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agrippinaes's review against another edition
3.0
I have conflicting feelings about this book. On one hand, it was an easy read; I sped through it, despite a rough start with the writing style (more on that in a moment), and the content was interesting. The book is split into chapters, each focusing on a different woman in history and her experiences as a walker. Each chapter finishes with the author’s personal reflections on the woman in question, and how it influenced her own experiences as a walker.
The women the book focuses on are mixed; some of them are very famous, such as Virginia Woolf, whilst others I had never heard of. It makes for interesting reading as the book explores their reasons for walking, their experiences, and how it impacted their life and, in most cases, their writing. It also managed an impressive feat of making me feel like going on a hike, which, as someone who generally hates physical exercise, this was quite impressive!
The writing style of this book is, most of the time, very readable; the style is simple and in the individual chapters Andrews often does not dwell too much on aspects of their lifestyle which goes beyond walking. I found this style at its best, and most effective, in the early chapters; in the later ones, this was where my feelings towards this book become conflicted. Going back to my initial thoughts on this book – the opening chapter felt very wordy, padded out, and with too much theoretical – and at times metaphorical – language. I was glad when this slipped away as the book found its rhythm. However, as the women under discussion became more recent – and, I suspect, there was more information at hand about them and their lives – this wordy writing style came back. When this book focused on walking and their experiences, it was very strong, but when it attempted to analyse its influence on them as writers, I personally felt it struggled a bit. It became very dense and hard to follow and I struggled to work out who the target audience of the book was. These parts felt too academic, too technical, in my opinion.
Because of this I found the latter chapters of this book a bit dull and hard to read, and I began to lose a bit of interest. It sort of meandered the more recent the topic became; the earlier chapters were more succinct and, I suppose, focused on being a ‘history’ of women walking.
That said, I can’t deny this book did touch something inside me. The idea of these women through time was so fascinating; the idea of walking as a groundbreaking, revolutionary act, and how many of them were courted controversy because of it, was interesting to explore. I loved the idea of women gaining confidence in themselves through walking intriguing. My favourite concept in the book was the idea of how powerful a woman’s body can be: what it can achieve, how you can take pride in your physical body doing what it is meant to. This was powerful, and effective. I just wish that the writing had been a bit tighter – and more accessible - throughout.
Content Notes:
Warnings:
The women the book focuses on are mixed; some of them are very famous, such as Virginia Woolf, whilst others I had never heard of. It makes for interesting reading as the book explores their reasons for walking, their experiences, and how it impacted their life and, in most cases, their writing. It also managed an impressive feat of making me feel like going on a hike, which, as someone who generally hates physical exercise, this was quite impressive!
The writing style of this book is, most of the time, very readable; the style is simple and in the individual chapters Andrews often does not dwell too much on aspects of their lifestyle which goes beyond walking. I found this style at its best, and most effective, in the early chapters; in the later ones, this was where my feelings towards this book become conflicted. Going back to my initial thoughts on this book – the opening chapter felt very wordy, padded out, and with too much theoretical – and at times metaphorical – language. I was glad when this slipped away as the book found its rhythm. However, as the women under discussion became more recent – and, I suspect, there was more information at hand about them and their lives – this wordy writing style came back. When this book focused on walking and their experiences, it was very strong, but when it attempted to analyse its influence on them as writers, I personally felt it struggled a bit. It became very dense and hard to follow and I struggled to work out who the target audience of the book was. These parts felt too academic, too technical, in my opinion.
Because of this I found the latter chapters of this book a bit dull and hard to read, and I began to lose a bit of interest. It sort of meandered the more recent the topic became; the earlier chapters were more succinct and, I suppose, focused on being a ‘history’ of women walking.
That said, I can’t deny this book did touch something inside me. The idea of these women through time was so fascinating; the idea of walking as a groundbreaking, revolutionary act, and how many of them were courted controversy because of it, was interesting to explore. I loved the idea of women gaining confidence in themselves through walking intriguing. My favourite concept in the book was the idea of how powerful a woman’s body can be: what it can achieve, how you can take pride in your physical body doing what it is meant to. This was powerful, and effective. I just wish that the writing had been a bit tighter – and more accessible - throughout.
Content Notes:
Warnings:
Spoiler
References throughout to sexual violence, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, complications with childbirth, death in childbirth, dementia, intimate partner violence, controlling behaviour, death, death of a sibling, death of a parent, death of a child, chronic illness, heart conditions, infidelity/cheating, divorce.tamisiobhan's review against another edition
4.0
I saw this on Amazon, liked its look, and thought it would be interesting to read. Growing up I walked but it was more like my parents dragging me up mountains whereas now the roles are reversed. I love walking and would rather be out experiencing new trails than sat in front of the telly. The book did not disappoint me. I knew there would be researched information within but the author has interwoven the research, the past and the present day so well, it was easy and a free-flowing read.
The author has chosen ten walker-writers across a 300 year period who have a part of her own walking experiences. Whether these women have chosen to walk for their mental and physical health, for companionship with others or nature, regardless of potential vulnerabilities, have written about their adventures or these adventures inspired works they have done. This book not only made me want to put on my hiking boots and get out the door, it has also made me want to look into the works written by the women in this book and others mentioned.
The author has chosen ten walker-writers across a 300 year period who have a part of her own walking experiences. Whether these women have chosen to walk for their mental and physical health, for companionship with others or nature, regardless of potential vulnerabilities, have written about their adventures or these adventures inspired works they have done. This book not only made me want to put on my hiking boots and get out the door, it has also made me want to look into the works written by the women in this book and others mentioned.
sakurastarr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0