A Way: The story of a long walk

by Jenna Smith, Gordon MacDonald (Contributor)

But why? Why would a young urbanite leave the comforts of home and walk 65 days through rain and hail and scorching sun? So begins A Way, the recounting of a young woman's pilgrimage along the Camino di Santiago from France through Spain, with nothing more than the bag on her back and her husband by her side. It tells of the people met (the quirky ones, the lost ones, the kind and unforgettable ones), the physical discomforts endured (and oh, how many there were) and of the road travelled (all 1065 miles of it). It reveals how a sacred pilgrimage can bring about the most unsacred of experiences. It is a memoir, intertwined with reflections from the walking and lessons learned on the road about time, about the body, and about community. But most of all, it's a story. The story of a long walk.

Genres: Religion, Travel

264 pages, Paperback

First published April 26, 2014

About the author

Jenna Smith was born and raised in Montreal. She holds a masters degree in theology from Université de Montréal and was awarded the Dean's Prize for her thesis in 2011. She is the founding director of Innovation Youth, an inner city centre for teens and their families, offering education, life skills and community development services. When she’s not leaving a trail of cookbooks and yarn behind her, you can usually find her biking on her way to the community garden.

Reviews

[Julia]

It took me 3 days to read this book, and that's only because I have a job! It was wonderful! A Way made me cry and reflect and I laughed out loud a lot. I now feel like I really want to do this pilgrimage, and at the same time I feel like I've already done it in some way through this book. I could see the scenery, got to know the people, and felt the aches of the journey. I will be reading it again soon!

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jenna Smith gives a heartfelt chronicle of her Camino De Santiago Pilgrimage with her husband. Spiritual, practical and uniting, her narrative offers everything from travelogue to couples counseling. This is not a manual on how to do a Camino Pilgrimage. Short and soul searching, you will meet colorful characters and see nature and pavement on the Camino as you walk with Jenna. It's a good journey.

[Anthony Stancomb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming little road tale of one couple’s long walk to Compostella. What comes over clearest, is what nice people they are and what a good gentle dynamic they have together. It’s all rather down to earth as we follow their tribulations of blisters, peeing in open air, cold and wet underwear, and this is told with such refreshing candour that it comes over as peppy rather than grizzly. Being the sort of people they are, they strike up friendships with other travellers from several countries, many of whom are decidedly odd. Some make charming companions, and some are infuriating, but they are all skilfully described. Along the way they also get to eat some strange dishes such as Aligot, and come across some strange eating habits, and all the beauties around them are colourfully recorded.
A times there are passages of religious reflection as we listen to the author’s take on life, and her reasons for doing the walk, but it’s written with a lightness of touch that makes for easy reading, and provides a good break from the travel story – as do her soliloquies on the power of the mind and body to overcome physical adversities. Added to this are her occasional tales of the social service cases she has worked on.
I’ve always wondered why people torture themselves by suffering horribly on such a long and gruelling walk (over 1000 miles) and I still don’t really comprehend it, but by the end of the book, I got quite caught up with the gusto of it all, and was beginning to get a glimmering of why so many still do it!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in 2 day flat with 2 toddlers crawling all over me, so you know I was engrossed. I'm fascinated by the hiking and cultural details, but the religious and personal reflections really made the book for me. I also really enjoyed Wild by Cheryl Strayed when I read it last year, but I found this book much more relatable and suspect it will stick with me longer.

[caroline filler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. Funny, deep.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worth a read even if you're not on your way to the Camino. Thank you Jenna!

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned a bit about the Camino pilgrimage from this book but, to be honest, the narrative felt flat. I didn't see a lot of character development, nor does the story have much of an arc. I've read other pilgrimage/hiking books that weave a better story. The other thing that struck me about this book (which has nothing to do with the writer or the story, by the way) is the tiny font and somewhat unusual margins in the print layout. Nonetheless, kudos to the author for such undertaking such a physical and emotional feat.