Follow that Arrow

by Gwen Van Velsor

After losing her center, her marriage, and her future in one stroke, Gwen Van Velsor set off to find a new path. She traveled across the United States before finding her way to the Camino de Santiago, a journey that would redefine her life. Her story is a reflection on love, faith and the food that got her here from there.

Genres: Travel, Memoir

162 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2016

About the author

Gwen Van Velsor writes creative nonfiction and pseudo-inspirational prose. She started Yellow Arrow Publishing, a project that publishes and supports writers who identify as women in 2016. Raised in Portland, Oregon, Gwen has moved many times, from sea to shining sea, now calling Highlandtown, Baltimore her forever home. Her major accomplishments include walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain, raising a toddler, and being OK with life exactly as it is. Her memoir, Follow That Arrow, was published in 2016.

Reviews

[Lisa J Shultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a perfect book for my vacation. I traveled in my mind the author's journey along the Camino de Santiago as I sat on the beach. Loved the recipes she added to certain parts of the story. Delightful.

[Jana Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of All I Want to Start Off by Thanking Gwen Van Velsor & Goodreads for this Awesome Book "Follow the Arrow" that I Won in a Goodreads Giveaway! I Also Want to Apologize for the Review that Comes a Little Late b/c I Have Been Feeling Not So Good Lately and I Just Recently Got to Read this Fantastic Book but I Read it Pretty Quickly Once I Started it b/c You Become Very Interested in the Story Pretty Quickly! This Book is Actually a Story About the Author Gwen and Some of the Obstacles She Had to Overcome & the Journey of Self Discovery She Went On! It Kind of Reminds Me of the Book "Eat, Pray, Love" b/c There is a Lot of Traveling, Eating, Praying, Crying, & Happiness! You Feel Like You are Traveling Along with Gwen and You Get to Meet All of the Nice, Colorful Characters She Encounters Along the Way! I'm So Envious of Gwen b/c She Has So Many Wonderful Friends and She Gets to Travel to Some of the Most Beautiful & Historical Places Like Camino de Santiago and I Have Not Even Been on an Airplane! I Love the Way the Author Describes Her Setting & the People b/c it Really Gives You an Accurate Portrayal of Everything So You Can Really Picture Who & What She Interacts with! I Also Love the Cool Recipes She Includes in the Book b/c if I Can't Go Along with Her on the Journey At Least I Can Experience What She Experienced by Tasting the Foods She Ate & Drinking the Drinks She Drank! I Can Relate a Lot to Gwen and I Know So Much What it's Like to Feel Lost & to Not Know Where You Belong and I Can Definitely Relate to the Heartache & Sadness She Experienced but My Heart Goes Out to Her None the Less! I'm Very Happy for Gwen that She Overcame Her Own Personal Obstacles & that it Made Her a Stronger Person! I'm Happy that She Found Her Place, Experienced Real Love Again, and that She Also Found Her Way to God! There is So Many Great Things About this Book & I Would Recommend this Book to Just About Everyone, I Wish I Could Say More but I Don't Know How to do That Without Giving Away Too Much! I Truthfully Loved this Book and I Hope Gwen Might Write Another Awesome Book in the Future! Thanks So Much Gwen for Opening Up & Sharing All of Your Personal Experiences with Us! Thanks Again, Have a Blessed Day! - Lots of Love, Jana

[Debbie Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once I started reading it, I fell in love.
It's a memoir. It's reflective.  Two things I love.
She grew up in the Pacific Northwest.  I did too (this had nothing to do with the story, I just found it interesting)
She's a coffee drinker and a walker on a spiritual quest.
AND a food blogger! (She had me at Food Blogger)

She's what I imagine myself to be.
She actually does these things  (I just think about them), and writes about her experiences.

I thought she wrote well, it flowed well and kept me turning the page.

The thing is--I felt very connected to Gwen's story.
I felt as if I knew her journey on the Camino de Santiago,  because in a strange coincidence, I know at least 5 people  who have walked the Camino, from my small little town .
One is my Friday Night Dinner Friend, and one I saw at book club last night. (now bookclub thinks we should walk the Camino next March).

On the back of her book, the description says that her story is: a reflection on love, faith and the food that got her here from there.
I wish I had written that, because that it in a nutshell.
I enjoyed the story.

[Cija Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect companion for someone at the crossroads of life. Of course there are many crossroads in life, and in Follow that Arrow Van Velsor has just experienced a major life shift. She recounts the dissolution of her marriage and life as she knew it, but she also rediscovers who she is as an individual as she travels solo along the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage path in Spain.

My favorite details were those about her traveling partners and the simple pleasures in life—like a clean bunk; a hunk of bread and cheese with sausage; a red enamel coffee cup, and tired bare feet in a pool of water.

I finished this book back in spring and right after found myself at a crossroads of my own; the first book I thought of was Follow that Arrow. Van Velsor's book allows me to journey with her on her path and reflect on my own. Plus she includes recipes throughout; I plan to try Tortilla de Patatas.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incomplete Storyteller

This is by far not anything closely related to Cheryl Strayed's Wild. The only similarity is a long walk. I have been left not knowing how characters look or what places smell like or how food tastes. This book was written more like a journal to a person who knew what was going on in the narrator's mind. There was no reflection about the failed marriage or the quest for self-discovery. The depth of this book is superficial. You read this hoping for some substance, hoping to know what it feels like deciding to walk the trail to Santiago to actually walking it.

This was a disappointing read - not sure what the bonus chapters were for - perhaps if the author would have spent more energy in writing a well told tale those last chapters wouldn't have been necessary- not that the writing was any better.

[Diane Pomerantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although Gwen's journey was not an easy one, neither emotionally nor physically, her sharing of her healing process was so deftly conveyed, without being over-written, that I could actually experience the subtle changes that were taking place as they were happening. I felt my spirit nurtured as I read this book, despite the challenges that were being faced. Another reviewer compared this book to "Wild" and I had a somewhat similar experience...that journey I found boring, I found myself enlivened and by Gwen's side with every step. This book is one that should not be missed.

[North Landesman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read. Woman takes a break from life, hikes in Spain. I have many questions

1. Did she return to the original husband?
2. Did she become a Catholic?
3. She has a kid now?

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars - If you are looking to escape the day-to-day madness, grab this book and read about the travels along the Camino de Santiago. Pleasurable read and the recipes included were an added bonus! This book left me wanting to go on the hike and to get in the kitchen to try all the different recipes. I connected with the cross-country trip, especially along the stop in South Dakota. Great read to take a stay-cation.

I received a free reading copy of this book and voluntarily read it.