If you are looking for a quick read, a book with a bit of an emotional tug, relateable, a bit of love, and a lot of travel writing then give The Walk by Richard Paul Evans a read.
I give The Walk 4 out of 5 stars. It was an enjoyable book, and a fast read, but I just didn't think there was much to it. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy this book b/c I did. I also really enjoyed thoughts the book presented.
I liked the promise McKale had Alan make. the promise to live even after the love of his life died. I liked this quote, and find it to be quite true, "The only way to remove pain from death is to remove love from life."
There were some more spiritual, inspirational, and advice aspects to the story as well. "Never forget God puts people in our lives for a reason. Only through helping others can we save ourselves."
In the story Evans told the story of the famous violinist that played in a subway and few paid any attention to him in the subway, but others would pay hundreds of dollars for tickets to a concert to see him play. After the story a character shared this advice, "Some people in this world have stopped looking for beauty then wonder why their lives are so ugly. Don't be like them. The ability to appreciate beauty is of God, especially in one another. Look for beauty in everyone you meet, and you'll find it. Everyone carries divinity within them, and everyone we meet had something to impart."
The reason why this book didn't get a high review is b/c even though I felt emotional attachment at times, I really felt this book was mostly a travel log of Alan's walk from Seattle to Spokane with a lot of detail about what he ate. I realize the book had good character development, but there wasn't quite enough story development to really grab you as a reader and make it memorable.
All in all, there isn't anything horribly wrong with the book. However, there isn't anything amazing about it either.
Just so you can feel a bit more background information on the book, Amazon had the following book description:
"What would you do if you lost everything—your job, your home, and the love of your life—all at the same time? When it happens to Seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen, he’s tempted by his darkest thoughts. Instead, he decides to take a walk. But not any ordinary walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Alan leaves behind all that he’s known and heads for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life—and inspire yours.
A life-changing journey, both physical and spiritual, The Walk is the first of an unforgettable bestselling series of books about one man’s search for hope."
Have you read the book and/or series? What did you think?
As always, happy reading!
