Author: Rachel Joyce
Harold and Maureen Fry are a retired couple living in a small village called Kingsbridge in Southern England. When Harold gets a message from a former colleague he is jolted out of his boring sedentary life, and decides to literally put one foot in front of the other and set out walking to meet the friend from his past life. He is unfazed by the fact that he is 60+ years old, in poor physical shape, has just a light coat on his back and is attempting to walk a disance of 600 kilometers, with a pair of boat shoes on his feet. It would be an understatement to say that he is rather unsuited for this venture.
The premise is very interesting and brings out the joys of taking long walks. Being a long distance runner myself, I enjoy the clarity of thought I experience during a long run. I am able to focus my thoughts and evaluate different angles and points of view. In a similar vein, during his long journey, Harold reminisces about his early years with his co-workers, how he met his wife, his children growing up, and many other anecdotes that make good reading material.
On reading this book, I was so impressed with the idea of walking to a distant place, that I floated the idea of walking from Cupertino to Napa Valley, to my wife. I told her, we could do it over several days and stay at different hotels on the way. She didn't even spend 5 seconds considering it, and scoffed the idea outright. For now, I guess, I will live with reading about Harold's adventure along the way.
This is one of those books where the author has a great idea with the theme, but is unable to generate anything significant along the way to keep your attention. There are some minor twists and turns along the way, but none are noteworthy enough to keep your interest. Overall, it is a pleasant read, and will inspire you to take long walks.
Harold and Maureen Fry are a retired couple living in a small village called Kingsbridge in Southern England. When Harold gets a message from a former colleague he is jolted out of his boring sedentary life, and decides to literally put one foot in front of the other and set out walking to meet the friend from his past life. He is unfazed by the fact that he is 60+ years old, in poor physical shape, has just a light coat on his back and is attempting to walk a disance of 600 kilometers, with a pair of boat shoes on his feet. It would be an understatement to say that he is rather unsuited for this venture.
The premise is very interesting and brings out the joys of taking long walks. Being a long distance runner myself, I enjoy the clarity of thought I experience during a long run. I am able to focus my thoughts and evaluate different angles and points of view. In a similar vein, during his long journey, Harold reminisces about his early years with his co-workers, how he met his wife, his children growing up, and many other anecdotes that make good reading material.
On reading this book, I was so impressed with the idea of walking to a distant place, that I floated the idea of walking from Cupertino to Napa Valley, to my wife. I told her, we could do it over several days and stay at different hotels on the way. She didn't even spend 5 seconds considering it, and scoffed the idea outright. For now, I guess, I will live with reading about Harold's adventure along the way.
This is one of those books where the author has a great idea with the theme, but is unable to generate anything significant along the way to keep your attention. There are some minor twists and turns along the way, but none are noteworthy enough to keep your interest. Overall, it is a pleasant read, and will inspire you to take long walks.
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