Nowhere for Very Long: The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 2,078 ratings

Price: 17.32

Last update: 01-11-2025


About this item

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.


Top reviews from the United States

Kelly Kissinger
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2024
This was one of the best books I’ve read. Lots of adventure and bravery, I don’t know that I could accomplish what she has. Her love for her dogs is amazing. The lengths she and Neil went to save Dagwood’s life is truly amazing. Great memoir of her life. Can’t wait to read the next one.
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written about amazing adventures.
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2024
Beautifully written about amazing adventures. You are so brave Brianna! I am waiting anxiously for the next book. I throughly enjoyed this one! I could visualize your stories so well. I could totally live a simple life alone with my dogs but I’m not that brave to be in the middle of nowhere. Wishing you happiness. Thank you for letting us take a peak inside your life.
Robert H. Burns
4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read although a bit cliche
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2022
Brianna has a very good way with words and writes in such a way that it is easy to see the world as she saw it. Her experiences are vivid and exciting in many ways. She and ex did a lot of adventuresome travel, and managed to survive some challenging situations. Yet she is still quite young, and perhaps doesn’t realize that most people go thru all sorts of struggles and challenges in life - she writes like she is the first one to live a ‘unconventional’ life, yet there are millions that feel their life was unconventional too. I hope she keeps writing and getting better with her craft as she gains more life experience, and meets others that also live unconventional lives.
Conoal
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2024
I wish I could go on a huge adventure. And, live without restrictions. You are so brave and daring. Bravo
Karin Connolly
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this story
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2024
Beautifully written and such a deeply honest and heartfelt story. She was so raw in how her life unfolded and the different direction she chose. Would love to read whatever she wrote next.
JC
5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautifully Written Page-Turning Memoir
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2022
I didn't know who Brianna Madia was until a couple weeks ago when I heard her speak on a podcast I love to listen to called "Books and Travel" hosted by Jo Francis Penn. I'd listened to the interview with Brianna for some time before she revealed her approximate age (by stating that she started posting her desert adventures on Instagram in her mid-20's). I was shocked. She spoke with such eloquence, introspection, and insight that I assumed she was nearly twice her actual age. I’ve listened to a lot of engaging and interesting authors on this and other podcasts, but Brianna’s was one of only a couple authors’ books I knew I had to read.
I was in the process of reading 3 other outdoor travel/adventure-related memoirs when I bought this book, and I ended up putting them all down to read this one straight through. From the start, it was engaging, authentic, and just plain beautifully written. She breaks up the stories of her life before, during, and after her “van life” in bite-sized chunks, told with such vivid, heart-felt and deeply moving prose that kept me turning the page. You feel what she felt and see what she saw.
Is this book for everyone? Is everyone going to relate to Brianna or her story? No, of course not. That is the case with anyone’s book or memoir. What we enjoy as a reader and who we find engaging all depend on who we are, what we’ve been through, and who/what we may relate to at a particular time in our lives. She’s stated in her book that she liked inspiring other women. I certainly believe she has done that and will continue to do that. I am 18 years her senior and while brief, have had my own solo desert adventure back in the 90’s, and she still inspires me. I absolutely believe that many people will relate to her story, personally or otherwise, and will take away a new sense of adventure. I believe this book will inspire more women to do and try things they otherwise may never have done…and quite possibly, inspire them to be brave enough to be authentically themselves and not what others want them to be.
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, just wow
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024
Quite literally one of the best books I’ve ever read. I held off on reading it for a while. I thought it was going to be a book that just glamorized van life. But man, this was a beautifull written story about love, tragedy, pain, and freedom. I read it in less than 24 hours, I could not put it down. I cried at so many parts towards the end.
MY owner
4.0 out of 5 stars nomad life
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2024
Good book about a persons journey finding herself and learning how to survive. The love she shares for her dogs and nature is beautiful.

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