Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Welcome to Rio! Well Maybe Not...: Adventure, Romance, Joy, Destitution and Escape. Nothing Could Go Wrong — Until Everything Did is a non-fiction travel memoir written by Kay Henkel. The author was a young adult when the Second World War ended, and even from her family’s somewhat isolated beachfront house near Olympia, Washington, she could vicariously feel the excitement as she saw pictures of the ticker-tape parades and widespread celebrations in Times Square and Washington, DC. Kay wanted a bit of that for herself: excitement, romance, adventure, and it came for her in the shape of a serviceman from San Francisco who was stationed at nearby Fort Lewis. When Doug met her and her mother on the dock at the Olympic Yacht Club Kay's family was caretaking, he seemed more interested in conversing with her mother, but the next time they saw him, it became obvious that his interest was in Kay. Soon after they married, they had their own beach house, and Doug taught her how to sail their sailboat, The Dancing Feather. But after a few months, Kay realized she wanted more. They moved south to California and spent some time exploring all that state had to offer; however, her travel bug still lingered. When Doug was offered an import job in Rio de Janeiro, it seemed as though their chance for real adventure had fallen into their laps.

Kay Henkel's non-fiction travel memoir, Welcome to Rio! Well Maybe Not... is a vividly pictured and spellbinding tale about the author and her husband's Brazilian adventures. When Doug's job never materialized, the two of them were adrift, far from home, separated from family, and with few prospects for a job. Their situation was a far cry from the relatively comfortable life they had both been accustomed to, but the resilience and grace with which they had accepted the situation and gotten on with the business of surviving one day at a time is inspirational to follow. I found myself cringing along with the author as she opened yet another tin of sardines when they were living in a friend's offices in Rio, and celebrated with them when the opportunity to work at the British Yacht Club opened up -- complete with a small sailboat for the couple to sit aboard and dream on. Her story becomes truly memorable when she describes the couple's move into the jungle near Areal, and their lives there, especially the stories about her horseback riding in the jungle, which are a joy to read. Welcome to Rio! Well Maybe Not... is full of adventure, humor and resilience rolled up in a neatly tied and well-written package. It's highly recommended.