Tag Camino de Santiago

Seven Novels That I Still Can’t Put Down

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

Looking for a novel with a compelling human angle? Here are seven I enjoyed very much; click on the links to read my brief reviews. I would love to hear your thoughts about any or all of them.

Boy at the Crossroads, by Mary Ford. Conley Ford, 13 years old, can no longer cope with his impoverished life that includes an abusive father. Bad choices on the road are offset by his appearance that makes him look 17. His final crossroad may surprise you.

Camino Club, by Kevin Craig. Six wayward teenagers are sentenced for their crimes. Their punishment–to walk Spain’s Camino de Santiago–delivers them to places they never imagined. I almost finished this in one day, it was such a gripping story.

Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. Siddhartha is a handsome young Brahman who is wealthy, exceptionally intelligent, and loved. He seems to have it all, but he feels unfulfilled. In this classic, he sets out to find fulfillment.

13 Reasons Why, by Jay Asher. Whether or not you watched the popular Netflix series, this book weaves depression and teen angst with scenes of bullying, rumor-mongering, stalking, lying, and a horrific crime. A teen suicide sets off the intriguing story.

The Humans, by Matt Haig. A sci-fi story by one of the most-read British authors. An alien comes to Earth with a mission to kill, but human nature intercedes–in most cases. A moving story with playful scenes. One of the best books I have read in 2023.

Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt. I loved this book so much that I sent a copy to each of my three adult sons. To be honest, I wished they were kids again and I could read it aloud with them, like I did with countless stories when they were growing up. A coming-of-age story that will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart. Truly an exceptional book.

The Only Way Home, by Jeanette Minniti. It is 1933, the depth of the Great Depression and the low point of 15-year-old Robert’s life. His father has died and his mother seeks ways to feed her five children. They lose their home and move into a tiny house. Robert, like many other older children of the times, makes decisions adults would find daunting.

Walking With Sam: A Moving Father-Son Story

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

Shattered by 100-degree weather, a tired body, and the frustration of trying to break through to a 19-year-old, Andrew McCarthy yells at this son to stop walking in the middle of the road, then wishes he could be more patient.

In Walking With Sam, the actor and best-selling author writes that he is annoyed with himself for falling into the role of parent too often. But, what’s a father to do when your kid is ignoring common sense on a road in Spain?

Earlier, at home in New York City in 2021, McCarthy, hungry for time with Sam, asks his son if he will go for a walk with him–in Spain, on the 500-mile Camino de Santiago. In a moment of weakness, or perhaps strength, Sam agrees, and his dad books tickets before the kid/adult changes his mind. Two days later, they are in St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, France, the starting point for many who walk the pilgrimage path over the Pyrenees Mountains and across northern Spain to Santiago de Compestella.

McCarthy, who doesn’t want to be known primarily as one of the Brat Pack actors of the 1980s, writes with raw emotion, honesty, and simple eloquence. Walking With Sam is a personal story, but it is also a Camino book, sprinkled with history and descriptions of life on the Camino. They carry their stuff in backpacks and stay in private rooms rather than albergue dormitories.

I wanted even more depth from the father-son dialogue, but I expect that they may have felt the same way during the trek. There are melt downs as well as laughs. They form relationships with fellow pilgrims and, most of the time Andrew McCarthy can be a regular guy, not recognized in Spain for his acting fame. (Sam has also acted professionally, most notably in the TV series, Dead to Me.)

Andrew McCarthy is fortunate that his son was willing to spend so much time with him. Conversely, Sam benefits from a father who values his son so much that he will drop everything for weeks to go on a trip with him. Although it will probably take time for the experience to settle with both men, Sam blurts out his evaluation at the end of the Camino.

It was Andrew’s second time on the Camino, the first coming 25 years earlier. He wrote about that walk and several other adventures in The Longest Way Home, published in 2013. It is an engrossing story.