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Breaking the Fourth Wall: An Uncertain Journey on Turkey's Lycian Way
After a turbulent year, Michelle Sevigny heard it as she ran seaside: do more of this. After researching long-distance coastal routes, she prepared to solo hike the 509-kilometre Lycian Way. The journey doesn’t take her where she planned, but as she camps in the wild, gets lost without water and confronts charging sheepdogs, it guides her to exactly where she needs to be. Breaking the Fourth Wall: An Uncertain Journey on Turkey’s Lycian Way is a story about learning to embrace uncertainty, of both destination and self, and discovering an answer to the universal question: who are we?
240 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2016
4 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 10, 2017
Immediately I knew I had fallen in love with this book. Page one, no question. I am so incredibly picky when it comes to the books that qualify for “unforgettable” status in my mind. Probably because they not only excite my mind, they excite my heart. That moment, that paragraph, that line where your brain says, “Oh ya, I get this” or better yet, “Oh ya, this author gets me!” and your heart skips a beat. Maybe your pulse takes off. When that moment hits me my breathing pauses and I and gently lay the book down. It’s overwhelming to me. In the way that opening up a letter from the IRS with the words REFUND on top is. It takes you by surprise. Before even reading the remainder of the letter, the pure potential of it sends heartbeats speeding.You want to read it slowly and deliberately, so as not to miss some very important detail about your impending wealth. This is exactly what happened to me when beginning Michelle Sevigny’s Breaking the Fourth Wall, An Uncertain Journey on Turkey’s Lycian Way. Right off the bat I decided I was only going to read one day of the journey, per day. And sometimes I read one day of journey over the course of multiple days, just to read it over and over again. It’s just that good.
The book reads so much like my own mind that at times, I felt completely lost in the story. This wonderful experience teetered somewhere between feeling like I was watching the coolest Netflix Indie documentary EVER and having one of those wicked “half awake/half asleep” fantasy adventure dreams.
Michelle displays a creative use of the English language which reads so much like the mind thinks that it is completely effortless. With an extremely dry, mildly sarcastic sense of humor, she dives head first into authenticity and vulnerability. The reader can hardly not take it personally.
Her descriptions of the land she travels and the people who live on it are just as accurate and often better than pictures. If there is one adventurous bone in your body, this book will set it on edge. You too will ask, “Why am I hear?” And if you are like me, you too will answer that question by sharing in the same fear, joy, suffering and self-revelation that Michelle Sevigny does.
This is a great book for anyone who breathes. And an even better book for anyone who seeks an awesome adventure story and wants to answer the question, “What the "f" is this all about?”
There’s a million (or just too many to even share) great quotes in this book. I’ve highlighted a ton and have even thought about suggesting she publish a box of cards for people to look at daily. Inspirational and Sometimes Hilarious as Hell Messages by Michelle! It’s just that good.
But I will end this review with one,
“Exhaustion blurs clarity and then I find myself where I don’t want to be.”
Boy, is that ever the truth.
This is simply one of the best books I have read to date. It’s going to be one of my top five forever. The kind you pull out when life starts to get too damn predictable or too messed up and you have to figure out where center is again. The kind of book you take with you on an adventure just to remind yourself why you’re there.
The book reads so much like my own mind that at times, I felt completely lost in the story. This wonderful experience teetered somewhere between feeling like I was watching the coolest Netflix Indie documentary EVER and having one of those wicked “half awake/half asleep” fantasy adventure dreams.
Michelle displays a creative use of the English language which reads so much like the mind thinks that it is completely effortless. With an extremely dry, mildly sarcastic sense of humor, she dives head first into authenticity and vulnerability. The reader can hardly not take it personally.
Her descriptions of the land she travels and the people who live on it are just as accurate and often better than pictures. If there is one adventurous bone in your body, this book will set it on edge. You too will ask, “Why am I hear?” And if you are like me, you too will answer that question by sharing in the same fear, joy, suffering and self-revelation that Michelle Sevigny does.
This is a great book for anyone who breathes. And an even better book for anyone who seeks an awesome adventure story and wants to answer the question, “What the "f" is this all about?”
There’s a million (or just too many to even share) great quotes in this book. I’ve highlighted a ton and have even thought about suggesting she publish a box of cards for people to look at daily. Inspirational and Sometimes Hilarious as Hell Messages by Michelle! It’s just that good.
But I will end this review with one,
“Exhaustion blurs clarity and then I find myself where I don’t want to be.”
Boy, is that ever the truth.
This is simply one of the best books I have read to date. It’s going to be one of my top five forever. The kind you pull out when life starts to get too damn predictable or too messed up and you have to figure out where center is again. The kind of book you take with you on an adventure just to remind yourself why you’re there.
July 2, 2018
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Breaking the Fourth Wall: An Uncertain Journey on Turkey's Lycian Way
Author: Michelle Sevigny
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 16 readers:
13 would read another book by this author.
13 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
14 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
13 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘her subject knowledge’.
3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
13 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘For me, I liked the author’s keen sense of humour. It is there throughout the story. Also, the cover is well-designed and powerful.’ Male reader, aged 26
‘This is the story of a woman who meets a challenge every day, and how she fights to overcome it. Yes, this is a travel book, but it is mostly a biography. A very warm and comfortable read.’ Female reader, aged 54
‘The sort of travel book that’s not even a travel book. It’s a disguise, for in it there is a wonderful array of insights into the author’s personal world and what she meets from day to day. A little slow in parts, but a gem in many ways.’ Male reader, aged 67
‘Reminded me a little of Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. Good book.’ Male reader, aged 45
To Sum It Up:
‘Often funny, always informative, a powerful story of travelling in Turkey. A Red Ribbon winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Breaking the Fourth Wall: An Uncertain Journey on Turkey's Lycian Way
Author: Michelle Sevigny
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 7/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 8/10
Cover: 8/10
Of the 16 readers:
13 would read another book by this author.
13 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
14 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
13 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘her subject knowledge’.
3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
12 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
13 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘For me, I liked the author’s keen sense of humour. It is there throughout the story. Also, the cover is well-designed and powerful.’ Male reader, aged 26
‘This is the story of a woman who meets a challenge every day, and how she fights to overcome it. Yes, this is a travel book, but it is mostly a biography. A very warm and comfortable read.’ Female reader, aged 54
‘The sort of travel book that’s not even a travel book. It’s a disguise, for in it there is a wonderful array of insights into the author’s personal world and what she meets from day to day. A little slow in parts, but a gem in many ways.’ Male reader, aged 67
‘Reminded me a little of Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. Good book.’ Male reader, aged 45
To Sum It Up:
‘Often funny, always informative, a powerful story of travelling in Turkey. A Red Ribbon winner and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
November 17, 2024
wonderful book about a journey in life
This is a book about the place you receive while walking in nature and through Joy and it's challenges. A beautiful description of finding self. Thank you
This is a book about the place you receive while walking in nature and through Joy and it's challenges. A beautiful description of finding self. Thank you
February 5, 2017
A little gem!
Sevigny has penned a gem of a story in her memoir / travel adventure of hiking Turkey’s Lycian Way …. alone.
In witty, engaging prose, laced with beautiful phrasing and imagery, she shares not only the very real challenges she confronts on her journey and the insights she gains, but also the inner courage she embraces to face the vulnerability and ghosts of “memory’s unmade bed”.
A lovely read.
Sevigny has penned a gem of a story in her memoir / travel adventure of hiking Turkey’s Lycian Way …. alone.
In witty, engaging prose, laced with beautiful phrasing and imagery, she shares not only the very real challenges she confronts on her journey and the insights she gains, but also the inner courage she embraces to face the vulnerability and ghosts of “memory’s unmade bed”.
A lovely read.
March 1, 2021
While I applaud Michelle for hiking Turkey by herself (even though she didn't know the terrain of her chosen hike or the language of the country), I found her book quite dull and anti-climactic. There were almost no exciting moments in her story. I wished she had delved more into her upbringing and experiences as a police officer, which may have brought her reasons for travel to life.
April 12, 2017
After walking the Camino Frances, I am open to so many possibilities.
This sounds like such a more difficult undertaking, with major directional issues.
I loved the interaction with the locals and the use of the Turkish language. I cheered when the author had pide and Gozleme, two of my favorite meals in Turkey.
This sounds like such a more difficult undertaking, with major directional issues.
I loved the interaction with the locals and the use of the Turkish language. I cheered when the author had pide and Gozleme, two of my favorite meals in Turkey.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews