woolever) says in the beginning of the book that Bourdain and her only met one time to talk about this book before he passed. That’s kind of how the book reads - like it is trying to stretch one conversation into an entire book. All (or so it seems) of Bourdain’s quotes in the book are taken from episodes of his shows (No Reservations, The Layover, Parts Unknown), so it’s like a highlight reel of his TV career. Except I would rather just watch the shows than read the dialogue in a book.

I didn’t completely dislike this book though. Bourdain’s signature irreverence is definitely present and the tone is reminiscent of his other books. There were some interesting glimpses behind the scenes of his shows which I found fascinating. Friends, colleagues, and family members wrote essays about Bourdain and/or food that were placed throughout the book. I liked that part a lot, especially the one written by his brother, Christopher Bourdain. Each chapter of the book was about a country that Bourdain visited in his travels; there was a bit of Bourdain quotes about the country at the beginning (it read like a narration), then there were transportation directions, and finally a couple restaurants and/or pubs were described with contact info. I especially liked the France and Canada chapters.

Laurie Woolever did a thorough job of compiling information, quotes, and essays for this book. I can appreciate the sheer amount of time, energy, and love put into this tribute to Bourdain by his friends and family. This book wasn’t what I was expecting, though, and I was disappointed to see that Buourdain himself had had such a little part in the writing of the book. In the end, I would have loved to read this book as it would have been had Bourdain not passed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Ecco) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was eager to get one more glimpse of Hours in and his wit and wisdom. While there are moments, overall it feels flat.

This book was wonderful—irreverant, yes, but a fun trip. Made me miss Anthony Bourdain and his work.

World Travel is a fun and sweet tribute to Anthony Bourdain, but no more than a very heavily curated guidebook. Each section feels very brief and while informative, it can often feel like watching a Bourdain program in quick sound bites. However, it was a pleasant read as I have missed traveling and trying new foods. Would for sure recommend it to anyone fascinated by the global food scene or just a fan of Bourdain in general.

Not sure what I expected, but thought it would echo a bit more the interest of the tv show. More of a snapshot of different countries, but didn’t really hear his voice. Still though, would recommend as it covers a lot of different countries for food traveling.

First, I wish I liked this book more. I would have given it 3-1/2 stars if I could have. World Travel is what it says on the cover: a guidebook to the world through the eyes of the late Anthony Bourdain. I have always like Bourdain's writing--his ability to capture the details--even if I have not always liked him as a person. This book, however, is not by Bourdain. It is partially his idea and it contains extensive quotes from his writings and television shows, but it is not *by* him. Rather, his former assistant, Laurie Woolever, had created a encyclopedic guidebook to the places he visited, including quotes by him and information about his favorite restaurants (often the sort of places for the smugly daring, not for the normal traveler). Occasionally, there are short essays by friends and family that touch on specific places--these are the best parts of the guide. That said, this book is really only for the Bourdain superfan. It's not a travel book (it's useless for that); it's not a posthumous work; it's not any one thing exactly and that is the fundamental problem with it. Honestly, it feels distastefully like capitalizing on Bourdain's memory; it should have been branded as an edited edition of his travel works.

This book is tailored specifically for Anthony Bourdain fans or those who base their vacations on food spots. Either way, you can’t go wrong! But if food isn’t your jam, this book wouldn’t be for you.

My fiancé opened up the food loving side of me so since we started dating so we are constantly exploring new restaurants in Atlanta. Or, when we travel, we look for the best hidden gems. This book has exactly that! It features most of the places Bourdain traveled to during his shows. When he traveled to Portugal in 2019, we watched Bourdain’s Lisbon episodes highlighting places he visited to hit all his recommended spots.

There is a disclaimer at the beginning that this story that the writing process started with Bourdain, but due to his untimely passing, he didn’t see the book through.

As much as I enjoyed the insider scoop of cities, restaurants, travel in general (I mean this book is complete with airport information, taxi fares, etc.), it felt a tad incomplete knowing quotes for specific locations were pulled from other sources. Now, don’t get me wrong, this book is awesome having everything compiled in one, but something about it felt a tad out of place.

This guide includes essays from chefs and close friends from across the globe that added nice sentimental touches.

To reiterate, I really enjoyed this because traveling and visiting food spots like Bourdain did is a hobby of mine. I will absolutely buy a copy to reference once we are able travel! But if food and travel doesn’t interest you, I think you could pass on this.

Think of this as an ode to Bourdain mixed with travel recommendations along with a behind the scenes feel of his shows.

Big thank you to Net Galley and Ecco for this ARC!

Charming vignettes add some personality, and the travel tips seem solid. But for a posthumous book, it left me wanting a lot more unfortunately. It is a straightforward travel guide, not much more.

It's hard not to hear him. I still want hear his snarky remarks, his reverence for ingredients, his passion for reaching out beyond borders. This book is the closest we will get to doing that again. It was to be a project completed with the Laurie Woolever, but became hers to carry alone. While it can be jarring to juxtapose the lyrical words or Bourdain with the utilitarian voice Woolever, the book does convey a sense of place with the information required.
This is a book I would have loved to have seen in full blossom, but that was not mean to be. I commend Ms. Woolever for a fine job in presenting the love of travel, people and food that was the core of Anthony Bordain.
My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of "world Travel" in exchange for my honest review.

Any lover of the fine work by Anthony Bourdain will enjoy the small snippets of his words at the beginning of the chapters. The only thing that is missing is the fact that the rest of the book was not written by him, but a competent associate. It will entertain, but not quite satisfy the true Bourdain fan.

A quick and easy read about Bourdain’s culinary travels. While the collection is extensive, the depth of each place is very limited, judging from several places that I am personally familiar with. I really enjoyed the introductions about each place in which we can hear Bourdain's voice and storytelling.

I did enjoy this book, but wondered often just how much Bourdain had to do with it. It did not sound like his voice at all. I have read his books and watched his shows and this did not ring Bourdain

A very fun book combining Bourdain’s insights (far more than just about food) with practical information for a multitude of cities and countries around the globe. Anyone who loves to travel will love this book!