Rushing across eight countries on a bicycle sounded like a good idea prior to flying solo to Paris to begin the journey. The author knew how to mend a puncture and change a tyre, but did not reckon with how she might fill in the never-ending hours as the kilometres hummed by under her wheels. Humour and courage are brought to the test. Worries are juxtaposed against the backdrop of European life and the lives of her fellow riders as they pedal from Paris to Istanbul, following the route of the Orient Express. Her adoption and the subsequent rather strange relationship with her adoptive parents; her early marriage and violent divorce; the troubles of being a single parent; going in and out of relationships in an attempt to heal psychic loss - universal themes in the lives of many women and mothers. The story weaves between the present and the past, Europe and Australia, and the author’s life as daughter, mother and wife. Wry wit is always close to the surface in this emotionally engaging and wholly entertaining book.