Review by Booklist Review
Winn inspired many readers and hikers with her first two memoirs, The Salt Path (2019) and The Wild Silence (2021). Now installed on a little Cornish farm with husband Moth's health in steep decline, Winn worries that Moth is approaching his final days. To buy them more time, she prods Moth back "onto the path," but he fears that his finally diagnosed disease is too far gone. He complains and resists, she feels guilty, but they persist, starting their trek in northwest Scotland. While neither destitute nor without a home (as they were in The Salt Path), they now face the insurmountable-seeming difficulties of Moth's health. As they trudge on, nearly imperceptibly, Moth gains strength and confidence; his mood lightens and symptoms mitigate. Encouraged, he urges them to walk far beyond the intended end of their trip, pressing ever onward. This is a story of grit and persistence, but most importantly, a tale of putting oneself "in the way of hope." Readers familiar with the couple's previous adventures especially will love this third installment.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Walking can be healing, as Winn (The Wild Science) found. She and her husband Moth have walked long distances in different countries over the decades, including after his diagnosis of an incurable, degenerative disease, which Winn described in The Salt Path. That journey helped Moth's health, but as it worsens amid the pandemic, the author hopes another trek will work again. In the vein of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, this book takes readers on the couple's journey in a narrative sprinkled with character anecdotes and vivid scenic descriptions. They come across kind, sometimes strange people--and maybe a ghost, although Winn doesn't call it that. History, politics, and environmental issues are explored as the couple battle blisters, relentless insects, and temperamental weather. The dangers are real, both in nature and as human ailments, which keeps readers invested in the story. The author doesn't shy away from expressing fears and doubts about both her and her husband's abilities. VERDICT Hope and determination in the face of all odds drive this engrossing book. Readers who have undertaken caretaking responsibilities for loved ones will find much to relate to in this honest depiction.--Elissa Cooper
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Over mountain and moor, nourished and restored by wilderness. Eight years after Moth Winn was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder, he and his wife, Raynor, set out on a valedictory walk of epic length: a four-month, 1,000-mile trek from the Scottish Highlands back to their home in southwest England. Though they embarked during the height of the pandemic, they were encouraged by the possibility that intense physical exertion could work its magic and forestall the worsening of his condition. This affecting chronicle continues the narrative of Raynor's previous two books, The Salt Path and The Wild Silence, with the customary observations on environmental degradation and human shortsightedness. The text is also an engaging travelogue and a powerful evocation of place and personality, rugged landscapes and distinctive cultures. It may be a cliché to say this book is inspiring, yet it is, and it's every bit as much about the Winns' inner lives as their adventure. The narrative is so vividly drawn and emotionally resonant that most readers will come to feel like one of the family, sharing their pain and uncertainty and eventual triumph. Above all, there is the strength and durability of their marriage, which has weathered homelessness as well as illness. If, occasionally, her otherwise admirable ecological awareness skirts the precipice of sermonizing, it can be forgiven, so fundamental is her devotion to the wild and belief in its healing powers. One's admiration for the Winns runs so deep it seems churlish to say her account may strain credulity here and there, but readers will give her the benefit of the doubt. This is an unforgettable story about fragility girded by resolve and the courage to keep going, even if it's just that one more step, and to hold fast to hope. Winn exudes the soul of a poet and the grit of a survivor. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
