Independence Day: A Broken Heart's Voyage Around the USA [Paperback]

Jim Keeble is a Brit with his heart in North America. At least, he was, until his Italian-Canadian fiancée Angie-"beautiful, funny, caring, bubbly, outgoing, vivacious Angie"--decided to chuck him. In, of all places, the world's number one honeymoon destination, Niagara Falls. Given the circumstances, surrounded as he was by thousands of euphoric newly-weds humping away in motel-rooms expressly designed for the pleasures of nuptial love, Jim Keeble did the only right and honourable thing: he ran away.

This, then, is an account of Keeble's ensuing emotional Odyssey, his epic schlep around the highways and byways of America, from the frigid Minnesotan heartlands to the frazzled Mexican borderlands to the fantastical Las Vegas NeverNeverlands, in search of serenity, dignity, tranquillity, and a possible bunk-up. It's a quixotic, rambling, dishevelled, mostly endearing tale, at once a light-heartedly laddish travel diary and also a heartfelt, funny-sad, very contemporary male confessional.

Of course, Keeble doesn't get the girl. Any girl. Though he tries the crab-fed Cornishwomen of Carolina and the long legged Croatian horsewomen of Virginia, though he tries "Yummy Mummies" in Brooklyn and silicon-breasted sophomores doing Spring Break in Daytona Beach, he gets totally nowhere, fast. But what he does get is a lot of first-rate material for this rather likeable, rather readable travelogue. Only question: whatever happened to Angie? She sounded wicked. --Sean Thomas

'INDEPENDENCE DAY is a funny and informative little book that manages to scrape the veneer off many of America's more ludicrous sacred cows ... he's written a damn funny travel book. You get the impression that he reports what the average American is really thinking. Scary' TIME OUT 'Keeble provides a light and breezy mish-mash of tour guide statistics, solid observations and chuckle-worthy one-liners. His simple scene-setting is effective and the characters he meets on the road are rendered with similar earnestness' THE TIMES 'A laugh out loud delight' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY 'Jim Keeble is a Brit with his heart in North America. At least, he was, until his Italian-Canadian fiancee Angie-"beautiful, funny, caring, bubbly, outgoing, vivacious Angie"--decided to chuck him. In, of all places, the world's number one honeymoon destination, Niagara Falls. Given the circumstances, surrounded as he was by thousands of euphoric newly-weds humping away in motel-rooms expressly designed for the pleasures of nuptial love, Jim Keeble did the only right and honourable thing: he ran away. This, then, is an account of Keeble's ensuing emotional Odyssey, his epic schlep around the highways and byways of America, from the frigid Minnesotan heartlands to the frazzled Mexican borderlands to the fantastical Las Vegas NeverNeverlands, in search of serenity, dignity, tranquillity, and a possible bunk-up. It's a quixotic, rambling, dishevelled, mostly endearing tale, at once a light-heartedly laddish travel diary and also a heartfelt, funny-sad, very contemporary male confessional. Of course, Keeble doesn't get the girl. Any girl. Though he tries the crab-fed Cornishwomen of Carolina and the long legged Croatian horsewomen of Virginia, though he tries "Yummy Mummies" in Brooklyn and silicon-breasted sophomores doing Spring Break in Daytona Beach, he gets totally nowhere, fast. But what he does get is a lot of first-rate material for this rather likeable, rather readable travelogue. Only question: whatever happened to Angie? She sounded wicked.' - Sean Thomas, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'A laugh out loud delight' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Imagine you've just been dumped. Not just dumped but pushed out of Concorde at 60,000 feet with a grand piano tied to your testicles. You've asked the woman of your dreams to marry you after a seven-year passionate, transatlantic relationship and she's said "No". What? "No. I never want to see you again". Following his true love's rejection by the frozen waters of Niagara Falls, the honeymoon capital of the world, Jim Keeble follows his self-esteem south to America, the Land of the Free. From the fast flash of Las Vegas to the wolf-woods of Minnesota, he attempts to get his life back together on the road. From Aki, a Vegas showgirl for the 21st century, and the lap dancers of Glitter Gulch, to the Los Angeles surfers and starlets, from the attendees of the "Washington Post Personals Singles Party" to the crab-catchers' daughters of Virginia, "Independence Day" is a quest to find a girl that looks like Sunday but treats you like Saturday night.

Jim Keeble writes regularly for the travel pages of the DAILY TELEGRAPH, THE TIMES and the EVENING STANDARD.