msethna's review
5.0
I picked up this book from the library strictly based on the cover and the brief description inside. I hadn't heard anything about it from other bloggers beforehand and that is surprising. This book is beyond beautiful. Once I started it, I could not put it down.
The word "home" is has different meanings for different people. For me, home is where I grew up and where I now raise my own family. For those in the military, "home" takes on it's own meaning. Home = family - where ever that may be. Beneath Wandering Stars gives us a glimpse of how important family is for those in the military and the importance of believing that they will come home.
I loved delving into the internal struggles that both Gabi and Seth dealt with as they pilgrimaged across Camino de Santiago in honor of Gabi's brother, Lucas who was wounded in Afghanistan. Gabi struggled finding her way in their newest home on a military base in Germany. Leaving behind her boyfriend and many close friends. Seth had his own inner demons too - fighting memories of the war and what happened to Lucas. Not only did I learn about the lives of children in military families, but I also was able to see in the window of a soldier returning home from the war just trying to fit back in.
Beneath Wandering Stars is a #mustread2017! I can't recommend this book enough.
The word "home" is has different meanings for different people. For me, home is where I grew up and where I now raise my own family. For those in the military, "home" takes on it's own meaning. Home = family - where ever that may be. Beneath Wandering Stars gives us a glimpse of how important family is for those in the military and the importance of believing that they will come home.
I loved delving into the internal struggles that both Gabi and Seth dealt with as they pilgrimaged across Camino de Santiago in honor of Gabi's brother, Lucas who was wounded in Afghanistan. Gabi struggled finding her way in their newest home on a military base in Germany. Leaving behind her boyfriend and many close friends. Seth had his own inner demons too - fighting memories of the war and what happened to Lucas. Not only did I learn about the lives of children in military families, but I also was able to see in the window of a soldier returning home from the war just trying to fit back in.
Beneath Wandering Stars is a #mustread2017! I can't recommend this book enough.
mazza57's review
3.0
The blurb in GR is just wrong this is not a promise she made for an "in the event situation" but one extracted from her after the event. It has some "tweeness" about it but this came together in the latter half.
liralen's review
4.0
I miss the Camino—I miss the friends I made walking it, I miss having nothing to do but walk, I miss the satisfaction of throbbingly sore feet at the end of the day. But it'll be a while before I can do anything like it again, so in the meantime...books.
Beneath Wandering Stars is one of the few fictional accounts I've found of the Camino. Here, Gabi takes to the road in the name of her older brother, Lucas, who has been severely wounded in Afghanistan. (The cover copy says that she's honouring a vow, but that's not true—prior to her brother's injury, Gabi had heard of the Camino, but that's it. She learns from Lucas's best friend, Seth, that Lucas wanted them to do the Camino if he were to be injured or killed.) She's accompanied by Seth, who is also a soldier and served with Lucas in Afghanistan.
As a book, separate from my personal knowledge of the Camino, I appreciate that Cowles brings a lot more in here that the Camino itself—there are layers of story. The Camino does not much matter to Gabi except that it gives her some tenuous connection to her brother and lets her hope that, just maybe, she's doing something that will help him.
The way the Camino is depicted here...I'm not sure. Gabi and Seth have a lot more excitement along the way than I'd expect, although nothing impossible and I suppose fiction does tend to up the ante when it can. It's not clear exactly when this is set, but presumably within the last few years, and some of the details are off. For example: to the best of my knowledge, there isn't a direct train from Paris to St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port (a very very common starting point for the Camino, and where Gabi and Seth get started) (53). A French man will not address a girl as 'mon chéri' (58); the appropriate French would be 'ma chérie' (or, more likely, 'ma chère'). The albergue at Roncesvalles is no longer 'a dank and drafty monastery' (62)—I cannot find exact details on the whens and hows, but the present-day albergue has been functioning since 2011 and is clean and modern. I never saw an Internet café that charged 2€ for ten minutes (77)—more like 2€ for an hour. (My personal info is from 2015—I didn't have a smartphone and was reliant on coin-operated computers for email and the like—but posts on Camino forums from earlier years say pretty much the same thing.) Gabi's knowledge of the Camino (and the cathedral in Santiago) is really scattered—she knows what, and where, the Tree of Jesse is, and calls the Pórtico da Gloria by name (230), but has never heard of the botafumeiro (231)...which, I guess so. Maybe. (Not really.)
That's all splitting hairs, I know, and it doesn't really matter except that it's little mismatched details that tend to take me out of a story. A bigger question: Gabi and Seth, due to time constraints, bus through the meseta (a dry, flat stretch of walking—about a week's worth—between Burgos and León). It's not uncommon—a lot of pilgrims choose to skip the meseta, and it's not a 'wrong' thing (to do or to write about), but to me it's a slightly puzzling choice for a fictional narrative, simply because it's such a rich landscape for tension. I rather wonder whether that was a portion of the Camino that Cowles did not walk, and thus a portion that she did not write about?
But. All that being said: This steps outside the bounds of both standard YA and standard Camino memoir, and it's the better for it. Worth the read.
Beneath Wandering Stars is one of the few fictional accounts I've found of the Camino. Here, Gabi takes to the road in the name of her older brother, Lucas, who has been severely wounded in Afghanistan. (The cover copy says that she's honouring a vow, but that's not true—prior to her brother's injury, Gabi had heard of the Camino, but that's it. She learns from Lucas's best friend, Seth, that Lucas wanted them to do the Camino if he were to be injured or killed.) She's accompanied by Seth, who is also a soldier and served with Lucas in Afghanistan.
As a book, separate from my personal knowledge of the Camino, I appreciate that Cowles brings a lot more in here that the Camino itself—there are layers of story. The Camino does not much matter to Gabi except that it gives her some tenuous connection to her brother and lets her hope that, just maybe, she's doing something that will help him.
The way the Camino is depicted here...I'm not sure. Gabi and Seth have a lot more excitement along the way than I'd expect, although nothing impossible and I suppose fiction does tend to up the ante when it can. It's not clear exactly when this is set, but presumably within the last few years, and some of the details are off. For example: to the best of my knowledge, there isn't a direct train from Paris to St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port (a very very common starting point for the Camino, and where Gabi and Seth get started) (53). A French man will not address a girl as 'mon chéri' (58); the appropriate French would be 'ma chérie' (or, more likely, 'ma chère'). The albergue at Roncesvalles is no longer 'a dank and drafty monastery' (62)—I cannot find exact details on the whens and hows, but the present-day albergue has been functioning since 2011 and is clean and modern. I never saw an Internet café that charged 2€ for ten minutes (77)—more like 2€ for an hour. (My personal info is from 2015—I didn't have a smartphone and was reliant on coin-operated computers for email and the like—but posts on Camino forums from earlier years say pretty much the same thing.) Gabi's knowledge of the Camino (and the cathedral in Santiago) is really scattered—she knows what, and where, the Tree of Jesse is, and calls the Pórtico da Gloria by name (230), but has never heard of the botafumeiro (231)...which, I guess so. Maybe. (Not really.)
That's all splitting hairs, I know, and it doesn't really matter except that it's little mismatched details that tend to take me out of a story. A bigger question: Gabi and Seth, due to time constraints, bus through the meseta (a dry, flat stretch of walking—about a week's worth—between Burgos and León). It's not uncommon—a lot of pilgrims choose to skip the meseta, and it's not a 'wrong' thing (to do or to write about), but to me it's a slightly puzzling choice for a fictional narrative, simply because it's such a rich landscape for tension. I rather wonder whether that was a portion of the Camino that Cowles did not walk, and thus a portion that she did not write about?
But. All that being said: This steps outside the bounds of both standard YA and standard Camino memoir, and it's the better for it. Worth the read.
amanda1620's review
2.0
When I read the synopsis of this book, I was quite excited and have high expectations for this book. The main character, is quite bratty, despite being a military brat. She's too naive and seems to be very flippant about her problems regarding her brother and the boyfriend and her brother's best friend. It also feels like a travel book, instead of a story.
hazelstaybookish's review
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5 (though I'm super tempted to rate this up)
This is the YA travel book I've been craving since I finished Gayle Forman's Just One Day duology! And omg there's love-hate girl+brother's best friend romance okayyyy
This is the YA travel book I've been craving since I finished Gayle Forman's Just One Day duology! And omg there's love-hate girl+brother's best friend romance okayyyy
patsaintsfan's review
5.0
This might be the first YA labeled book that reads much more maturely. It was a complete surprise, and a delight. I connected with this book in a lot if levels, and I have no doubt those similarities solidified the 5 stars from me! Having a father who is retired from the Army, I spent a lot of time on bases, experiencing the "brat" life. I love hiking, and everything one learns during those personal adventures... For a debut, Ms. Cowles told a beautiful story!
jenhart's review
4.0
I was skeptical of the premise of this book and the set up for yet another stereotypical YA romance. What a wonderful surprise this book was. The core of the story was not a contrived romance, but rather an exploration of the importance of family and power of pilgrimage to bring about healing.
There were moments of shallow YA romance, but they were few and easily overlooked. Beautiful book.
There were moments of shallow YA romance, but they were few and easily overlooked. Beautiful book.
gsilva13's review
3.0
3.5 stars
I liked the overall direction that this book took and just rating that I would have given it a 4.5.
But, even though I loved that the book was trying to be bilingual, some of the Spanish thrown in there sounded really awkward to read. Don't get me wrong. I liked the Spanish, but I would have liked it more if it'd been more cohesive when read together eight the English text.
I liked the overall direction that this book took and just rating that I would have given it a 4.5.
But, even though I loved that the book was trying to be bilingual, some of the Spanish thrown in there sounded really awkward to read. Don't get me wrong. I liked the Spanish, but I would have liked it more if it'd been more cohesive when read together eight the English text.
mademoisellebookish's review
5.0
4.5/5
This book is about a military brat whose brother has been WIA and is in a coma. She walks the Camino de Santiago as a tribute to him. She has to go on this trip with her brother's best friend who she hates, which is love story waiting happen. This book is about family, friendship, love, and self-discovery. It was simply written and realistic. It's the type of story where going in you think you know what's gonna happen but it exceeds your expectations. The people she meets on the pilgrimage were such great characters. I loved it so much that I finished it in one sitting.
This book is about a military brat whose brother has been WIA and is in a coma. She walks the Camino de Santiago as a tribute to him. She has to go on this trip with her brother's best friend who she hates, which is love story waiting happen. This book is about family, friendship, love, and self-discovery. It was simply written and realistic. It's the type of story where going in you think you know what's gonna happen but it exceeds your expectations. The people she meets on the pilgrimage were such great characters. I loved it so much that I finished it in one sitting.