Review by Booklist Review
Zoe, an American artist, walks the Camino de Santiago to cope with her husband's death. Meanwhile, Martin, a divorced British engineer, tests out his latest contraption a one-wheeled cart on that same trail. The Camino is an ancient pilgrimage route that guarantees to change you, and as doubtful as that promise sounds to Zoe and Martin, they find it to be true. Separately, they begin their trek enduring the winter and meeting generous strangers until they eventually cross paths. Their hesitant friendship blossoms into romance, but they also take the time to be alone and reckon with the bleak pasts they've tried to suppress. Husband-and-wife team Simsion (The Best of Adam Sharp, 2017) and Buist (Medea's Curse, 2016) have collaborated on this heartwarming tale of grief, forgiveness, healing, and determination. The eclectic cast of characters including rowdy Brazilians and an opportunistic German adds zest to an otherwise introspective journey in search of inner peace. Like a fictional variation of Cheryl Strayed's Wild (2012), Two Steps Forward will appeal to hikers, travelers, and the downtrodden.--Hyzy, Biz Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Buist (Medea's Curse) and Simsion (The Rosie Project) collaborate on this uneven dual-protagonist story about a California widow and a divorced Brit who find one another on the Chemin, a spiritual walking route that winds through France and Spain. After losing her second husband, Keith, to what she suspects was a suicide, 45-year-old mom Zoe Witt takes up her old pal Camille's invitation to visit her in France. Zoe learns about the Chemin and participates on a whim, despite her aversions to the walk's religious origins (she was raised Roman Catholic, but has been at odds with her faith since her mother disowned her for taking her friend to get an abortion in college). Martin Eden, 52, is an engineering professor who thinks the Chemin will be a good way to test a new cart design from which he hopes to profit. He is also still smarting from the fact that his ex-wife cheated on him with his boss. Zoe and Martin get the wrong impression of one another at first, and then over and over again. The will-they-or-won't-they tension grows old fast as miscommunications keeps them from consummating their affections-a shame since their love story is the least interesting part of the novel. Their interactions with fellow travelers from around the world, as well as their own fraught histories-Zoe's with the Church, Martin with his teen daughter, Sarah-are the true highlights. Though readers may not fall in love with the central romance, they'll appreciate everything else. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
After her husband's sudden death, California artist Zoe finds herself lost and left in massive debt. With her last dollars, she sets out to visit her college roommate Camille in France. However, upon arrival at Camille's hometown, Zoe's attention is caught by a scallop shell necklace in an antiques store. The shell, she discovers, is the symbol of a centuries-old pilgrimage known as the Chemin, or Camino de Santiago, which ends in northern Spain. On a whim, Zoe decides to walk the route, aiming to make it to the Spanish border. Her path initially crosses Martin's at their departure point when she mistakenly believes she has caught him trying to steal from the camping store. In reality, Martin, an engineering professor who is road-testing a cart he designed for long-distance walkers, is newly divorced. Although the two have been brought to the Chemin for different reasons, Martin and Zoe begin to connect over their difficult pasts. VERDICT -Simsion (The Rosie Project) and Australian psychiatrist Buist have written an insightful study of loss, grief, and the possibility of romance after. Though the story sags at times, it's easy to imagine walking the Chemin along with Zoe and -Martin as they encounter other pilgrims along the way. [See Prepub Alert, 11/6/17.]-Brooke Bolton, Boonville-Warrick Cty. P.L., IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two unexpected pilgrims find friendship--and themselves--on the Camino de Santiago.Zoe is a recently widowed mother of grown daughters from California who decides to deal with her grief by visiting an old college friend in the south of France, a choice that leads her to spontaneously decide to do the pilgrimage walk. Martin is an engineer from England who decides to road test the prototype of a new cart design on the Camino while avoiding dealing with the repercussions of a messy divorce and its effects on his relationship with his teenage daughter. Despite a rocky start in Cluny, the two find they enjoy walking with each other and unknowingly push each other to deal with the problems they've been running from. Zoe and Martin are refreshing protagonists, written in alternating first-person chapters by Australian husband-and-wife team Simsion (The Best of Adam Sharp, 2017, etc.) and Buist (Dangerous to Know, 2016, etc.) in alternating chapters, both characters comfortably middle aged and dealing with more mature problems than the average 20-something backpacker. Their walk is littered with characters who come and go along the path, Brazilians and Germans and Italians adding pockets of drama as they weave in and out of each other's Camino. The story resonates with authenticity, as the authors themselves have walked the Camino twice before, allowing them to ground the plot with small details and observations that could come only from someone who's lived it. Affection for the experience pours from every paragraph. The feeling of camaraderie between strangers from around the world brings a warmth to the narrative, making it personal, real, and inviting.With wit and wisdom, Simsion and Buist have crafted a novel that will have readers wanting to walk a Camino of their own.
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