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ibnussabel's review against another edition
2.0
En mi opinión, Hitt divaga demasiado y llena páginas y más páginas con información contextual que acaba aburriendo soberanamente y distrayendo del relato en sí mismo. Se ha documentado enormemente y no quiere que haya sido en vano, así que nos obliga a tragarnos un montón de datos y teorías que no vienen a cuento.
Por otro lado, pronto queda claro que se arrepiente de hacer el Camino y que se esfuerza por buscar un motivo para justificarse ante sí mismo.
Lo que sí me ha llamado la atención en positivo es la posibilidad de poder conocer un poco cómo era hacer el Camino de Santiago en 1992, antes de la primera gran campaña de promoción y cuando prácticamente no estaba explotado.
Por otro lado, pronto queda claro que se arrepiente de hacer el Camino y que se esfuerza por buscar un motivo para justificarse ante sí mismo.
Lo que sí me ha llamado la atención en positivo es la posibilidad de poder conocer un poco cómo era hacer el Camino de Santiago en 1992, antes de la primera gran campaña de promoción y cuando prácticamente no estaba explotado.
erikakiana's review against another edition
I need to find someone who wants to walk the Camino de Santiago with me next summer so I can have my own experiences.
nerissassippi's review against another edition
2.0
While this is a thorough account of a walk on the Camino, the author was extremely unlikable. He spends entirely too much time making fun of others and being superior about himself. He was a completely unpleasant companion for the tale.
cschulz's review against another edition
4.0
Funny, at times offensive, but overall a good tale. Surprisingly informative about the history of the trail.
nomi97's review against another edition
5.0
As a travelogue this is comparable to the ones Ibn-e-Insha wrote; and this, for me, is compliment enough.
brontherun's review against another edition
3.0
Camino books are a strange breed of travel memoir. This one felt somewhat dated to me, published in 1994, and perhaps that is why it didn't resonate with me as much as some of the recent accounts.
Hitt does do a great job of steeping you in the history of the road, the crusades, and the nature of relics that play a crucial role in the growth of Santiago as a pilgrimage site. Relics are such a fascinating thing for me - be they religious or secular (one of my favorite books centers around Descartes' bones). The mysteries, miracles, and magnetism of relics created their own economy and impacted the course of organized religion.
Per Hitt, "Relics were valuable for many reasons. They attracted throngs of worshipers. They raised funds. They created prestige and celebrity. They caused miracles." Ah, the power of relics! It is genuinely fascinating to read about the economic boom-bust cycle they created.
Miracles, sainthood, and how the Catholic Church and Popes sort these issues out is also discussed and examined. Sometimes the sheer proliferation of local miracles (for local, think miracles equivalent to modern images of the Virgin Mary in potato chips) became problematic. "In Rome, the task of controlling the outbreak of miracles and streamlining their meaning became a thousand-year nightmare." Imagine the Popes having to deal - for a millennium - with spin control of people all over Christendom reporting miracles. It would be, say, like Mark Zuckerberg trying to control inaccurate content on his social media sites.
So all the history and his colorful commentary on history would have likely led me to strongly recommend Hitt's account of the Camino. Except, his pilgrimage experience was so alien from mine -drunken nights out, walking with two mules as part of his pilgrim group- that it lent a feel of unreality to the journey that he lost me. I get his description of the pilgrim unplugged from technology and the velocity of the interconnected world. That has only become more significant since 1994. But overall, it felt like he was looking for unique 'characters' with whom to walk, and perhaps that is why he chose to align with the groups he did.
Hitt does do a great job of steeping you in the history of the road, the crusades, and the nature of relics that play a crucial role in the growth of Santiago as a pilgrimage site. Relics are such a fascinating thing for me - be they religious or secular (one of my favorite books centers around Descartes' bones). The mysteries, miracles, and magnetism of relics created their own economy and impacted the course of organized religion.
Per Hitt, "Relics were valuable for many reasons. They attracted throngs of worshipers. They raised funds. They created prestige and celebrity. They caused miracles." Ah, the power of relics! It is genuinely fascinating to read about the economic boom-bust cycle they created.
Miracles, sainthood, and how the Catholic Church and Popes sort these issues out is also discussed and examined. Sometimes the sheer proliferation of local miracles (for local, think miracles equivalent to modern images of the Virgin Mary in potato chips) became problematic. "In Rome, the task of controlling the outbreak of miracles and streamlining their meaning became a thousand-year nightmare." Imagine the Popes having to deal - for a millennium - with spin control of people all over Christendom reporting miracles. It would be, say, like Mark Zuckerberg trying to control inaccurate content on his social media sites.
So all the history and his colorful commentary on history would have likely led me to strongly recommend Hitt's account of the Camino. Except, his pilgrimage experience was so alien from mine -drunken nights out, walking with two mules as part of his pilgrim group- that it lent a feel of unreality to the journey that he lost me. I get his description of the pilgrim unplugged from technology and the velocity of the interconnected world. That has only become more significant since 1994. But overall, it felt like he was looking for unique 'characters' with whom to walk, and perhaps that is why he chose to align with the groups he did.
booktalkwithkarla's review against another edition
3.0
Your journey is your journey. Since a few friends and I are walking to Santiago de Compostela in the Spring of 2020 I am enjoying reading about other’s experiences. This one focused on the history of the route and the personal encounters of the author as a pilgrim. There were interesting facts and commentaries. It is unclear to me whether I disagree with his take on things or am just saddened that the religious aspects of the pilgrimage are denounced. Either way, I didn’t like some of what I read about. Since I have yet to experience the walk I will reserve final judgment.
I am anxious to have my own journey to Santiago and appreciate that Hitt gave us more than just a diary of his walk.
I am anxious to have my own journey to Santiago and appreciate that Hitt gave us more than just a diary of his walk.