Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino [Paperback]

This book is a good read, but lacks the punch it could have had if told more dramatically. I think this would have been accomplished by a chronological telling of the pilgrimage, with the lessons worked in along the way as she wrote them in her journal. These two over-60s are completely admirable and likeable, and the other pilgrims they met were intriguing, but all situations are told in snippets to illustrate one 'life lesson' per chapter. This means that some issues are used as examples in almost every chapter, which at times felt as if the lack of privacy & crowded, sometimes dirty, Refugios was the main theme, when, of course, it wasn't. The presentation also means that we are denied the full impact of the joy of bumping into fellow pilgrims farther along or the beauty of the landscape as it unfolded, etc. The B&W photos were also disappointing because the strange rendering made all the subjects indistinct. The last few pages held a dramatic surprise that added greater meaning to all that preceded it, but I longed to have been moved that much along the way. The life lessons are excellent and useful, but I can't help feeling this is a good book that falls short of being a great book.

This book is a gentle and undemanding read, so in a way it is rather like its title! Yes, there is some repetition, but other than that, I liked the way the book was organised into "life lessons" rather than just chronologically. Some of these lessons are (I will choose some that I particularly need to focus on!)
Live in the Now
Be Attentive to Your Body
Don't Let Difficulties Deter You
Trust in The Divine Companion
Let Yourself Be Humbled by Weakness
Of course, none of these are earthshattering revelations, but nevertheless it is good to be reminded of them now and then. I have never read Joyce Rupp before, but I certainly identified with many of the "faults" she confesses to having - being too independant, inpatient and intolerant, but hopefully I also share, to some extent, her honesty and integrity. Certainly this was a bold undertaking for someone of 60yrs, though she refers to a couple of pilgrims in their 80's). I know that as well as not being able to walk that far, I also would find it too much for me in other ways - the heat, the lack of clean basic hygeine facilities, dirty beds and bedding and sleeping in a room with up to 100 other pilgrims! Having said that, I would not of course have a "Tom" with me, and as you read the book it becomes quite evident that he was the perfect companion for Rupp in so many ways, and that without him, she too may not have been able to complete the pilgrimage, or at least have got so much from it.

After travelling the way with Joyce and her companion, I was looking forward to reading about their final arrival in Santiaigo and the "Pilgrim Mass" they attended in the Cathedral, but oddly enough there is no mention of it, and the book seemed incomplete without it, even if it, in itself, did not add to Rupp's "life lessons". As the pevious reviewer indicated, there is a surprise at the end of the book, which forced me to reassess what had gone before. I would also agree that I didn't see the point of the peculiar "grainy" effect of the black and white photos at the beginning of each chapter, but this is a minor quibble. It's a book I'm glad I bought and one that I can see myself rereading in the future as my own "journey of faith" continues.

I found this book was an enjoyable read but I felt I wanted more detail about the walk itself. What Joyce wrote was very good and at times very profound may be too deep for me and a bit too spiritually analytical for me I prefer a bit more humour and a more down to earth account. I did enjoy reading this book and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of walking the camino.