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Walking with Sam: A Father, a Son, and Five Hundred Miles Across Spain
An intimate, funny, and poignant New York Times bestseling travel memoir following award-winning author and actor Andrew McCarthy as he walks the Camino de Santiago with his son Sam.
When Andrew McCarthy's eldest son began to take his first steps into adulthood, McCarthy found himself wishing time would slow down. Looking to create a more meaningful connection with Sam before he fled the nest, as well as recreate his own life-altering journey decades before, McCarthy decided the two of them should set out on a trek like few 500 miles across Spain's Camino de Santiago.
Over the course of the journey, the pair traversed an unforgiving landscape, having more honest conversations in five weeks than they'd had in the preceding two decades. Discussions of divorce, the trauma of school, McCarthy's difficult relationship with his own father, fame, and Flaming Hot Cheetos threatened to either derail their relationship or cement it. Walking With Sam captures this intimate, candid and hopeful expedition as the father son duo travel across the country and towards one another.
When Andrew McCarthy's eldest son began to take his first steps into adulthood, McCarthy found himself wishing time would slow down. Looking to create a more meaningful connection with Sam before he fled the nest, as well as recreate his own life-altering journey decades before, McCarthy decided the two of them should set out on a trek like few 500 miles across Spain's Camino de Santiago.
Over the course of the journey, the pair traversed an unforgiving landscape, having more honest conversations in five weeks than they'd had in the preceding two decades. Discussions of divorce, the trauma of school, McCarthy's difficult relationship with his own father, fame, and Flaming Hot Cheetos threatened to either derail their relationship or cement it. Walking With Sam captures this intimate, candid and hopeful expedition as the father son duo travel across the country and towards one another.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2023
373 people are currently reading
8568 people want to read
About the author
Andrew McCarthy
32 books762 followersAndrew McCarthy is a director, an award winning travel writer, and—of course—an actor. He made his professional début at 19 in Class, and has appeared in dozens of films, including such iconic movies as Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, Less Then Zero, and cult favorites Weekend At Bernie’s and Mannequin.
He has starred on Broadway and on television, most recently appearing in The Family, on ABC. McCarthy is also a highly regarded television director; having helmed Orange is the New Black, The Blacklist, Grace and Frankie, and many others.
Simultaneously, McCarthy is an award winning travel writer. He is an editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler, and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Travel+Leisure, AFAR, Men’s Journal, Bon Appetit, and many others. He has received six Lowell Thomas awards, and been named Travel Journalist of the Year by The Society of American Travel Writers.
His travel memoir, THE LONGEST WAY HOME, became a New York Times Best Seller, and the Financial Times of London named it one of the Best Books of the year. He served as guest editor for the prestigious Best American Travel series in 2015.
His debut novel, JUST FLY AWAY, will be published by Algonquin in the spring of 2017.
McCarthy lives in New York City.
He has starred on Broadway and on television, most recently appearing in The Family, on ABC. McCarthy is also a highly regarded television director; having helmed Orange is the New Black, The Blacklist, Grace and Frankie, and many others.
Simultaneously, McCarthy is an award winning travel writer. He is an editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler, and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Travel+Leisure, AFAR, Men’s Journal, Bon Appetit, and many others. He has received six Lowell Thomas awards, and been named Travel Journalist of the Year by The Society of American Travel Writers.
His travel memoir, THE LONGEST WAY HOME, became a New York Times Best Seller, and the Financial Times of London named it one of the Best Books of the year. He served as guest editor for the prestigious Best American Travel series in 2015.
His debut novel, JUST FLY AWAY, will be published by Algonquin in the spring of 2017.
McCarthy lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,124 reviews
March 4, 2024
Love, love, love this book!! I have read at least ten memoirs about walking and hiking the Camino de Santiago and this is one of my favorites. I bought it at a bookstore yesterday and read it quickly.
Author, Andrew McCarthy, invites his nineteen-year-old son, Sam, to walk the 500 mile Camino with him. McCarthy had walked the Camino twenty-six years earlier. Most Camino pilgrims hit the trail every morning around 7:00 am. Sam doesn't like rising before 10:00 or 11:00 am. Sam also just broke up with his first true love and he talks non-stop about the breakup.
It is hilarious, poignant, and filled with father-son relationship dynamics. Everyone's experience on the Camino is different and McCarthy brings his experience to life with humor, vibrant details, and challenging choices.
Highly, highly recommend!
Author, Andrew McCarthy, invites his nineteen-year-old son, Sam, to walk the 500 mile Camino with him. McCarthy had walked the Camino twenty-six years earlier. Most Camino pilgrims hit the trail every morning around 7:00 am. Sam doesn't like rising before 10:00 or 11:00 am. Sam also just broke up with his first true love and he talks non-stop about the breakup.
It is hilarious, poignant, and filled with father-son relationship dynamics. Everyone's experience on the Camino is different and McCarthy brings his experience to life with humor, vibrant details, and challenging choices.
Highly, highly recommend!
May 25, 2023
Five things about Walking With Sam by Andrew McCarthy 📚📚📚
1. Oofta…Sam sounds like a navel gazing toddler with a nicotine addiction and an inability to focus. I doubt he is any of this in great measure but he’s written this way in the book. If I were Sam I’d be pretty uncomfortable with this depiction of myself.
2. Wowzers…McCarthy comes across as pompous and depressed…and maybe he is…but it didn’t read as authentic. It read as a desire to sound “smart” in his writing and to set us (the reader) up for the magical transformation the Camino will inevitably bring about.
3. I love…and I mean LOVE…walking to transformation memoirs. This one felt like a stretch. It feels like they walked so they could write this book…not like they walked and then needed to write this book.
4. What I loved about this were the little historical asides . McCarthy was at his best when he wasn’t talking about himself. I’d read some fiction or a history by him. I think he’s just too self-conscious and task- oriented (write a book to generate some income) when writing about himself. And he was all too willing to hype up the normal little things we all do into bigger “issues” in an effort to try to create drama that do obviously didn’t really impact this walk.
5. If you read the subtext…the story between the lines…I think this father and son had a pleasant time bonding on the Camino. I’d have loved to read that book instead of this long-winded whine that reminded me of Joey Tribiani trying to open that milk carton for a carton screw commercial. Don’t get me wrong…I grew up loving McCarthy and I still do…I just think this book is born of a whisper and a shoestring.
1. Oofta…Sam sounds like a navel gazing toddler with a nicotine addiction and an inability to focus. I doubt he is any of this in great measure but he’s written this way in the book. If I were Sam I’d be pretty uncomfortable with this depiction of myself.
2. Wowzers…McCarthy comes across as pompous and depressed…and maybe he is…but it didn’t read as authentic. It read as a desire to sound “smart” in his writing and to set us (the reader) up for the magical transformation the Camino will inevitably bring about.
3. I love…and I mean LOVE…walking to transformation memoirs. This one felt like a stretch. It feels like they walked so they could write this book…not like they walked and then needed to write this book.
4. What I loved about this were the little historical asides . McCarthy was at his best when he wasn’t talking about himself. I’d read some fiction or a history by him. I think he’s just too self-conscious and task- oriented (write a book to generate some income) when writing about himself. And he was all too willing to hype up the normal little things we all do into bigger “issues” in an effort to try to create drama that do obviously didn’t really impact this walk.
5. If you read the subtext…the story between the lines…I think this father and son had a pleasant time bonding on the Camino. I’d have loved to read that book instead of this long-winded whine that reminded me of Joey Tribiani trying to open that milk carton for a carton screw commercial. Don’t get me wrong…I grew up loving McCarthy and I still do…I just think this book is born of a whisper and a shoestring.
October 13, 2023
I did not read this book because I am religious.This was another fun travel log. I had never heard of Andrew McCarthy or his son Sam. They are both actors. The Father played in movies such as Pretty In pink And Weekend with Bernie. I saw both movies but I swear I never saw Andrew McCarthy and either. But that is because I was in my 40s and young men didn't appeal to me But I confess, when I was in my early 70s I saw a star is born and that man who was co starring with lady gaga was gorgeous.
This story or travelog is about Andrew and his son Sam walking The Camino.500 miles in 30 days. Andrew mentioned that he was handsome in the movies which is why I brought up that 1st paragraph. The conversations between father and son were hilarious, but not as hilarious as those in Bernie. You cannot Top a movie about a dead man.
This story or travelog is about Andrew and his son Sam walking The Camino.500 miles in 30 days. Andrew mentioned that he was handsome in the movies which is why I brought up that 1st paragraph. The conversations between father and son were hilarious, but not as hilarious as those in Bernie. You cannot Top a movie about a dead man.
February 21, 2023
Okay… I will wholeheartedly admit that the main reason I wanted to read this book is because I spent most of the 80’s (my teenage years) pining after Andrew McCarthy. His posters blanketed my bedroom walls, and I could recite every line from his movies (especially Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire). But, anyway, I digress. I will also confess that I had never heard of the Camino de Santiago until I read this book. One of the main highlights of this story - in my opinion - is Andrew’s telling of the Camino’s history. This was my first time reading his work, and he has such a beautiful and eloquent way with words. I could almost picture in my mind every detail of their walk, from the cathedrals to the rustic towns along the way and all the fascinating people they met in between. When they finally reached Santiago, I cheered right along with them. I can only imagine what a truly amazing experience it was for them to share this adventure together. Well done, gentlemen…well done!
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).
May 24, 2023
I stumbled upon Andrew's Instagram feed while he was journeying with Sam in the summer of 2021, and I followed their progress all the way across Spain. Cristina and I spent over two years during the COVID pandemic preparing to walk our first Camino, which we completed in the Fall of 2022. I read many memoirs and texts about the Camino. I am a spreadsheet pilgrim, no apologies. I am an extreme planner; it's who I am. I walked my Camino. Cristina walked hers. And we walked "ours" together. I thoroughly enjoyed every step of this book, just as I did every painful, joyful, reflective, and playful step of the three Caminos we walked together.
The question I always get from veteran peregrinos is, "How were you able to walk the Camino with your spouse?" And they quip, "I'd end up divorced." Often you hear them say that a "true" Camino is walked alone. Ok, I get it. I identified, carried, and addressed this fear in conversations with Cristina, not unlike the conversations I read Andrew having with Sam. I respond to these inquiries by saying that we agreed, up front, we were going to be walking three caminos in one, at the same time, and we had to give each Camino room to breathe. I sense from reading his memoir that Andrew would understand exactly what I am trying to say.
The rocky relationship with a father? Been there! The rocky relationship with a son? Yup. This book oozes an authenticity that only comes from a place of vulnerability and the strength to explore it. As far as Camino memoirs go... I give this a 10 out of 10.
The question I always get from veteran peregrinos is, "How were you able to walk the Camino with your spouse?" And they quip, "I'd end up divorced." Often you hear them say that a "true" Camino is walked alone. Ok, I get it. I identified, carried, and addressed this fear in conversations with Cristina, not unlike the conversations I read Andrew having with Sam. I respond to these inquiries by saying that we agreed, up front, we were going to be walking three caminos in one, at the same time, and we had to give each Camino room to breathe. I sense from reading his memoir that Andrew would understand exactly what I am trying to say.
The rocky relationship with a father? Been there! The rocky relationship with a son? Yup. This book oozes an authenticity that only comes from a place of vulnerability and the strength to explore it. As far as Camino memoirs go... I give this a 10 out of 10.
April 12, 2024
3.5 Stars
I am a walker, so I am drawn to books that are about people finding themselves on a long hike. This time it is a walk on the Camino in Spain. I listened to this book- It was read by the author Andrew McCarthy and his son’s voice was included when it was a conversation between them.
I’m probably never going to hike the Camino but after listening to this book, I wasn’t interested anyways. This is a hike in which each night you arrive at a town and you eat and have a bed for the night. You are not roughing it as my son did when he walked the AT. I kind of liked the not roughing it, based on my age. But, in all honesty, all the people from the towns he met were depicted as unfriendly, for the most part. There were a couple of exceptions. It seemed the people were tired of all these hikers, even though I am positive they contributed to their livelihood.
I enjoyed the bonding between Andrew and his 19 year old son. Except-His son was getting over a break up and one thing I got sick of was the mention of his son’s “EX”. I would love to have tallied how many times that word was used. He luckily did not say her name or she would have been immortalized forever.
I appreciated the bits of history about the Camino that he included in the book.
Overall a very uneven book- I sped it up over the last third so I could get it over with.
I feel I did not get an adequate feeling for the Camino, which was what I was hoping for.
Published: 2023
I am a walker, so I am drawn to books that are about people finding themselves on a long hike. This time it is a walk on the Camino in Spain. I listened to this book- It was read by the author Andrew McCarthy and his son’s voice was included when it was a conversation between them.
I’m probably never going to hike the Camino but after listening to this book, I wasn’t interested anyways. This is a hike in which each night you arrive at a town and you eat and have a bed for the night. You are not roughing it as my son did when he walked the AT. I kind of liked the not roughing it, based on my age. But, in all honesty, all the people from the towns he met were depicted as unfriendly, for the most part. There were a couple of exceptions. It seemed the people were tired of all these hikers, even though I am positive they contributed to their livelihood.
I enjoyed the bonding between Andrew and his 19 year old son. Except-His son was getting over a break up and one thing I got sick of was the mention of his son’s “EX”. I would love to have tallied how many times that word was used. He luckily did not say her name or she would have been immortalized forever.
I appreciated the bits of history about the Camino that he included in the book.
Overall a very uneven book- I sped it up over the last third so I could get it over with.
I feel I did not get an adequate feeling for the Camino, which was what I was hoping for.
Published: 2023
June 28, 2023
Audiobook. I read McCarthy's BRAT and really liked it. I didn't know he was a travel writer too, so I was looking forward to his latest, a memoir about walking the Camino trail in Spain with his nineteen-year-old son, Sam.
Unfortunately, this was no BRAT. All they did was eat pizza, get ice cream, and drink cafe con leche. Andrew yelled at Sam every morning to get him moving, Sam smoked and acted like an entitled brat, and Andrew catered to his son's every need. They nicknamed a couple on the trail "the whitest people on the planet." I think these two guys are the whitest people on the planet.
There needed to be something more to this, some kind of transformation, a bigger obstacle that the trail helped them to overcome.
And can I say, Sam's voice was so annoying, like he's still in puberty. I couldn't stand listening to him and his saying "bro" at the end of every sentence.
Unfortunately, this was no BRAT. All they did was eat pizza, get ice cream, and drink cafe con leche. Andrew yelled at Sam every morning to get him moving, Sam smoked and acted like an entitled brat, and Andrew catered to his son's every need. They nicknamed a couple on the trail "the whitest people on the planet." I think these two guys are the whitest people on the planet.
There needed to be something more to this, some kind of transformation, a bigger obstacle that the trail helped them to overcome.
And can I say, Sam's voice was so annoying, like he's still in puberty. I couldn't stand listening to him and his saying "bro" at the end of every sentence.
May 15, 2023
What I enjoyed about the book was how well it was written and many historical insights about the Camino de Santiago. I appreciated Andre McCarthy’s honest revelations and commentary about his relationship with Sam, his son. What annoyed me most was his son. Sam seemed spoiled and disrespectful to his dad. If it had been me, I most likely would have out him on a plane back to the states when he started not getting out of bed in the mornings. But…every parent child relationship is different and McCarthy had wise things to say about parenthood that I did appreciate.
August 16, 2023
This book was extremely disappointing. I had my hopes up from previously listening to his memoir, which was amazing. In my opinion his son ruined this book. He comes off as very entitled and annoying. He also calls his dad “bro” every two minutes which is highly annoying. Overall I can’t recommend this one.
May 30, 2023
I really enjoyed this relatable and aspirational father-son travel memoir between famous actor/director Andrew McCarthy and his grown son as they walk the Camino de Santiago, a famous route across Spain.
Apparently Andrew had done the trip before in his youth and wanted to share something special with his near adult son before he went off on his own. There were some really moving moments (and some classic teenage boy moments). Equally funny, poignant and heartfelt and great on audio narrated by the author himself.
Highly recommended, especially for fans of books like Sam Heughan's Waypoints, PCT memoirs like Bill Bryson's A walk in the woods and Cheryl Strayed's Wild or the mother-daughter hiking memoir, This one wild life by Angie Abdou.
Apparently Andrew had done the trip before in his youth and wanted to share something special with his near adult son before he went off on his own. There were some really moving moments (and some classic teenage boy moments). Equally funny, poignant and heartfelt and great on audio narrated by the author himself.
Highly recommended, especially for fans of books like Sam Heughan's Waypoints, PCT memoirs like Bill Bryson's A walk in the woods and Cheryl Strayed's Wild or the mother-daughter hiking memoir, This one wild life by Angie Abdou.
January 16, 2025
2.5 stars. In Walking with Sam, American actor Andrew McCarthy recounts his second Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage across spain to reach the city of Santiago de Compostela which is believed by some to be the burial place of Saint James (Santiago is the Spanish version of the English name James). The first time that McCarthy completed this arduous hike, he did it solo as he was recovering from alcoholism. The second time around, he was accompanying by his 19-year-old toddler and aspiring actor Sam McCarthy. Unfortunately, Sam spent the entire trip whining and about a Very Serious, Life-Shattering, Tragedieh that had befallen him, breaking up with a girlfriend, almost being hit by cars several times due to inattention, sleeping in, eating copious amounts of ice cream, and having Deep, Very Insightful Conversations about the Meaning of the Universe with his father with cringeworthy levels of sophomoric hubris. Meanwhile, the elder McCarthy coddled his son and seemed to delight in snarking on other pilgrims along the way. I was very thankful when the pair finally reached their destination so the book would finally be over. There are interesting parts here and there, but overall this was a miss for me.
Further reading: impactful journeys
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt
To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins
To the Gorge: Running, Grief, and Resilience & 460 Miles on the Pacific Crest Trail by Emily Halnon
The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West by Will Grant
My statistics:
Book 18 for 2025
Book 1944 cumulatively
Further reading: impactful journeys
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
Bold Spirit: Helga Estby's Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America by Linda Lawrence Hunt
To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins
To the Gorge: Running, Grief, and Resilience & 460 Miles on the Pacific Crest Trail by Emily Halnon
The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West by Will Grant
My statistics:
Book 18 for 2025
Book 1944 cumulatively
September 7, 2023
I enjoyed the dynamics between Andrew & his son epic journey to Camino De Santiago.
June 5, 2023
Andrew McCarthy was right up there with Scott Baio during my teenaged years. I am happy to see that he has aged well and is still pretty, as writing is not in his skill set.
Good thing? Yes, singular. The vast research that Andy, or a fledgling did, in regard to the “Camino” itself. He richly regurgitated what he had learned in a “feels like a book report” manner. I lean toward historical fiction, so the details of the walk piqued my interest.
The gobbledygook that is his relationship with his son is forced. I can picture him sitting with a thesaurus, and tearing through the paper with an eraser, realizing he already used that adjective a dozen times. While I recognize that an unexamined life is a danger, an overly examined life can be as dry as saltine crackers with no soup. His son is a minor. With that said, I will keep the rest of my opinions to myself.
Don’t waste your time.
A star for the research.
Good thing? Yes, singular. The vast research that Andy, or a fledgling did, in regard to the “Camino” itself. He richly regurgitated what he had learned in a “feels like a book report” manner. I lean toward historical fiction, so the details of the walk piqued my interest.
The gobbledygook that is his relationship with his son is forced. I can picture him sitting with a thesaurus, and tearing through the paper with an eraser, realizing he already used that adjective a dozen times. While I recognize that an unexamined life is a danger, an overly examined life can be as dry as saltine crackers with no soup. His son is a minor. With that said, I will keep the rest of my opinions to myself.
Don’t waste your time.
A star for the research.
March 21, 2023
I received a copy of "Walking with Sam" through NetGalley. I first heard of Andrew McCarthy and his son Sam's walk on the Camino while following them on a facebook blog. Glad I am getting the chance to read the book. It is written by Andrew McCarthy. He breaks each chapter down on days they walked. He writes the discussions they have through the day. The ups and downs of walking the Camino, What kind of weather and terrain they had. such as hills, hot weather, rain. Walking with other Pilgrims. The nice bonding they had as father and son. I had a friend who has walked the Camino twice so found it of interest to read about other experiences. I liked this book. Thought the author did a good job writing of his experiences on the Camino.
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May 23, 2023*Note- I do not rate memoirs, but this passes the vibe check with a resounding yes.
As a child of the 80s, I was (of course) a HUGE fan of Andrew McCarthy. As a fan, I’ve followed him for years on sm and enjoyed the relationship he has with his kids. So when I got the opportunity to read the arc of his travel/memoir I was so excited. I’d never heard of the Camino before and I would probably give up 10 minutes in but to think Andrew’s walked it twice and now Sam’s walked it is incredible! A 500 mile pilgrimage sounds daunting. I listened to the audio (through Libby) as well and hearing it in their voices adds so much to the experience.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Andrew McCarthy, and Netgalley for the early review copy.
As a child of the 80s, I was (of course) a HUGE fan of Andrew McCarthy. As a fan, I’ve followed him for years on sm and enjoyed the relationship he has with his kids. So when I got the opportunity to read the arc of his travel/memoir I was so excited. I’d never heard of the Camino before and I would probably give up 10 minutes in but to think Andrew’s walked it twice and now Sam’s walked it is incredible! A 500 mile pilgrimage sounds daunting. I listened to the audio (through Libby) as well and hearing it in their voices adds so much to the experience.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Andrew McCarthy, and Netgalley for the early review copy.
July 25, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed McCarthy's memoir of walking the Camino with his 19-year-old son, Sam. Throughout the book, as he walks (and walks, and walks, and each day walks,) 53-year-old McCarthy thinks about his life, especially as a parent. He reflects on his relationship with Sam as they take on this challenge together. Highly recommended for fans of meditative travel memoirs.
July 7, 2023
Couldn’t make it past chapter 2. Not because of dad. I can’t tolerate gen z whiners in my free time. Seriously kids, find some gratitude for life.
September 30, 2023
This book exudes ego and privilege. There aren’t many lessons learned. The author continues to judge others on the walk after getting offended in the beginning for someone judging him. Also his son is ADHD and the father’s resistance to medication is the reason his son never fit in, always spills his drink even at the age of 18, and dabbles in drug use.
June 6, 2023
A journalistic writing by Andrew McCarthy regarding his month long walk of the Camino de Santiago with his then 19 yr old son Sam. Funny. Touching. Heartwarming. In his determination to not be like his own father, McCarthy invited his son Sam to walk across Spain with him in order to have a deeper father/son relationship. In fact just a father/son relationship at the very least. Very inspiring and great people they met in the way.
April 27, 2024
An easy and poignant glimpse into the 500 mile pilgrimage that is the Camino de Santiago.
I enjoyed the insights and random conversations that the father and son had along the way.
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook since it’s read by Andrew McCarthy (yes, that Andrew McCarthy of 80’s Brat Pack) and his son Sam.
I enjoyed the insights and random conversations that the father and son had along the way.
I highly recommend listening to the audiobook since it’s read by Andrew McCarthy (yes, that Andrew McCarthy of 80’s Brat Pack) and his son Sam.
June 7, 2023
I enjoyed listening to this book. Part travel memoir, part bonding experience with his teenage son, my favorite Brat Pack member does a good job describing his second trek on the Camino de Santiago. After his son had his heart broken by his first love, Andrew McCarty realized it might be a good time to redo his previous soul searching experience of walking 500 miles across Spain, this time with his oldest child. Along the way, they discuss such varied topics as love, marriage, divorce, drugs, gaming, and zombies. The other “pilgrims” they meet from various countries add color to their journey.
August 11, 2023
Audiobook
November 8, 2023
I read McCarthy's memoir Brat a few years ago. I picked it up thinking I'd be reading a frothy celeb memoir like Rob Lowe's. Instead, I found myself reading a bleak memoir of a man with depression and anxiety turning into an alcoholic as he desperately tried to self-medicate the pain away. He just happened to make a few successful teen movies during that period. While the memoir did not turn out to be what I was looking for, I did think McCarthy was a solid writer with a strong voice. So when I saw he had written a travel/parenting book I decided to give it a go.
I might be predisposed to liking this because we have sons the exact same age. I related to a lot of what he was discussing in terms of parenting a young adult. Being able to spend a month traveling with my son would be both a blessing and a curse, for both of us lol. Financially I don't see that happening, unless I become a travel writer for National Geographic like McCarthy is. I did appreciate that McCarthy was well aware most people could not take the time off to do what he & Sam did, walking across Spain for a month. Maybe if my husband & I are fit enough when we retire that we could do this? I found the concept of walking across Spain very appealing.
There is not a lot of dramatic action. The focus is on McCarthy's internal musings and on his relationship with his son. This is not an adventure book with wild animals and extreme sports and death-defying acts. I can see others deriding the book as a lot of navel-gazing but sometimes I like to navel-gaze myself so I was fine with it.
Some of my many Kindle highlights to help me later recall what this book was all about:
The satisfaction of needs asserting themselves and being met simply, superseding daily luxuries due to the severity of circumstances, is something in which I have found deep value on the few instances that it's been demanded in my life. And it's something I'd like my son to experience. But seeking out hardship is the dubious indulgence of a pampered fool. Ok, yes, this is a very first world thing to say, the pleasure of roughing it, but he is well aware of that.
I want to assure Sam that the walk will be worth his time, that yes, great insights will come to him; life-changing thoughts that will benefit him are footsteps away. But such assurances would be infantilizing to Sam now. My son is man enough to realize that I can't know. My baseless assertions, no matter how well intentioned, would only succeed in making him value my opinions less. And who am I really looking to assuage with them?
Often, while traveling, I abstain from listening to music, preferring to not imprint a familiar soundtrack on a new experience. This is an interesting perspective about why it's good to walk with nothing but your own thoughts as company.
(This is the portion of the narrative in which the older person proclaims how grateful he is that he did not come of age amid the current thorny thicket of social media, with its real-time dangers of impulsivity.) Haha, yes, I feel seen.
Like any meaningful relationship, this walk acts as a receptacle for our fears, doubts, and resentments, while summoning our more noble traits. It tests our patience and endurance, while offering up satisfaction, moments of delight, and bone-deep intimacy. Ok, I'm totally sold!
I question whether | really do still harbor such insecurities, as I habitually claim, or are they, like a worn-out shirt, a thing I wear out of habit. The perils of strongly identifying with our flaws.
There are moments when life seems to make the kind of sense we often wish it made-when the universe seems to sit in our lap, when things are revealed in a simplicity of being and unity. They are moments that add up to more than the sum of their parts moments of serendipity when things come together in a meeting of circumstance, timing, and mood. It's impossible to predict or plan or fully explain such times. They defy efforts at repeating, even if all outward elements are the same. That they seem more common in travel than at home is one of the primary reasons people like me bother to go anywhere in the first place.
My own sense of shame has held me back both personally and professionally on countless occasions. Seeing such liberation in my son ought to bring me joy, and it does, but I first need to see beyond my own limitations.
I consider Sam's complete lack of concern for my condition. It speaks to the parent/child dynamic in which I as the parent take care of my child's needs, and being the parent, have no needs of my own.
It might also speak to the part of me that has kept my needs aloof from my son, choosing only the emotional safety of that parent/ child relationship, so that now when empathy is needed on his part, there is no habit-life of concern to call upon. Or maybe Sam's cavalier "man-up" attitude is appropriate, and I just need to stop acting like a baby. Ehhh, to me he is throwing Sam under the bus a bit here. Or maybe I need to "man up" too haha. My adult kids have empathy for me when I'm sick or hurt. Maybe there is a father/son dynamic going on here that is different than the mother/son one.
Our internal caprices create our individual experiences as much or more than the country we cross or the people we encounter. Makes me think of the way a scene was edited years ago on the tv show The Amazing Race where 2 teams were taking taxis through a city. One was marveling at how exciting and fun it was to experience a new country and see new things while the other team complained about how dirty and gross the city was. Same setting, wildly different attitudes causing extremely different experiences.
I began to wonder when it is along the way that children start to develop their own theories of life and existence. "Where'd you learn all this stuff?" "YouTube." HAHAHA, is he at my house?
I'm aware how much Sam embraces the camaraderie of the group. He needs and wants more than I have to offer him. That I would rather spend the evening in his company or on my own speaks only to my loner tendencies and is of little consequence compared with what I know my son is getting from the group As an introvert parent with an extrovert son, I really get this.
As has been the case when I walk out solo, I'm happy to be alone, while I'm sad to be without Sam. The paradox of parenthood.
Although the greater world might reasonably argue that this walk has no real purpose, that it achieves no practical goals, and so is of no merit or consequence, there's a growing awareness among us, without being able to quite name it yet, that what we are doing is somehow of import and has meaning. Each day's walk creates more internal space, even as the exact alchemy of it eludes us.
Viewing the world through the prism of fear dominated the first half of my life, and-as a result of my experience in the Meseta during my first Camino-the imperfect challenging of that fear has been a driving force of the second.
I want to go back to those damn parent/ teacher conferences and properly defend my son. I want to watch those endless karate classes one more time. I want a redo on his birth. I want all of it again. Yep. I get it. I'd be such a better parent if I had a do-over!
I might be predisposed to liking this because we have sons the exact same age. I related to a lot of what he was discussing in terms of parenting a young adult. Being able to spend a month traveling with my son would be both a blessing and a curse, for both of us lol. Financially I don't see that happening, unless I become a travel writer for National Geographic like McCarthy is. I did appreciate that McCarthy was well aware most people could not take the time off to do what he & Sam did, walking across Spain for a month. Maybe if my husband & I are fit enough when we retire that we could do this? I found the concept of walking across Spain very appealing.
There is not a lot of dramatic action. The focus is on McCarthy's internal musings and on his relationship with his son. This is not an adventure book with wild animals and extreme sports and death-defying acts. I can see others deriding the book as a lot of navel-gazing but sometimes I like to navel-gaze myself so I was fine with it.
Some of my many Kindle highlights to help me later recall what this book was all about:
The satisfaction of needs asserting themselves and being met simply, superseding daily luxuries due to the severity of circumstances, is something in which I have found deep value on the few instances that it's been demanded in my life. And it's something I'd like my son to experience. But seeking out hardship is the dubious indulgence of a pampered fool. Ok, yes, this is a very first world thing to say, the pleasure of roughing it, but he is well aware of that.
I want to assure Sam that the walk will be worth his time, that yes, great insights will come to him; life-changing thoughts that will benefit him are footsteps away. But such assurances would be infantilizing to Sam now. My son is man enough to realize that I can't know. My baseless assertions, no matter how well intentioned, would only succeed in making him value my opinions less. And who am I really looking to assuage with them?
Often, while traveling, I abstain from listening to music, preferring to not imprint a familiar soundtrack on a new experience. This is an interesting perspective about why it's good to walk with nothing but your own thoughts as company.
(This is the portion of the narrative in which the older person proclaims how grateful he is that he did not come of age amid the current thorny thicket of social media, with its real-time dangers of impulsivity.) Haha, yes, I feel seen.
Like any meaningful relationship, this walk acts as a receptacle for our fears, doubts, and resentments, while summoning our more noble traits. It tests our patience and endurance, while offering up satisfaction, moments of delight, and bone-deep intimacy. Ok, I'm totally sold!
I question whether | really do still harbor such insecurities, as I habitually claim, or are they, like a worn-out shirt, a thing I wear out of habit. The perils of strongly identifying with our flaws.
There are moments when life seems to make the kind of sense we often wish it made-when the universe seems to sit in our lap, when things are revealed in a simplicity of being and unity. They are moments that add up to more than the sum of their parts moments of serendipity when things come together in a meeting of circumstance, timing, and mood. It's impossible to predict or plan or fully explain such times. They defy efforts at repeating, even if all outward elements are the same. That they seem more common in travel than at home is one of the primary reasons people like me bother to go anywhere in the first place.
My own sense of shame has held me back both personally and professionally on countless occasions. Seeing such liberation in my son ought to bring me joy, and it does, but I first need to see beyond my own limitations.
I consider Sam's complete lack of concern for my condition. It speaks to the parent/child dynamic in which I as the parent take care of my child's needs, and being the parent, have no needs of my own.
It might also speak to the part of me that has kept my needs aloof from my son, choosing only the emotional safety of that parent/ child relationship, so that now when empathy is needed on his part, there is no habit-life of concern to call upon. Or maybe Sam's cavalier "man-up" attitude is appropriate, and I just need to stop acting like a baby. Ehhh, to me he is throwing Sam under the bus a bit here. Or maybe I need to "man up" too haha. My adult kids have empathy for me when I'm sick or hurt. Maybe there is a father/son dynamic going on here that is different than the mother/son one.
Our internal caprices create our individual experiences as much or more than the country we cross or the people we encounter. Makes me think of the way a scene was edited years ago on the tv show The Amazing Race where 2 teams were taking taxis through a city. One was marveling at how exciting and fun it was to experience a new country and see new things while the other team complained about how dirty and gross the city was. Same setting, wildly different attitudes causing extremely different experiences.
I began to wonder when it is along the way that children start to develop their own theories of life and existence. "Where'd you learn all this stuff?" "YouTube." HAHAHA, is he at my house?
I'm aware how much Sam embraces the camaraderie of the group. He needs and wants more than I have to offer him. That I would rather spend the evening in his company or on my own speaks only to my loner tendencies and is of little consequence compared with what I know my son is getting from the group As an introvert parent with an extrovert son, I really get this.
As has been the case when I walk out solo, I'm happy to be alone, while I'm sad to be without Sam. The paradox of parenthood.
Although the greater world might reasonably argue that this walk has no real purpose, that it achieves no practical goals, and so is of no merit or consequence, there's a growing awareness among us, without being able to quite name it yet, that what we are doing is somehow of import and has meaning. Each day's walk creates more internal space, even as the exact alchemy of it eludes us.
Viewing the world through the prism of fear dominated the first half of my life, and-as a result of my experience in the Meseta during my first Camino-the imperfect challenging of that fear has been a driving force of the second.
I want to go back to those damn parent/ teacher conferences and properly defend my son. I want to watch those endless karate classes one more time. I want a redo on his birth. I want all of it again. Yep. I get it. I'd be such a better parent if I had a do-over!
November 3, 2025
Unbelievably pretentious, both in terms of idea and execution. Maybe that is overly harsh and there was some good reason for writing this book, but I don't understand the purpose of this book. The main reason I don't give this one star is because I respect the audacity of publishing a glorified diary, and why not if someone gives you the option, but what as readers are we supposed to get out of this. I can't decide if I see a world where a good book could ever come out of this idea, I think idea of deeply examining a relationship (especially parent/child) is interesting especially if the characters or events are interesting in themselves, but neither applies here. I guess the justification is that he was a famous actor, but this doesn't really do him any favors because most of the time he comes off as out of touch and pretentious, albeit marginally self aware. I don't know that I could do better admittedly and I have some respect for the motivation, but I would not publish this. One of the most egregious things is referring to the son's unnamed ex-gf as "the Ex" throughout (and this happens a truly ludicrous amount) which always caused me to cringe. I mean imagine being the son and having this book written. Imagine being the Ex for that matter, just feels like some things were not meant to be published as books.
November 13, 2024
You might think the author's name and photo look familiar. Yes, Andrew McCarthy was a Big Actor when he was a young man. Now he's satisfied to write travel pieces and ruminate on what is important. He decided to take the opportunity to relive one of the favorite times of his life, a trip down The Camino de Santiago across Spain, and this time he chose to ask along his oldest child, his son Sam, a child who was about to begin the process of launching out onto his own.
Sam, somewhat reluctantly, agrees to travel with his dad, and off the two go, walking, talking, arguing, fighting, making up, resting, asking questions, reminiscing, sharing life wisdom, philosophizing.
Sam, somewhat reluctantly, agrees to travel with his dad, and off the two go, walking, talking, arguing, fighting, making up, resting, asking questions, reminiscing, sharing life wisdom, philosophizing.
November 14, 2025
Authentic, personal, humourous, illuminating, entertaining, crass (at times), and fascinating... I enjoyed this book more than I expected. McCarthy is a skilled wordsmith, and his transparency was refreshing and compelling. I learned a great deal about the Camino, about parenting, and about life.
July 1, 2024
I read this sort of because of nostalgia (I'm a Gen X) and also because the walk across Spain intrigues me. I wasn't that excited by the story or tge writing. There were a few nuggets that a parent hanging with their young adult child will connect with and times that I wanted Andrew to tell Sam to quit whining.
April 30, 2025
Maybe 3.5? Well written and engaging but I don’t think I’ll find myself thinking about it much now that I’m done with it. It did reinforce me wanting to walk the Camino
March 4, 2026
I love a book about trekking. This was a fun read and well written.
October 28, 2025
Relatable
I read this book thinking about how much this trek is strengthening Andrew and Sam's relationship. This walk is as difficult as it may be, helped Andrew transition into an adult parent. You parent your children differently when they are adults but sometimes it's hard to recognize when they have hit adulthood.
I read this book thinking about how much this trek is strengthening Andrew and Sam's relationship. This walk is as difficult as it may be, helped Andrew transition into an adult parent. You parent your children differently when they are adults but sometimes it's hard to recognize when they have hit adulthood.
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