Like an episode of Sex and the City, Wright's memoir of her solo East Coast trek from Maine to Key West begins with—and often revisits—her personal romantic history, which includes flings with a wealthy Greenwich banker, a Nantucket waiter, a ski bum, a responsible veterinarian and a "dreamy writer." After ignoring a marriage proposal from a man who moved from Utah to New York City just to be with her, Wright decides that at the age of 33, she needs to "settle down" and make a decision about her future. By the time she reaches the New Jersey shore, she's sent home her marriage-minded man's dog and given up understanding her past relationships. Determined to live in the present and take whatever comes lightly, she drifts southward from town to town, encountering several men who offer her drinks, boat rides, fishing lessons, astrological readings, places to sleep, homespun wisdom and no trouble whatsoever. In Key West, a final epiphany arrives right on cue, revealing that Wright needs to let love happen, to stick with it through the wild waves just offshore to the calm, supportive deep beyond. However, this revelation comes off as a hollow device, as if Wright actually took the road trip only to write about it in her first book after 10 years as a newspaper reporter. While Wright is a deft wordsmith, she fails to deliver the satisfaction of any unusual or penetrating insight into love, relationships or life. (On sale June 11)
