I'll keep this short- I didn't really get into this. I have the audio book, listened to half of it, and I haven't listened in over five weeks with no I'll keep this short- I didn't really get into this. I have the audio book, listened to half of it, and I haven't listened in over five weeks with no desire to pick it up again.
Part of my trouble with the book is I cant decide what it is- is it a fiction book that takes place on the Camino or is it an actual, factual retelling of events? The structure, the way it is told, lends itself to either interpretation.
This isn't school- I'm not writing a book report to receive a grade, so I'm not going to force myself to read a book that didn't capture my interest. My apologies to the author....more
Going on the abandoned list because I didn't finish. I see potential, but I got the audible version and, well, the jumping between differ2.5/3 stars.
Going on the abandoned list because I didn't finish. I see potential, but I got the audible version and, well, the jumping between different narrators and the inclusion of a Q & A session so early in the book put me off and ruined the flow of the book. In my humble opinion, Q & A's should be left until the end of a book- and if included earlier- should be read by the same narrator as not to interfere with the flow....more
I am having trouble with what to say about this book. In many ways, it is similar to other books about the Camino. This book is more about the person I am having trouble with what to say about this book. In many ways, it is similar to other books about the Camino. This book is more about the person walking and what they feel rather than a deep examination of why they walked the Camino. OK, for what I liked-
1) I admired the way C. W. Lockhart took to Spanish food, the locals and how she was prepared to engage with the culture.
2) I like how she was prepared for certain eventualities- like getting caught outdoors when delicate situations arise.
3) I like how she tried different forms of transports- from trying bikes to horse riding.
4) She freely admits that she had developed some bad tendencies in her pre-Camino life due to ill health.
5) This is the only book about the Camino to mention bed bugs- a unique part.
Now onto somethings I didn’t like:
1) I mentioned above that there was no real deep examinations of things. Prime example – the author talked about how she feels about her ‘empty nest feeling’ and how this was a motivation for her walking the Camino. There was no real examination of this other than stating it as fact. During her walk, C. W. Lockhart often states she became a ‘’Camino Mama’’ to several other pilgrims. At no point do I remember the author making a connection between her empty nest feeling and her Camino Mama tendencies.
2) Related to the above- lack of examination. To paraphrase another review: just about every person she becomes friends with ends up finding a way to get out of walking with her/find a way to leave. At no point does the author examine whether her own actions (the Camino Mama tendencies) play a part in this. For a start, she falls in with a group of other pilgrims- two kids (16 year old girl and her 14 year old brother), their uncle and their grandfather who were committed to be ‘purist’ pilgrims and walk the whole Camino. Within the first day of knowing them, the author becomes a Camino Mama. She is tucking the kids into bed, kissing their foreheads. When the young girl has a visit from "Aunt Flow’’, both the author and her younger brother help her in the middle of a field. Eventually, the uncle bundles them onto the bus to a stop two days walk away and tells the author they were in a rush and that he and their grandfather would be taking a taxi. The author shrugs her shoulders, states that they did a reset and then (later) states she hopes to catch up on them. While I believe that the author was genuinely helpful and kind to the children and was being a good person, at no point does she stop to consider that they were walking with two adult members of their own family who might not appreciate some person they only knew for a day stepping in an taking on a maternal role. This happens a few more times- all the other pilgrims she enjoys walking with all seem to do a reset. Overall, the only time anything gets any sort of deep examination it has to the authors health.
3) The introduction of other pilgrims. This one is always a pet peeve of mine whenever I read a book about a long distance walk/hike- but the way the author drops another pilgrim/hiker into the middle of a sentence like we should know who they are. It only happens twice, but it still halted the flow of the book, making me go back to certain parts and rereading a chapter I finished long before.
4) For someone who keeps repeating the mantra ‘’walk your own walk’’ she seems very reliant on her guide book- and not just to map out the elevation gain and loss but a comment about skipping the final stretch into a city or a section of the hike is taken without any consideration.
5) Near the end of the book, the author often talks about her ‘’Tribe’’ or ‘’Group.’’ However, very few of the names dropped are people that I can remember her walking with or having any real interaction with. Maybe the author has a different definition of the Camino Tribe than other authors have.
I’m beginning to ramble a bit. Sorry. Two point five/three stars....more
I cant remember the last time I picked the book up. While there was an interesting plot, the long academic parts Going on the DNF and abandoned list.
I cant remember the last time I picked the book up. While there was an interesting plot, the long academic parts (with footnotes et al) were hard to take.
Also, while I really don't mind subjects such as racism and the horrors of colonialism been addressed, it was the way it was the way it was addressed here- its as if the author was building up to the issue being addressed, but then would pull back- like, ouch, hot potato, pass it along.
It has been a while, but these were the two main points that sapped my interest in the book....more
I can’t believe I am going to say this, especially about such a beloved book but—This book is going on my DNF shelf.
I’ve tried so many times over the I can’t believe I am going to say this, especially about such a beloved book but—This book is going on my DNF shelf.
I’ve tried so many times over the years to read this book, but I’ve always found it so, well, dull. I’m sad that this was my reaction to this book but, alas, it is what it is. To paraphrase a previous review “I wanted so desperately to love Tolkien, but it just isn’t happening.”
I made it to where the hobbits were in the house of Tom Bombadil before I decided to pack it in, but there were sooo many times I felt like quitting before that.
First Grievance- the introduction or, ‘On the Nature of Hobbits.’ The whole thing really, but one thing sticks out in my mind. Yes, the hobbits enjoy smoking a pipe, but was there really, really, REALLY a need to be given a (very) long winded and rambling explanation on the in universe production of tobacco (or smoke weed as it’s called here)? Do we REALLY need to know this? Overall, the introduction, which some may consider great world building, was dull, meandering and pedantic. And this theme pops up a lot- everything is just so long winded. Did anyone see the ERB of George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien? One of George’s lines comes to mind “We don’t need the history of every f*cking tree branch.”
Second Grievance- the singing. Oh God- the hobbits have a song for everything. Going for a walk? Here’s a song. Running through the woods? Here’s a song. Eating a meal? Here’s a song. Having a bath? Here’s a song. Going to bed? Here’s a song. Starting a big adventure? Here’s a song (which was a modified version of the Dwarves ‘Misty Mountain,’ and not near as good). Oh God, even by the second time a character broke out into song, it just started to feel like filler, and since it was filler, that just meant NOTHING WAS HAPPENING AND THE PLOT AND STORY WAS NOT PROGRESSING. Don’t even get me started on the nonsense Tom Bombadil was uttering as song. It wasn’t so much a facepalm as Face-Meet-Desk.
Third Grievance- I got the audiobook and I am seven hours in with over fifteen hours left (fifteen hours thirty nine minutes roughly). My third grievance is the pacing. Everything. Is. Just. So. Slow. And. Drawn. Out.
Fourth Grievance- related to the third in a way, as it can put down to pacing, but nothing seems to happen. Even when Frodo and his buddies finally set of on their adventure- it was so slow and drawn out that I found it boring. Being chased by Black Riders, meeting Elves, been attacked by living trees- there was so little drama and tension that I really didn’t care. The only part that was ‘exciting’ was Tom Bombadil, and that’s because of Andy Sirkis’ brilliant audio performance. But, that incident seemed like more of an overcorrection at first, and got dull and boring really quick.
Look, if you are still with me at this stage, I may not have read the whole book, but I’ve read enough. I can’t deny J.R.R. Tolkien’s contribution to the fantasy genre. He is the granddaddy of modern fantasy. But, like Ulysses by James Joyce, the writing style didn’t appeal to me. I am after coming off re-reading some works by George Orwell and John Steinbeck- what Tolkien or Joyce could take three pages to say, Orwell or Steinbeck could say in half a page.
Two and a half stars because I can recognize the importance of the work, but not my taste....more
I listened to the audio book version, and at the end, the author says that the twelve hours of the book were not enough to go into real detail about tI listened to the audio book version, and at the end, the author says that the twelve hours of the book were not enough to go into real detail about the history of the American West. Overall, that is the feeling I had from nearly the very start- that this was a very broad overview.
In the introduction, the author askes us to visualize the American landscape as seen from a plane at twenty thousand feet. It seems as if this is the same view of history taken in this book. Any one of the individual chapters (termed lectures here) would have served as a great introduction to a book on any one of the numerous topics covered.
Stars were lost for several (minor) reasons. As stated, I listened to the audiobook version. The editing could have been better. While the instances were few compared to the length of the book there were several times where the narrator could be heard stumbling over his words, or mispronouncing a name and correcting himself or struggling to hold back a laugh at some statement he had just read- not a good sign if the overall format of the book is a serious lecture.
Another star was lost because, it seemed to me, certain topics felt rushed, despite how many times they were mentioned. Example: In the section about law and order, posies were mention. Posies (in all their various incarnations- posies, lynch mob etc) were mentioned in several other sections. Despite their frequent mention, I am still left with a very Hollywood impression of them.
Other than this minor complaints, an interesting read....more
I found it slow to take off and couldn't really relate to any of the characters is the beginning. But, I stuck witAlmost, almost, went on my DNF pile.
I found it slow to take off and couldn't really relate to any of the characters is the beginning. But, I stuck with it and the plot finally grew on me, even if the characters did seem one dimensional at times.
This book had an interesting premise. A somewhat solid foundation for a series, with enough work done for character growth, but...
The author had one oThis book had an interesting premise. A somewhat solid foundation for a series, with enough work done for character growth, but...
The author had one of his characters joke about how he used too many poop jokes and all I could think of was 'You got that right. Waaaaaay to overused.' There was also how many times the F word was used. Seriously, I've put in time in some pretty heavily male dominated work environments, and I have absolutely never heard other guys swear so much unless the person they were swearing at had done something that had truly endangered someone's life. As another reviewer put, it was like the dialogue was written by a fourteen year old who was writing how he thought a strong man talks.
Another gripe, and this one is only minor- but the use of pop culture. Early in the book, one of the main characters saves the lives of the victims of a store robbery. What were the names of the two Sheriff's Deputies that responded to the call? Rick and Shane a la The Walking Dead... Yeah.
While I appreciated the attention to certain aspects of survival, I didn't connect with the main character. Every supply run began with a hangoverDNF.
While I appreciated the attention to certain aspects of survival, I didn't connect with the main character. Every supply run began with a hangover and a gulp of rum, every day ended with a massive bender. Not to mention the talk about bodily function.
Two stars for the attention to attention to detail about the necessity of survival such as food. But overall, I wasn't engaged with the story....more
I have written and rewritten this review several times. Sometimes the rewrites were because I felt I didn’t express myself well enough, other rewriDNF
I have written and rewritten this review several times. Sometimes the rewrites were because I felt I didn’t express myself well enough, other rewrites were because I felt as if I was contradicting myself, and some were because I felt as if I were taking unwarranted pot-shots at the author.
I got the audiobook and the first (roughly) forty minutes of the book was interesting and inspirational. The story of how someone so athletic and experienced wound up an amputee and then planned to hike the Appalachian Trail was intriguing and it did reel me in. If you think there is a but here, you are right. It reeled me in, but then it lost me. What lost me was not lack of interest in the story, but rather an info dump that didn’t really feel necessary to the story.
Forgive me if I throw out some numbers here. The audiobook is roughly three hundred and eighty three minutes long. As I said, the first (roughly) forty minutes hooked me- the next one hundred and twenty-seven minutes nearly lost me completely. To lose a limb is a massive shock to someone who was/is as athletic as Niki and I can’t deny that some back story as to her hobbies/physical achievements are important- but one hundred and twenty-seven minutes talking about motor biking across the U.S., cycling across country, Chef training, her return to Germany, previous hiking experience and skiing (some of which were done after the amputation). A lot of it could have been condensed. Most of this I could have handled, but the one point that I came really, truly close to totally giving up on the book was when the authors friend ‘surprised’ her by organizing for the author to give a lecture and press interview about how hard it was for an amputee to walk the AT- before the author had even set foot on the trail, gotten gear or even done any research. If you are keeping track, we are now one hundred and sixty seven minutes into a three hundred and eighty three minute book. This is the point the author finally gets on the trail. Overall, there was not much about the trail here. Most of the stories related here are about the adventures (or misadventures) that happen to her off trail.
*sigh*
To quote another reviewer “I would have preferred more about the struggles and beauty of the actual trail, since she had already biked, motorcycled, skied etc before she hit the trail.” I think it is fair to say that I have conflicting emotions about this book. I admire Niki for being a determined athlete and for pushing herself and being an inspiration. Two and half/three stars....more
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