The Way of Love: on the Camino de Santiago

by Angela Leslee

There must be easier ways to heal and grow, than walking 500 miles across Spain. But it’s hard to imagine one filled with more adventure, laughter and excitement.The author sets off armed with idealistic expectations and a backpack. But then things quickly get real on the Camino, and she soon learns a thing or two about humility, vulnerability, and letting go.This many-faceted journey forces her to confront her fears of walking alone in a foreign country. The luxury of time allows her to take a long, hard look at some of her cherished beliefs. Then ultimately, she makes a surprising discovery.

Genres: Travel, Memoir

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2019

Reviews

[Kate]

I loved following Angela on her journey. That's what reading this book felt like, getting up with her every morning, interacting with other pilgrims (or not), walking and walking, seeing the sites, feeling the pain and the joy, stopping for coffee and food, tucking in at night.

But more than that, we see her mind at work as she goes, untangling certain beliefs and sorting through what it all means. I especially related to the ways she realized she'd been controlling her environment at home--and now she's letting go of a lot of her "shoulds" and discovering new things about herself.

I have now read both of Angela's memoirs and look forward to her next one about living in a tiny house!

[Amitola]

Not what I expected, but lots better, instead

To me, all of life is the Way of Love. Unfortunately, we all too often lose our way. This is the story of a “reset” on the Camino. I was wary at first, thinking the book would be a chick lit kind of story, then sighed and hoped it wouldn’t “really” be only about relationships, then wondered if it would be a story about religion, but was pleasantly surprised it is about a spiritual journey enabled by the Camino. (How’s that for a run on sentence?) It was nice, as well, to again “meet” someone on Way whose book I’ve already read. Good descriptions of the terrain and some of the small towns along the way.

[Barb]

I've seen a couple of movies about experiences on the Camino de Santiago and I may have been expecting the author to express something similar. It's valuable to "see" how others experience life and why/how they hold the beliefs they do. I would have been spending a lot more time in the churches and cathedrals along the way.

The narrative of the book wasn't really that interesting, mostly the same comments about each day. The only thing that saved it from being so repetitive was the interactions with others on the journey, and that the author gave up some control over certain life habits.

[C.W. Lockhart]

A fresh perspective along an ancient trial. The Way of Love is a memoir of a more mature pilgrim's trek across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. The author lends an important voice to a growing population of 60-something women striking out on their own in search of adventure, healing, friendship, hope, and maybe even love. The prose is straightforward with several unique turns of phrase. Having walked the route myself, I loved revisiting the villages, cities, forests, and long stretches of lonely roads. This is a wonderful book to revisit the Camino or to gain an honest insight of the way forward. Buen Camino!

[Leslie Lovejoy]

I enjoyed the descriptions of the scenery, the different hospitaleros, the fact that the author had to adapt to a different diets and pushed through the physical pain. She had periods of great enlightenment mixed with periods of being annoyed when other travelers didn't meet her expectations. There was also an undercurrent of realizing that she was missing the companionship of a life partner, or seeming annoyance when others seems to gel well with members of the opposite sex. It was well written and moved quickly from scene to scene. It was as good as I expected it to be.

[john foster, mrs Debra Foster]

Good Read

Read lots of books on this topic, but this was the first one from the female perspective. A brave, gusty lady, who tells an enchanting story of her 500 mile walk across Spain. It was interesting to see how she developed as the book went on and how she coped with the day to day issues she faced. A great account of her walk, really well written, and interesting throughout. More than happy to recommend this book.

[Wayne M Hill]

Wine, Coffee, and Jesus....Angela has turned me off to The Way. This is a good thing I believe. My feet will thank me. Her account brings the Spanish country side alive with its commercial and questionable trappings, mixed into a 500 mile hike through a landscape of remote mountains and busy cities. The Way of Love was definitely a stretch, but we all have our self-delusions don't we?

[Shelly White]

Heartfelt read

I felt the hardship of the Camino in this read which is a common thread but more importantly I felt the heart & beauty of the Camino de Santiago.

[Jennifer Jackson]

Welp just a diary of the walk. Very boring

[Carla]

Entertainment! an Interesting read about Angela's Journey to The Camino de Santiago.

[C.J.]

the good, the bad, the funny, the reality

A great memoir of an “older” woman walking the Camino de Santiago alone. Alone but with many friendships along the way.

[Fatimaeliza Gonzalez]

Usually enjoy all books about people’s experiences about the Camino. This one was okay for me.