Ninya - Scotland with a Stranger: A Memoir

5 out of 5 Stars Your book club needs this book now!

This candid account of one womans quest to find her mojo again is funny, touching, and sometimes a little alarming, but, above all, inspirational. A single mom with two teens, Ninya takes a leap of faith to meet up with an internet acquaintance, a self-proclaimed life coach, who says she has planned a tour of Scotland that will restore Ninyas soul. Once there, however, Ninya finds that, as the Buddha warned, no matter where you go, there you are. Alongside the vivid beauty of the Scottish wilds, Ninya rediscovers her strength and resiliency. The life coach turns out to, instead, be self-absorbed and the trip plan turns out to be more of a vague notion, but, in the confusion, Ninya finds the clarity she was missing: you have everything you need inside you, already.

5 out of 5 Stars Should be in the circle of Anne Lamott and Elizabeth Gilbert

Id found it hard to concentrate on reading books during quarantine until this one! With two demanding children at home, I wasnt getting very far in any book that I picked up until Scotland With A Stranger. I never put it down from start to finish. I completely tuned out the world so that this time when other things interrupted me, I was unaware, for example, that my name had been called several times before I heard it haha! Id look up, mumble an answer, and get right back into the book. Thats the best kind of reading and itd been too long since I had that!!! Scotland With A Stranger was so honest and brave, it made me both laugh and cry, and was comparable to Anne Lamott! Memoirs and biographies have always been my favorite genre. This book is right there with Elizabeth Gilberts Eat Pray Love!

5 out of 5 Stars Not Your Regular Memoir

You would think heading off to Scotland for 2 weeks with someone you have never met would fall under a serious mid-life crisis category. But for Ninya, it led to an amazing journey of self-discovery and forgiveness. Ninya has lived a roller-coaster of a life dealing with more things than I can imagine. She lays it all out for us the good, the bad, the ugly, the wicked. She is a real person, telling a real story. Completely unromanticized. Her writing style will have you feeling like you are right there with her, feeling all the feels. Bonus not only does she describe the beautiful scenery but she has an online photo album available for you to see the pictures and videos she took. Ninya is an inspiration to women everywhere and a phenomenal author. I cant wait to read more from her.

5 out of 5 Stars Many Trips in One

Great, fast-paced read. Well-structured in alternating between the trip itself and the very personal events which built up to it. Plenty of humor (self-deprecating, my favorite kind), along with descriptions of Scotland that will inspire many future trips. Introspective without navel-gazing, and demonstrates journeys toward acceptance of self and peace with past disappointments. Theres something here for everyone. Ill read this author again!

5 out of 5 Stars Not Just Another Memoir

There are things in life that speak to the deepest parts of our hearts; our triumphs, our failures, our hopes, our fears, our dreams, our pain.

For some it is art, for others, it is music.

For some, it will be this book.

Ninya shares, in an authentic and uncomplicated way, that she is living a life so many of us live.

The names are changed, the rooms are different colors, the smells vary in their complexity.

You will cheer her as she makes discoveries about life and self you yourself have made.

You will find hope in the lessons she has absorbed; lessons we all know intellectually, but may still be struggling to fully bring into ourselves.

You will want to hug away her pain, so much like your own.

You will want to assure her she is on a good path, she is worthy, she is strength.

She is another version of you, on paper for all to see.

She will remind you that your journey is YOUR journey, and yet it is the journey of us all.

And wherever that journey takes us, we are on a good path, we are worthy, we are strength.

5 out of 5 Stars Hard to Put Down

Start to finish, this book is well written! Finished in two readings because I wanted to see the story to its conclusion. Ninya writes with raw emotion, humor, and puts to print those inside thoughts that so many of us keep inside. Her description of scenery and food makes me want to hop a plane today! This is a must read memoir!

5 out of 5 Stars A Memoir that Will Make You Look at Your Own Life Differently

Ninya's story defines bravery when facing mountains in one's life. Her memoir of taking a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Scotland with a virtual stranger will allow you to face your own stories of fear and betrayal and joy and success.

5 out of 5 Stars This is the Book We all Need

I bought Scotland with a Stranger, as a signed copy, not really expecting much because, well, not everyone can be an engaging writer/author. I wanted to support my friend in her endeavors, though, in being a writer. Writing anything of a substantial, or entertaining, nature is hard and is an accomplishment I can never see for myself. So, when my copy came in the mail, I began with trepidation that my friend had quite possibly, and probably, missed her mark. This is the farthest from the truth she nailed her goal with a sweet, just subtle, perfection that surely awes me.

The story follows Ninya from an addiction-laden marriage, to devastation from trying to parent a troubled teenage son, to other various hurdles in her life. Theres a bit of bouncing back and forth between life pre-Scotland and Scotland, however, the storylines the narrative is easy to follow. She successfully links her past to her current, and in some instances, how the past has the ability to foreshadow her future. Life is about ups and downs of which Ninya seems to have had more downs than ups. Her story is relatable in a salient and relatable way. She shares with us, the reader, times in her life that are still very much taboo to talk openly about and we swim deeply into the past decade of her life like a whale in the ocean.

I was puzzled and perturbed while reading her story of going to Scotland with a stranger because the story seemed to revolve around her interactions with this stranger, Erika. The story is supposed to be about Ninyas journey to finding herself, right? Right?! I had to sit with the story for a day in order to see that Ninya discovered herself not through Scotland per se, but through her interactions with Erika. the inner monologue she had with Erikas antics. Scotland was the setting, however, like any great story, a well-defined protagonist (Ninya) and antagonist (Erika) are key. While I would have loved to have heard more about Scotland the sights, the sounds, the smells I think that its just background, the experience of being some place new. As a social worker, I thought that Noah gave Ninya some really sound advice and insight though she may have chosen to ignore it in the beginning. Some of her more moving introspections were paring her personal experiences in Scotlands nature to remembering Noahs wise words.

I relate with Ninya. There were many times I cried while reading her feelings, her desperation. That utter need to fix it, for everyone. That losing of oneself while doing for others. This read may very well prompt other readers to ask the questions, Who am I? and, What do I like? I recognized Ninyas resiliency much earlier than she. That resiliency is what allowed her to take on a journey in Scotland with a stranger. This journey is one that all women, especially all mothers, should take once in life. We need that pilgrimage to find ourselves again.