"The road," Kerouac wrote, "is life," and the women in these three stories hit the road looking for a fuller, richer life than the ones they have at home. Molly Giles, whose many awards for fiction include two Pushcart Prizes and an NEA grant, is a charming and sharp-witted guide to these women's adventures. One flies to Ireland to land a husband; one, who hoped to find shelter in paradise, realizes her journey isn't over; and one loses a lover, a friend, and a few precious illusions about herself as she drives across America.