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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I believe this series will become one of the ones I have to keep to read over and over. I read the 3rd book of the 5 first, but now have gotten them all to read. The main character, Alan Christenson is a young man who loses his wife, his business and his home in a month's time. He looks at the map to see where the farthest place in the US is from his home in Washington state and starts walking to Key West Florida. The writing is good, the story believable, the quotes of Alan's and others are memorable and he finds something I have long believed--God puts you where you need to be to meet the people you need to meet.
This is a very quick read. I did enjoy the book, however it is one of those books that is a bit trite and at the same time makes you think. For those people searching for something to give their life meaning, this is a start. What would it be like to leave everything behind and walk around the country with everything you own on your back, stopping wherever there is a spot to lay your sleeping bag down? The book very much romanticizes the notion of leaving it all behind and setting on a physical as well as spiritual journey. I bet it is harder than it seems in the book. It is a story of loss and how one man deals with his loss. Along the way, Alan meets some interesting people, all of whom have a "message" for him. I think you have to put your cynicism aside in order to "get something" out of this book. This book reminds me of the TV series "Touched By An Angel" without the angels. Alan's "angels" come in the form of the people he meets along the way.
This book has been on my "to-read" list for years, so I finally read it during my spring break from college. While I love a good travel book, this is not one. It is about a man who embarks on a long physical journey, yes, but I do not consider this novel to be a worthwhile read. First of all, I did not like the protagonist, Al. I found him disgustingly irresponsible with regards to both money and food. He also compares himself to Superman after helping a woman with her car on the side of a mountain road. While Al professes to the reader that he wished not to proclaim his good deeds with pride, the fact that he even mentioned it irks me. Also, Al's dialogue with his betrayer in the ski lodge made me dislike this main character even more. I understand that he has gone through many a trial, but Al has no excuse to act the way he does. There are several other examples of why I dislike this character, but those I have provided already are more than enough reason. I cannot fathom why the author expects me and other readers to like Al. While there are more books to follow this one as it is part of a series, I do not anticipate that I will read any of the subsequent novels.
I don't usually go for this kind of book, but I was looking for a short audiobook and a co-worker recommended this series. It was pretty much exactly what I expected -- uplifting and inspirational, but a little preachy and over-the-top in some places. The writing is excellent, with great descriptions and poignant details. The protagonist's voice is what kept me engaged even when the story got a little too "god works in mysterious ways" for my tastes. Alan's unique way of looking at the world, reflected most clearly in the clips from his diary that begin each chapter, lends a refreshing perspective to the stereotypical inspirational novel. Parts of this story were a little hard to believe -- his cars are repossessed and his house foreclosed because he didn't pay the bills, yet no one comes after him when around $30,000 made from the sale of his other possessions appears in a checking account his old office assistant sets up -- but overall it was a good read. If you're looking for a feel-good novel that reflects on life, love, and humanity, give this a read -- or a listen.
4-4.5
Read in an hour or two, easy read and very interesting. Some parts felt slower and more like he was describing every city and meal he ate, but other times he had good moments with strangers and the ending was very good. Great lighthearted but also heavy hearted read
Man’s wife dies and his ad agency gets taken away by a greedy coworker
Walks from Seattle to Florida
Helps woman change tire on side of road
Eating at diners and staying in random places
Gets beat up and goes to hospital
Sees his wife in vision
The lady he helped changed tire is one at the hospital since he had her business card on him
Read in an hour or two, easy read and very interesting. Some parts felt slower and more like he was describing every city and meal he ate, but other times he had good moments with strangers and the ending was very good. Great lighthearted but also heavy hearted read
Man’s wife dies and his ad agency gets taken away by a greedy coworker
Walks from Seattle to Florida
Helps woman change tire on side of road
Eating at diners and staying in random places
Gets beat up and goes to hospital
Sees his wife in vision
The lady he helped changed tire is one at the hospital since he had her business card on him
I wasn't actually sure if I would enjoy this book, but it turns out the writing is good and the story engaging. It was also very emotional, but that much I knew going in, just from the synopsis.
There are a lot of objections in other reviews to how the story cuts off, presumably to sell more books. I might have been more upset about that if I hadn't know going in it was a series. (And I think that should be more clear somewhere in the cover or synopsis that it's the first of a series, to prevent those kinds of misunderstandings.) I have to disagree with those who say the story just randomly cuts off though--it definitely has a climax and denouement, and is pretty typical for a first in series of this type.
The only thing that really annoyed me is when the character chooses to be Sweet n' Low in his tea instead of sugar, when he's already pointed out that he's burning off an insane number of calories every day. Why poison yourself with aspartame when you don't even need to avoid sugar?
Oh, well, despite the aspartame, I'll probably continue reading the series.
There are a lot of objections in other reviews to how the story cuts off, presumably to sell more books. I might have been more upset about that if I hadn't know going in it was a series. (And I think that should be more clear somewhere in the cover or synopsis that it's the first of a series, to prevent those kinds of misunderstandings.) I have to disagree with those who say the story just randomly cuts off though--it definitely has a climax and denouement, and is pretty typical for a first in series of this type.
The only thing that really annoyed me is when the character chooses to be Sweet n' Low in his tea instead of sugar, when he's already pointed out that he's burning off an insane number of calories every day. Why poison yourself with aspartame when you don't even need to avoid sugar?
Oh, well, despite the aspartame, I'll probably continue reading the series.
