Franz Wisner had the world by the tail. He was engaged to the beautiful Annie, with whom he shared a passion for conservative politics and a command of quotes from the movie This Is Spinal Tap. He worked as a government-relations official for a California real-estate giant, rubbing elbows with bigwig politicians. But then his fiancée dumped him days before their wedding, and his boss demoted him. So he dragged his younger brother, Kurt, a Seattle realtor and divorcé, to Costa Rica for his already-scheduled honeymoon, where Wisner spilled his guts to a prostitute in the hotel bar. ("Not once did it occur to me that I was having a heart-to-heart with a woman who faked orgasms for a living.")

Both inspired and desperate, the two quit their jobs, sold their houses, gave away their belongings, and traveled the world for two years, romping through Europe in a newly purchased Saab, then hitting the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. Along the way, Wisner got to know his brother in a way he never had ("Kurt had become ... my new best friend") and fought to move past his failed relationship.

Fine entertainment! Add this to your summer reading list!

While Wisner's writing skills do not come any where near the depth, scope and complexity of a Bill Bryson he does manage, with this entertaining debut, to capture and communicate a personal travelouge/memoir that vibrates with equal parts sadness, humour,history and a healthy (and suprising!) bit of eroticism.

In an attempt to convalesce a broken heart after being literally stood up at the alter, Wisner invites his recently divorced brother to join him in a world hopping tour of off-the-beaten track exotic locations. Along the way he learns volumes about himself, his brother and the world in the process.

Granted, on many levels Wisner treads little new ground here. And admittedly too his style and technical skill is a work very much in progress (hence the relatively low rating).

But that quibble aside, HONEYMOON WITH MY BROTHER contains many fine vinettes (love the portrait of his adopted grandmother-LaRue!)and misadventures (a particularly colorful bus ride in Africa). Wisner is always sincere and forthcoming in his revelations and discoveries.

All in all a fine light hearted addition to any summer reading list.

A wonderfully enjoyable book

What a great book. Even better that it is a true story!

A fun trip, a sad love story.

"Honeymoon with My Brother" by Franz Wisner has three basic themes: His lady love dumps him right before the wedding (unrequited romance), he decides to go on his honeymoon anyway (adventure), and he takes his brother along (sibling relationship). To get over his heartache, he quits his job, uses his last paycheck (which includes a $77,000 bonus) as "a backstage pass to the planet" and sets off to see the world. He ends up spending two years traveling with his brother through Latin America, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa.

Wisner is really good at writing about his adventures, and the brothers' relationship is heartwarming, but his almost-constant whining about "the girl who got away" really annoyed me. If you are looking for the story of a sad love affair, you'll like it, although I thought several of the more weepy chapters could easily have been edited out.

But don't get me wrong - the travel part is fun. His letters back home paint marvelous pictures in words: "Vietnam today is ... the women in their pencil tip bamboo hats, crouched on the sidewalks, hawking delicious noodle soups piled high with bean sprouts and fresh basil. It's the Flying Nun schoolgirls on bikes with their billowy white au dai uniforms and long gloves to keep their skin pale."

The brothers meet fascinating people on their "honeymoon," including my favorites: a "prophet" in Ecuador whose final words to the brothers are "Do what's right" and a World War II veteran revisiting the small South Pacific island that was the site of the battle in which he lost his friend.

I enjoyed the book overall and will be happy to read his next adventures, for I'm sure there will be more. But I have to tell you, the shabby way he treats women really bothers me. I think this would be a good book club book, because the reviews have been very mixed, so people obviously have different reactions to it.

By the way, another personal memoir I really enjoyed about two guys traveling together (this time in Australia) was "Sean and David's Long Drive" by Sean Condon, one of the wonderful Lonely Planet books.