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  • Nowhere for Very Long

  • The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life
  • By: Brianna Madia
  • Narrated by: Brianna Madia
  • Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (117 ratings)

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Nowhere for Very Long cover art

Nowhere for Very Long

By: Brianna Madia
Narrated by: Brianna Madia
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Publisher's Summary

Narrated by Brianna Madia

In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named Bertha and reflects on an unconventional approach to life

A woman defined by motion, Brianna Madia bought a beat-up bright orange van, filled it with her two dogs Bucket and Dagwood, and headed into the canyons of Utah with her husband. Nowhere for Very Long is her deeply felt, immaculately told story of exploration—of the world outside and the spirit within.

However, pursuing a life of intention isn’t always what it seems. In fact, at times it was downright boring, exhausting, and even desperate—when Bertha overheated and she was forced to pull over on a lonely stretch of South Dakota highway; when the weather was bitterly cold and her water jugs froze beneath her as she slept in the parking lot of her office; when she worried about money, her marriage, and the looming question mark of her future. But Brianna was committed to living a life true to herself, come what may, and that made all the difference.

Nowhere for Very Long is the true story of a woman learning and unlearning, from backroads to breakdowns, from married to solo, and finally, from lost to found to lost again . . . this time, on purpose.

©2022 Brianna Madia (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

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What listeners say about Nowhere for Very Long

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A strikingly raw, honest memoir

I devoured this book. A raw and honest memoir about carving your own path, finding yourself in remote, wild places and coming face to face with your shortcomings and failures, and all the different, excruciating kinds of grief in life. It’s about the love and kinship one has with ones dogs (which are NEVER ‘just’ a dog), and the lengths you will go for them.

I would have loved even more about her beloved dogs, and the breadth of their connection. I feel there is space for this in earlier parts of the book. But then again, maybe this memoir is more about the author herself, her and her husband’s love and about reckoning the pieces of ourselves and the consequences of our actions.

I do acknowledge the very privilege it is to be able to CHOOSE to live the way she has. But to the authors credit, she acknowledges this as well. I don’t believe this means it isn’t a story worth telling because there are universal truths to be found here.

We are not the sum of a single action - this is what I wholeheartedly believe and what I take from this book.

The writing is at times lyrical and at others stripped back - my favourite kind of writing which can conjure an image or moment or feeling with distinct clarity.

The reading is beautiful and made more heartfelt being read by the author herself. You can hear her voice break at times, heavy with real emotion.

Be prepared for tears. Ugly, eyes screwed up, pressing a tissue into your face, snot running out your nose tears. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Life changing.

I’ve followed Brianna’s life on Instagram since 2018. Since then, I’ve looked forward to opening up the app to see my old friends Dags, Bucket, Birb and Banjo on their next adventure. To say “hi” to bright orange Bertha framed against a new vista. And to read Bri’s captions, often so perfectly capturing concepts my own mind hasn’t yet been able to formulate into a sentence. Listening to her first novel I feel immensely proud of this incredible woman, whom I’ve never met, all the way over the other side of the globe. This book is life changing. Bri is a role model for anyone born with a “tits to the wind” attitude. Just by being herself and speaking her truth she gives whoever listens or reads her book the courage to keep moving. To walk down the path where there are no footsteps to follow and to never leave the dogs behind. 10/10. A must read for all the wild kids out there.

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Wow!

I went on a journey with this book, I got hooked, I got sad, I laughed, I cried, I smiled and in the end I was ready for more!
Also the first Audio book that I have started and not stopped, I couldn't!!
Well done Brianna and thank you for taking us on your journey.

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Worth listening to

loved it but occasionally hard to follow, a little monotone to start but found myself connected to the point ill be looking out for other works by the author

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Incredible read

I’ve never pre ordered a book before this, and I do not regret it. Briannas story is beautiful. She’s a woman with a great soul and she leads an incredible pack. This story is sure to inspire you to ditch the mundane and live your wildest life…. Thanks for sharing your story - the good, the bad, the vulnerable and the wonderful.

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Loved this story

Thank you Brianna, for writing your story .
I found it very relatable and inspiring at the same time.

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Great story

I loved the story and didn't want it to finish. Well narrated and easy to listen to.

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loved it.

it's nice to hear stories that I relate to. I enjoyed the journey she took me on

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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting reading, great story teller however…

Wanted to listen to hear the story of a full time van lifer and certainly delivered, just wasn’t sure what the overall message was out of it as she sounds like she’s still working through some tough issues. Nothing wrong with that, if you’re looking for good heart felt stories, great, if you’re looking to see whether van life is for you, may need more research!

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From the other side of the planet.

One of my favourite quotes from the Eat, Pray, Love movie is when Liz tells David, "it's unnerving when a total stranger sees you more clearly than you see yourself". That was my experience of listening to this book. It is perhaps the most comforting experience on earth, learning someone has already walked in your shoes, and have left a trail for you to criss-cross with, walk-alongside, stray ahead of, fall behind, follow, or simply just know is out there and has been blazed. In a world where everyone wants to do it alone and feel they've blazed thier own trail, the ones who happen to find themselves doing it by consequence of not fitting into any form of convential life, find great relief in discovering a fellow outlier.

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