A story of mid-life and second chances from Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project, and his wife Anne BuistSoon to be a film produced by Ellen DeGeneresTwo misfits walk 2,000 kilometres along the Camino de Santiago to find themselves and, perhaps, each other along the way.Zoe, a sometime artist, is from California. Martin, an engineer, is from Yorkshire. Both have ended up in picturesque … other along the way.
Zoe, a sometime artist, is from California. Martin, an engineer, is from Yorkshire. Both have ended up in picturesque Cluny, in central France. Both are struggling to come to terms with their recent past—for Zoe, the death of her husband; for Martin, a messy divorce. Looking to make a new start, each sets out alone to walk two thousand kilometres from Cluny to Santiago, in northwestern Spain, in the footsteps of pilgrims who have walked the Camino—the Way—for centuries. The Camino changes you, it’s said. It’s a chance to find a new version of yourself. But can these two very different people find each other? In this smart, funny and romantic journey, Martin’s and Zoe’s stories are told in alternating chapters by husband-and-wife team Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist.
Two Steps Forward is a novel about renewal—physical, psychological and spiritual. It’s about the challenge of walking a long distance and of working out where you are going. And it’s about what you decide to keep, what you choose to leave behind and what you rediscover.
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Still trying to get thru the book after over a month of having it; still reading at page 139: they walk, they eat, they drink. That’s it. Boring story, boring characters. If I can bring myself to continue reading about their eating and drinking I’ll update my review.
Loved it!
Our family has a lot of interest in the Camino, and we’ve been on a very small part of it in Spain. I really enjoyed reading about the French side of the Path, the French people they met, etc., as well as the Spanish side. I like the development of the relationship between the two main characters, and the people they each met along the way. Good book!
I’ve dreamed of walking the Camino and was delighted to find a novel that told the story from several viewpoints. Inspirational and fun!
Very different from his previous books, Graeme Simsion, in collaboration with Anne Buist, has written a reflective and inspiring story focused on two primary characters who are making the pilgrimage on the ancient Chemin or Camino de Santiago in France and Spain. It was difficult to read without wanting to embark on the journey myself. A wonderfully enjoyable read and a must for anyone who has walked or is considering walking.
Loved this account of later in life love, while on pilgrimage.
Actually, more of a 3-1/2 star book, but kudos to the author for authentication. In a sense, it felt a bit like being there. Characters were well developed and likeable.
It was fascinating to walk the Camino de Santiago de Compostela with the author. IT brought the experience to life. I had heard about it, and a friend’s son walked it, so I was interested in the story. Well plotted, with good characters that I was content to say goodbye to as they moved on to a great life.
Great team writing!
Wonderful characters and experiences along a famous religious walking trail.
Not sure what I was expecting, but I liked the book a lot. I am familiar with the Camino de Santiago and it was very inspirational to me.
Like a lot of right-minded people, I’m a big Graeme Simsion fan. I was looking forward to this “non-Rosie read” and it didn’t let me down.
What a pleasure it was to travel the Camino trail from France to Spain with Simsion’s characters as my intriguing guides. The story alternates between two main character’s points of view (this book was co-written by the talented Anne Buist) and that gripped my interest.
The story was often a comedy of errors, combined with a ‘will they won’t they’ scenario. And above all, as I’m sure many others have said, it will inspire you to find your own walking trail!
Loved this book. So informative and the characters grabbed you. Learned a lot too. thoroughily recommended as a great, engrossing read.
Zoe, an artist from California, and Martin, an engineer from England, find themselves on The Chemin, also known as the Camino de Santiago. It’s a centuries-old pilgrim route that ends in Santiago in northwest Spain. They plan to join other walkers following the route, each having their own reasons for doing so. Zoe recently lost her husband in a car accident and Martin is recovering from an acrimonious divorce. He’s also testing out a cart he’s designed that might replace the need to carry backpacks on this journey.
I’d never heard of this sojourn, let alone this region of France. The cast of characters encountered along the way made this a unique reading experience. Walkers take different approaches to the trip, some staying in hostels, others in private homes or hotels. Zoe started the walk alone and found herself intersecting with Martin and his cart throughout. Theirs was a relationship that had a rocky start that eventually evolved to amiable, with starts and stops to something more. They’d take “two steps forward” and then…
I struggled with the beginning of this story with all the technical talk of equipment, kilometers and gear related to the Camino. But somewhere along the line, I became fully invested in these people, the things that were driving them to do this walk and their experiences along the way. It’s told from Zoe and Martin’s points of view, alternating sometimes in parallel and others in a cleverly connected way (you have to pay attention so you don’t miss those moments!). I loved both narrators, Simon Slater and Penelope Rawlins, for their storytelling skills and their distinctive capture of all the characters in the story. I ended up loving this book and found the ending delightful.
Sasha: the book is based on real events and real experiences, however the characters are somewhat..to a point..fiction. Good read…intelligent story..
This is a great book that made me want to hike the Camino and reflect on my life. The characters were believable and well developed. I was very sorry to reach the end of the book.