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Blanket of Stars: Thru-Hiking the Camino de Santiago
- Winner of an IAN Book of the Year Award! - Finalist in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (NGIBA).An unlikely pilgrim battles agoraphobia to reclaim life beyond the sofa. The 800-kilometer journey along the Camino Frances provides a scenic backdrop to ponder midlife crisis and chronic illness, an empty nest and marital discord, military service and posttraumatic stress, rage and grief, heartbreak and fear - And the way forward.El Camino de Santiago, known fondly as The Way, is a matrix of trails with starting points across Europe leading to the sacred relics of Saint James the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Often considered a Catholic pilgrimage, this ancient route predates Christianity. The Way continues to evolve, attracting spiritual seekers with and without religion, thru-hikers, fitness junkies, history buffs, and the curious.Armed with humor and grit and a backpack named little Agnus, Lockhart tackles emotional and physical obstacles, shares adventures with pilgrims from all over the world, mothers traveling teens, endures blisters and bicycle seats and embraces the glory of Mother Nature and the intrinsic spirituality of peregrination. She finds herself transcending from a human being on a spiritual quest to a spiritual being on a human quest.
283 pages, Paperback
Published February 13, 2018
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164 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
March 4, 2018
Good Depiction
Having walked the Camino twice myself, I can say this is a realistic description of what to expect along The Way ,even if you don't leave the house it's a great read in plain language and you feel you have to root for her right to the end ,it's a fine balance in these kind of books to bring out the emotional impact without being too soppy and it has been achieved here ...recommended
Having walked the Camino twice myself, I can say this is a realistic description of what to expect along The Way ,even if you don't leave the house it's a great read in plain language and you feel you have to root for her right to the end ,it's a fine balance in these kind of books to bring out the emotional impact without being too soppy and it has been achieved here ...recommended
April 28, 2018
Along for the ride
I’ve read at least a dozen autobiographies describing a person’s experience walking the Camino. I could not put this book down! Extremely engaging, intelligent, humorous.... I truly admire someone who can bring me directly into their story, and their emotions. Thank you!
I’ve read at least a dozen autobiographies describing a person’s experience walking the Camino. I could not put this book down! Extremely engaging, intelligent, humorous.... I truly admire someone who can bring me directly into their story, and their emotions. Thank you!
August 21, 2018
Must Read Camino Story
This story is honest, authentic, and relatable. In the most engaging way the author reveals pieces of her personal life that ultimately led her to the Camino and one can only root for her as she fights to find strength and balance along her journey to Santiago De Compostela.
This story is honest, authentic, and relatable. In the most engaging way the author reveals pieces of her personal life that ultimately led her to the Camino and one can only root for her as she fights to find strength and balance along her journey to Santiago De Compostela.
January 19, 2019
As someone who has hiked the Appalachian Trail, I always love hiking stories. It's a documentary of a pilgrimage. This journey is so necessary that it really can't be explained. It's nice to witness this process and learn about the trail.I adore stories like this one! Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 5, 2018
Loved reading this book.
I felt as if I was walking with the author. It is full of charm, sadness, and laughter. The characters are not to be forgotten. Her personal travel from start to finish is energizing and will have you wanting to know what will happen next.
I felt as if I was walking with the author. It is full of charm, sadness, and laughter. The characters are not to be forgotten. Her personal travel from start to finish is energizing and will have you wanting to know what will happen next.
May 23, 2018
An excellent read.
September 8, 2018
Inspiring
Inspiring I start my pilgrimage along the Camino in less then a week. I look forward to my journey and this book has inspired me.
Inspiring I start my pilgrimage along the Camino in less then a week. I look forward to my journey and this book has inspired me.
December 13, 2018
I love hiking stories and have always have had a fascination for those who have walked the Camino de Santiago. Each story has such a unique feel to it and this one was not exception. The author had a lot of issues that she wanted to come to terms with, and fear was a big factor in this. Having been in the army and having had a bad experience there, she had things that she just couldn't let go of. There was also the thought of having an empty nest and needing to save her marriage, some health issues and she was tired of sitting on her couch and doing nothing about it.
It was fun to see her changes, and to experience with her the challenges of the walk and the connections she had with the friends she made along her journey.
I think all of the Camino stories, let us feel a little bit of something we may have gone through at sometime in our lives.
A great read, and I look forward to more of her adventures.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Labrador & Lockhart Press for the ARC of this book.
It was fun to see her changes, and to experience with her the challenges of the walk and the connections she had with the friends she made along her journey.
I think all of the Camino stories, let us feel a little bit of something we may have gone through at sometime in our lives.
A great read, and I look forward to more of her adventures.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Labrador & Lockhart Press for the ARC of this book.
January 30, 2020
This was not a story about the Camino
As with many books about the Camino Way, its about the person walking and what they feel rather than the walk, and the facts about the walk. C W Lockhart managed to take this to another level, this was not about self discovery, this was about self pity, mixed with a chance to tell her life story. The woman comes across as a hypochondriac, the illness she suffers from and all the different traits of feeling ill. The pain of the walk, the pain of the cycle ride the pain of this.
What really hit me through this, is just about every person she became friends with runs away from her. And yet at no point does she examine this or really cover it. there is a part when a friend moves on, I had to revisit that chapter to try discover what happened, and there was nothing. This happened twice more.
She comes across to me as someone you really do not want to meet on the Camino. Shes often describes herself as a Camino Mama. i will leave you to read what her won sons might think of that.
There is a plus side, i could not stop reading, I really do not know why
I liked the way she took to Spanish food, to the Spanish people, and the fact she was prepared to mix with the culture.
However she starts the walk as a true peregrina and by the end you are sick of that word, then she gets to the point where in my opinion she loses the purpose of the walk. (I will not spoil the story)
This is the only book on the subject where there has been an issue with bed bugs, lucky our heroine is prepared, as she is for most things except the fact that she is going to walk.
There is one part of the book, where she describes an American mother and daughter, it is just like the scene from a book of an american daughter and mother in another book on the Camino Way, at this point I started to doubt half of this book s true.
The characters and the story, start to sound like a story. Not a book about one woman walk along the way
As with many books about the Camino Way, its about the person walking and what they feel rather than the walk, and the facts about the walk. C W Lockhart managed to take this to another level, this was not about self discovery, this was about self pity, mixed with a chance to tell her life story. The woman comes across as a hypochondriac, the illness she suffers from and all the different traits of feeling ill. The pain of the walk, the pain of the cycle ride the pain of this.
What really hit me through this, is just about every person she became friends with runs away from her. And yet at no point does she examine this or really cover it. there is a part when a friend moves on, I had to revisit that chapter to try discover what happened, and there was nothing. This happened twice more.
She comes across to me as someone you really do not want to meet on the Camino. Shes often describes herself as a Camino Mama. i will leave you to read what her won sons might think of that.
There is a plus side, i could not stop reading, I really do not know why
I liked the way she took to Spanish food, to the Spanish people, and the fact she was prepared to mix with the culture.
However she starts the walk as a true peregrina and by the end you are sick of that word, then she gets to the point where in my opinion she loses the purpose of the walk. (I will not spoil the story)
This is the only book on the subject where there has been an issue with bed bugs, lucky our heroine is prepared, as she is for most things except the fact that she is going to walk.
There is one part of the book, where she describes an American mother and daughter, it is just like the scene from a book of an american daughter and mother in another book on the Camino Way, at this point I started to doubt half of this book s true.
The characters and the story, start to sound like a story. Not a book about one woman walk along the way
January 18, 2021
A great read
A very good , no nonsense read. I really felt like I was there walking with her. It makes me want to attempt the Camino.
A very good , no nonsense read. I really felt like I was there walking with her. It makes me want to attempt the Camino.
April 10, 2024
I am having trouble with what to say about this book. In many ways, it is similar to other books about the Camino. This book is more about the person walking and what they feel rather than a deep examination of why they walked the Camino.
OK, for what I liked-
1) I admired the way C. W. Lockhart took to Spanish food, the locals and how she was prepared to engage with the culture.
2) I like how she was prepared for certain eventualities- like getting caught outdoors when delicate situations arise.
3) I like how she tried different forms of transports- from trying bikes to horse riding.
4) She freely admits that she had developed some bad tendencies in her pre-Camino life due to ill health.
5) This is the only book about the Camino to mention bed bugs- a unique part.
Now onto somethings I didn’t like:
1) I mentioned above that there was no real deep examinations of things. Prime example – the author talked about how she feels about her ‘empty nest feeling’ and how this was a motivation for her walking the Camino. There was no real examination of this other than stating it as fact. During her walk, C. W. Lockhart often states she became a ‘’Camino Mama’’ to several other pilgrims. At no point do I remember the author making a connection between her empty nest feeling and her Camino Mama tendencies.
2) Related to the above- lack of examination. To paraphrase another review: just about every person she becomes friends with ends up finding a way to get out of walking with her/find a way to leave. At no point does the author examine whether her own actions (the Camino Mama tendencies) play a part in this.
For a start, she falls in with a group of other pilgrims- two kids (16 year old girl and her 14 year old brother), their uncle and their grandfather who were committed to be ‘purist’ pilgrims and walk the whole Camino. Within the first day of knowing them, the author becomes a Camino Mama. She is tucking the kids into bed, kissing their foreheads. When the young girl has a visit from "Aunt Flow’’, both the author and her younger brother help her in the middle of a field. Eventually, the uncle bundles them onto the bus to a stop two days walk away and tells the author they were in a rush and that he and their grandfather would be taking a taxi. The author shrugs her shoulders, states that they did a reset and then (later) states she hopes to catch up on them. While I believe that the author was genuinely helpful and kind to the children and was being a good person, at no point does she stop to consider that they were walking with two adult members of their own family who might not appreciate some person they only knew for a day stepping in an taking on a maternal role.
This happens a few more times- all the other pilgrims she enjoys walking with all seem to do a reset. Overall, the only time anything gets any sort of deep examination it has to the authors health.
3) The introduction of other pilgrims. This one is always a pet peeve of mine whenever I read a book about a long distance walk/hike- but the way the author drops another pilgrim/hiker into the middle of a sentence like we should know who they are. It only happens twice, but it still halted the flow of the book, making me go back to certain parts and rereading a chapter I finished long before.
4) For someone who keeps repeating the mantra ‘’walk your own walk’’ she seems very reliant on her guide book- and not just to map out the elevation gain and loss but a comment about skipping the final stretch into a city or a section of the hike is taken without any consideration.
5) Near the end of the book, the author often talks about her ‘’Tribe’’ or ‘’Group.’’ However, very few of the names dropped are people that I can remember her walking with or having any real interaction with. Maybe the author has a different definition of the Camino Tribe than other authors have.
I’m beginning to ramble a bit. Sorry. Two point five/three stars.
OK, for what I liked-
1) I admired the way C. W. Lockhart took to Spanish food, the locals and how she was prepared to engage with the culture.
2) I like how she was prepared for certain eventualities- like getting caught outdoors when delicate situations arise.
3) I like how she tried different forms of transports- from trying bikes to horse riding.
4) She freely admits that she had developed some bad tendencies in her pre-Camino life due to ill health.
5) This is the only book about the Camino to mention bed bugs- a unique part.
Now onto somethings I didn’t like:
1) I mentioned above that there was no real deep examinations of things. Prime example – the author talked about how she feels about her ‘empty nest feeling’ and how this was a motivation for her walking the Camino. There was no real examination of this other than stating it as fact. During her walk, C. W. Lockhart often states she became a ‘’Camino Mama’’ to several other pilgrims. At no point do I remember the author making a connection between her empty nest feeling and her Camino Mama tendencies.
2) Related to the above- lack of examination. To paraphrase another review: just about every person she becomes friends with ends up finding a way to get out of walking with her/find a way to leave. At no point does the author examine whether her own actions (the Camino Mama tendencies) play a part in this.
For a start, she falls in with a group of other pilgrims- two kids (16 year old girl and her 14 year old brother), their uncle and their grandfather who were committed to be ‘purist’ pilgrims and walk the whole Camino. Within the first day of knowing them, the author becomes a Camino Mama. She is tucking the kids into bed, kissing their foreheads. When the young girl has a visit from "Aunt Flow’’, both the author and her younger brother help her in the middle of a field. Eventually, the uncle bundles them onto the bus to a stop two days walk away and tells the author they were in a rush and that he and their grandfather would be taking a taxi. The author shrugs her shoulders, states that they did a reset and then (later) states she hopes to catch up on them. While I believe that the author was genuinely helpful and kind to the children and was being a good person, at no point does she stop to consider that they were walking with two adult members of their own family who might not appreciate some person they only knew for a day stepping in an taking on a maternal role.
This happens a few more times- all the other pilgrims she enjoys walking with all seem to do a reset. Overall, the only time anything gets any sort of deep examination it has to the authors health.
3) The introduction of other pilgrims. This one is always a pet peeve of mine whenever I read a book about a long distance walk/hike- but the way the author drops another pilgrim/hiker into the middle of a sentence like we should know who they are. It only happens twice, but it still halted the flow of the book, making me go back to certain parts and rereading a chapter I finished long before.
4) For someone who keeps repeating the mantra ‘’walk your own walk’’ she seems very reliant on her guide book- and not just to map out the elevation gain and loss but a comment about skipping the final stretch into a city or a section of the hike is taken without any consideration.
5) Near the end of the book, the author often talks about her ‘’Tribe’’ or ‘’Group.’’ However, very few of the names dropped are people that I can remember her walking with or having any real interaction with. Maybe the author has a different definition of the Camino Tribe than other authors have.
I’m beginning to ramble a bit. Sorry. Two point five/three stars.
April 4, 2019
Listened to her self read audio book. Much like the Camino itself, she starts off shaky and breathes in all the wrong places but finds her stride and is greatly improved quickly. There is a refreshing take on overthinking, motherhood guilt and anxiety... there is a description of rape that, read in her voice is quite moving but hard to hear. (Pre Camino) there were at least 3 people whom she showed more grace to than I wanted her to. So it appears that she learned and grew on her Camino. Didn’t read like a travel journal but like a trusted friend telling you her story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2019
An enigma
This. Is a fascinating story of how the Camino can change a person. A very hard to put down book. The author however is an enigma. I walked the Camino in 2013, 15,16 and 18. I met many pilgrims but none like this author. At times I am thinking I am glad I never met her and yet at other times I regret I didn't. She changes so much and goes from a very troubled person to a much nicer possible companion, reverts back at times to someone I would avoid but ends off as someone I would love to finish a Camino with. The courage she has to share the things she does in this book is way off the scale
This. Is a fascinating story of how the Camino can change a person. A very hard to put down book. The author however is an enigma. I walked the Camino in 2013, 15,16 and 18. I met many pilgrims but none like this author. At times I am thinking I am glad I never met her and yet at other times I regret I didn't. She changes so much and goes from a very troubled person to a much nicer possible companion, reverts back at times to someone I would avoid but ends off as someone I would love to finish a Camino with. The courage she has to share the things she does in this book is way off the scale
December 10, 2021
I have read a lot of books about the Camino de Santiago (and walked part of it myself) and have found them to be widely variable in their approach and interest. This one walks the line between her personal story and a description of the Camino. The Camino description feels very authentic, and her personal story is interesting, although at times it feels a bit like oversharing. Still, it kept me interested despite the fact I've read a lot of similar narratives.
February 2, 2019
I wasn't sure if I was going to finish this memoir at first, because it took me a long time to get into the book and start liking the author. As I continued to read, things that I found off-putting at first became part of the larger transformation of the Camino. I really appreciated Lockhart's honesty and plain speaking about her journey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2020
An enjoyable journey
I love books about walking. Fast paced, kept my attention and brought the Camino to life. A nice balance between the author's personal account and descriptions of the landscape and villages she encountered along her journey.
I love books about walking. Fast paced, kept my attention and brought the Camino to life. A nice balance between the author's personal account and descriptions of the landscape and villages she encountered along her journey.
November 2, 2020
Great read.
What a great journey and wonderful learning experience. Recommend for anyone who appreciates the exploring the inside while walking outside.
What a great journey and wonderful learning experience. Recommend for anyone who appreciates the exploring the inside while walking outside.
August 13, 2019
Best Camino de Santiago book I have read!
This is the “Eat, Pray, Love” of the Camino de Santiago. The author perfectly captures the journey in all its geographical, personal and psychological aspects.
This is the “Eat, Pray, Love” of the Camino de Santiago. The author perfectly captures the journey in all its geographical, personal and psychological aspects.
August 1, 2018
Someday I will complete this pilgrimage and it’s in part thanks to this book that I’m inspired to plan my trip!
October 8, 2021
“Perhaps this is what makes El Camino Francés so alluring to lady pilgrims- the ease in which we turn away from our busy lives and shut down the clamor of competing demands and focus solely on the journey. Last night at dinner I met an 84-year-old woman from Austria. Her name is Erika, and this is her 14th Camino. She walked the first one when she was 70 and has made it a yearly ritual. She shared one regret. She regretted not starting in her 50s when the life was particularly chaotic and demanding. She claims she would have been a much kinder human had she discovered the journey years ago.”
Loved this book for some of the soul searching passages of a woman challenging herself both physically and mentally. It really makes me want to trek the Camino! Such great stories of meeting the variety of characters along the way and how she maneuvered her way through the weirdos and jerks. Less one star for not giving us more of the background of where she came from, since it lessened the depth of her experience.
Loved this book for some of the soul searching passages of a woman challenging herself both physically and mentally. It really makes me want to trek the Camino! Such great stories of meeting the variety of characters along the way and how she maneuvered her way through the weirdos and jerks. Less one star for not giving us more of the background of where she came from, since it lessened the depth of her experience.
November 8, 2019
I must admit, I am a bit of a Camino addict and I love reading other people's stories about their travels. I enjoyed this book, which is full of highs, lows, shock and laugh out loud moments. I was considering cycling the Meseta if I walked the Frances route again, but after reading this book I will put it on the back burner! Having walked this route a few times myself, I was visualising the villages and towns as she made her way through the various regions and I loved her descriptions of the people and the hostels.
If you are in your 40's or 50's and your kids are nearly at the stage of leaving home and perhaps your marriage is not as exciting as it used to be, then you will relate to this book.
A good read!
If you are in your 40's or 50's and your kids are nearly at the stage of leaving home and perhaps your marriage is not as exciting as it used to be, then you will relate to this book.
A good read!
April 16, 2023
Such a fantastic book! I did not want this one to end! I’ve read many books about the Camino, hoping to get there myself soon! This one felt more relatable-maybe as the writer and I are about the same age. Her beautiful description of life on this trail make me even more impatient to get to Spain! Until then, I will walk with Lockhart through Japan!
May 24, 2018
Enjoyed the book
I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. However, it bothered me that the online version had several typos throughout the book especially since the author is a professor of writing.
I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. However, it bothered me that the online version had several typos throughout the book especially since the author is a professor of writing.
September 8, 2019
Opened my heart
I got a little tired of reading about blisters, but loved hearing everyone’s stories as heard and interpreted by the author. A good story about the Camino experience.
I got a little tired of reading about blisters, but loved hearing everyone’s stories as heard and interpreted by the author. A good story about the Camino experience.
March 15, 2020
Good
A interesting book that follows a similar " path " that a lot of other Camino books ie self awareness and internal struggles. She writes very well, described things in detail with a degree of humour. I liked it but did not devour it so not a page turner .
A interesting book that follows a similar " path " that a lot of other Camino books ie self awareness and internal struggles. She writes very well, described things in detail with a degree of humour. I liked it but did not devour it so not a page turner .
March 15, 2021
Interesting and heartfelt telling of her hike and the personal issues she was dealing with at that time. Like most of these types of books, the Camino provides what you need when you need it most. I enjoyed it.
September 30, 2022
“Shirly McClain”. “Octopi” as the plural of octopus. “Pope John Luke II”. These say it all. Even a a minimally attentive proofreader could have saved this book from many errors, including “it’s” for “its”. And from someone with a Ph.D., supposedly, who teaches English!
July 8, 2024
An interesting hiking story that highlights the pilgrimage aspect of the camino. Many hikers write of the camino, but few truly embrace the pilgrimage. While I don't fully empathize with this hiker, I can comprehend and understand some of the situations she faces.
I knock off one star automatically for those books that fail to use a proofreader and/or copyeditor. Several instances of the wrong homophone used, and a number of failures to use semicolons appropriately, detracted from my reading experience, though they don't lessen the story. Likewise, the inconsistent use of italics -- for proper names, for foreign words, and for whatever -- detract, and a good copyeditor would have fixed that issue.
I knock off one star automatically for those books that fail to use a proofreader and/or copyeditor. Several instances of the wrong homophone used, and a number of failures to use semicolons appropriately, detracted from my reading experience, though they don't lessen the story. Likewise, the inconsistent use of italics -- for proper names, for foreign words, and for whatever -- detract, and a good copyeditor would have fixed that issue.
October 9, 2024
A nicely balanced account of walking the Camino whilst dealing with issues such as a troubled marriage and trauma from rape. She walks, rides a bicycle and rides a horse on various legs of the Frances route (and takes taxis) whilst dealing with her fellow pilgrims and their quirks.
July 16, 2021
Very engaging
Each story of the Camino is very different. I've read 5 so far and this writer engages the reader in her journey, different from every one else.
Each story of the Camino is very different. I've read 5 so far and this writer engages the reader in her journey, different from every one else.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews