The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise, Profit, and Peril at the Beach
- Downloads：5881
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-31 10:19:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sarah Stodola
- ISBN：B09G6T3PGS
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Cristina
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I received an ARC copy。 Good book about terrible beach culture。 Full of examples of how we have destroyed this planet。
Sherry Brown
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This is about the history of coastal resorts 。 The author Sarah Stodola takes you around the world sharing history and stories that will captivated you through out the book。 Very interesting and good！
Darius Ostrowski
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While preparing to enjoy spring break at a Caribbean resort， it was timely reading “The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise， Profit， and Peril at the Beach” by Sarah Stodola， an exploration of our （fairly recent） obsession with spending our vacations relaxing at the beach。Ms。 Stodola takes us through a bit of history of mankind’s view of the beach， for most of our existence the shore was a dangerous place， a place to be avoided or at least feared。 As with most cultural phenomenon， the British s While preparing to enjoy spring break at a Caribbean resort， it was timely reading “The Last Resort: A Chronicle of Paradise， Profit， and Peril at the Beach” by Sarah Stodola， an exploration of our （fairly recent） obsession with spending our vacations relaxing at the beach。Ms。 Stodola takes us through a bit of history of mankind’s view of the beach， for most of our existence the shore was a dangerous place， a place to be avoided or at least feared。 As with most cultural phenomenon， the British seemed to have started beach vacations， going to their wet and cold beaches for the health benefits of sea air。 What the wealthy started， the rest soon followed。 Between the American east coast and the French riviera， the idea of beach as a glamorous escape started to take hold。 As the feasibility and cost of air travel became available to the masses， the exotic locales of the Pacific islands pulled people to travel even further to pursue relaxation and the allure of foreign cultures。But at what cost？ The environmental impacts （of both travel and the erosion of the shorelines）， the destruction of native cultures， the concept of “getting away” while isolating from the everyday life （and people） of these islands: all of this must be considered as we look at travel in the future。Ms。 Stodola does a good job of balancing both the good and bad of resort tourism， although one feels that the current models are unsustainable in the long run。 A balanced read at how we got to where we are and what we can do going forward。 But to be honest， it didn’t change my travel plans， but it did make me pause and think。I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Ecco via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Karen Clements
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This is part history of the beach resort and part appeal to stop the creation of "typical" resorts as we've come to know them。 Stodola is a travel writer and writes about her visits to a number of far-flung beaches around the world。 Her writing fleshes out what another writer calls the tourist area cycle evolution and how development first benefits the country where resorts begin but then， without thoughtful oversight， can damage the environment and wear out the local population and even the ver This is part history of the beach resort and part appeal to stop the creation of "typical" resorts as we've come to know them。 Stodola is a travel writer and writes about her visits to a number of far-flung beaches around the world。 Her writing fleshes out what another writer calls the tourist area cycle evolution and how development first benefits the country where resorts begin but then， without thoughtful oversight， can damage the environment and wear out the local population and even the very beaches that first drew travelers。 She concludes with a list of ways to improve both existing and future resorts--it won't be easy， but it may well be necessary。 I learned a great deal here and will definitely consider the author's recommendations when planning my next trip。 Recommended 。。。more
Abigail Allison
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I’m conflicted on how to feel about this book。 On one hand， The Last Resort by Sarah Stodola presents a fascinating exploration of beach resort culture， from its origins to the ongoing issues it faces。 Just like I would soak up the sun on a beach day， I lapped up Stodola’s presentation and analysis of various cultural histories， the long-standing effects of colonialism and capitalism， and her prescient information on climate change。 The book shines when discussing the effects beach resort cultur I’m conflicted on how to feel about this book。 On one hand， The Last Resort by Sarah Stodola presents a fascinating exploration of beach resort culture， from its origins to the ongoing issues it faces。 Just like I would soak up the sun on a beach day， I lapped up Stodola’s presentation and analysis of various cultural histories， the long-standing effects of colonialism and capitalism， and her prescient information on climate change。 The book shines when discussing the effects beach resort culture has on climate change and how climate change will affect the future of the beach vacation。 On the other hand， the author presents her strong research and sharp intellectual insights alongside what reads as a disgruntled Tripadvisor review。 She complains about weak drinks and cranky hotel staff。 She body shames the average beachgoer and criticizes them for eating air-temperature French fries。 All told， the reading experience is rather incongruent as the author presents an incisive examination of the macro problems of beach resort culture， while simultaneously jet-setting to luxury beach resorts and offering up a laundry list of micro personal grievances。 That said， there’s a lot of good here。 The Fiji chapter is especially strong， if not particularly bleak。 Stodola writes about the demise of Fijian culture， and the island’s native flora and fauna， to capitalist resort culture with urgency and compassion。 In later chapters， Stodola offers an excellent analysis of the cycle of tourism development， and an enlightening discussion on the dance between new resort development and raising insurance premiums as climate change presents escalating risk。 Even with my criticism of the travelogue parts of the book， I’d still recommend The Last Resort to anyone interested in micro-histories and nonfiction。 I also think this would be a wonderful intro text to anyone interested in learning about climate change as it’s happening in the real world。 Now， please excuse me as I prepare for my trip to the Florida Keys next week。 The goal is to leave my worries on the mainland， but as I sip on a Rum Runner， I imagine The Last Resort by Sarah Stodola will be on my mind and I’m glad to be leaving for my own beach vacation with this new perspective。 。。。more
Jeremy
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An excellent look at the history of humans and their relationship with the beach as a place of leisure。 The author takes us on a historical worldwide tour of the up and coming and the hot beach spots of the past while weaving in history， ecology， tourism philosophies， and how much she （like all of us） enjoys a cocktail while taking in the sun， the waves， and a gentle sea breeze。 Recommended for all travel readers， all micro-history readers， and heck， why not read a book about the beach when you An excellent look at the history of humans and their relationship with the beach as a place of leisure。 The author takes us on a historical worldwide tour of the up and coming and the hot beach spots of the past while weaving in history， ecology， tourism philosophies， and how much she （like all of us） enjoys a cocktail while taking in the sun， the waves， and a gentle sea breeze。 Recommended for all travel readers， all micro-history readers， and heck， why not read a book about the beach when you head to the beach！ 。。。more
Cat
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