The Upgrade: A Cautionary Tale of a Life Without Reservations
By (Author) Paul Carr
Edited by Brian Owen Roberts
Orion Publishing Co
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
11th September 2012
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Travel writing
910.4092
Paperback
304
Width 128mm, Height 196mm, Spine 22mm
260g
Bored, broke and struggling to survive in one of the most expensive cities on earth, Paul Carr realises that it would actually be cheaper to live in a hotel in Manhattan than in his one-bedroom London flat. Inspired by that possibility, he decides to sell most of his possessions, abandon his old life and spend a year living entirely without commitments.
Thanks to Paul's highly developed blagging skills, what begins as a one-year experiment soon becomes a permanent lifestyle - a life lived in luxury hotels and mountain-top villas. A life of fast cars, Hollywood actresses and Icelandic rock stars. And, most bizarrely of all, a life that still costs less than surviving on cold pizza in London.Yet, as word of Paul's exploits starts to spread - first online, then through a newspaper column and a book deal - he finds himself forced to up the stakes in order to keep things interesting. With his behaviour spiralling to dangerous levels, he is forced to ask the question: is there such a thing as too much freedomWriter and journalist Paul Carr has also edited various publications - including award-winning ezine, The Friday Thing - and founded numerous businesses with varying degrees of abysmal failure.