Deluxe Tour

A group of American tourists embark on a two-month luxury bus tour through Europe in the summer of 1955. The tour members represent diverse backgrounds and ages, from honeymooners to retirees, as they travel through France, Switzerland, Italy, and other destinations. The narrative follows the interconnected experiences of several key passengers, including a retired schoolteacher, a businessman with his family, and a newlywed couple. Their personal stories and relationships develop against the backdrop of post-war Europe as they navigate cultural differences and group dynamics. Daily life on the tour involves scheduled sightseeing, lavish accommodations, and the inevitable friction of strangers confined in close quarters. The characters face individual challenges and revelations while confronting the realities of both European reconstruction and American prosperity in the 1950s. The novel explores themes of American identity abroad, cultural perspective, and the ways travel can both unite and divide people. This portrait of Americans navigating foreign territory serves as a lens for examining post-war values and social change.

There are not enough internet reviews to create a summary of this book. Instead, here is a summary of reviews of Frederic Wakeman's overall work: Readers consistently highlight Wakeman's ability to balance academic depth with engaging storytelling. On Goodreads, his books average 4.2/5 stars across approximately 500 ratings. What readers liked: - Detailed research and extensive use of primary sources - Clear explanations of complex political situations - Strong narrative flow unusual for academic works - Specific insights into Shanghai's social dynamics - Integration of multiple perspectives and sources What readers disliked: - Dense academic language in some sections - Length and detail can be overwhelming for casual readers - Some chapters heavy on statistics and data - Limited availability of his works in digital format From Amazon (3.9/5 stars across titles): "Makes scholarly content digestible without oversimplifying" - Academic reviewer "Required reading for understanding modern China" - Student reviewer "Too much detail bogs down the narrative" - General reader Academia.edu reviews emphasize his influence on Chinese urban history studies, with particular praise for his analysis of Shanghai's police systems and social networks. Note: Online review data is limited as many of his works predate widespread internet reviews.

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★ The book was published in 1955 and follows American tourists traveling through Europe, playing on the growing phenomenon of packaged group tours that became popular in post-WWII America. ✦ Author Frederic Wakeman was a well-known advertising executive who also wrote the bestselling novel "The Hucksters" (1946), which was later made into a film starring Clark Gable. ★ The novel satirizes American consumerism and tourism habits during the 1950s economic boom, when middle-class Americans began traveling abroad in unprecedented numbers. ✦ Wakeman drew from his own experiences in advertising to craft sharp observations about American consumer culture and the commodification of travel experiences. ★ The book coincided with the rise of companies like Thomas Cook & Sons, which helped establish the modern concept of organized group tourism that the novel critiques.