Review | Mousetrapped : A year and a bit in Orlando by Catherine Ryan Howard

I first read about Mousetrapped a while back and naturally, I put it on to my to-read list and I finally got round to it after reading a couple of heavier fiction books.  Mousetrapped follows Catherine as a young, Irish twentysomething who is feeling a bit at a dead-end in her life and decides to chase one of her childhood dreams: to go and work at Walt Disney World.  You can see why I was intrigued by this, right?

However, it is interesting to point out that Catherine isn't actually working for Disney, she's working for another company which operates the Swan and Dolphin (or the Duck and Tuna) hotels within the resort so I was weary about reading her experiences working in Disney.

Understandably, Catherine details her life a little bit pre-Florida and while she was out there.  We learn her motivations and her pixie dusted dreams before she steps onto the flight to Orlando.  While in Orlando, we follow her ups and downs while adjusting to her new life:  awful apartments, loneliness, once in a life time experiences and more.

Catherine is actual quite a likeable writer and her enthusiasm is contagious.  For example, although I have always wanted to go to the Kennedy Space Center, I'd never really felt bothered about seeing a Shuttle launch there and now, after reading her recount of one, I really want to see one!  Even in her lowest points, she clings onto a tiny piece of Disney magic which helps get her through those more challenging times.

However, at times, I wanted to scream at her for being so naive when it came to her lack of planning and her reaction to certain things within the book.  Oh, and also the fact she was happy to drive around illegally pretty much for the duration of her stay.  Like I said, it was just naive.

I would have liked to read about the ins and outs of working in the Disney resorts and its perks; although, working for this hotel didn't even grant her free park access so I guess she only had a limited view of the parks and in some ways was a 'regular' tourist.

Overall, I did enjoy this book although it's definitely not a "warts and all" read about being a cast member.  It's a pleasant retelling of Catherine's eighteen months in Florida, documents her highs and lows.  I like reading about the inner and outer workings of places like hotels and theme parks, so perhaps I would have liked to read a little more about that, rather than just casual overviews of her time working there.  All in all, it has got me even more excited and my year as a cast member!

Disnerds, have you ever heard of or read Mousetrapped?