Emma and I have done really well with our latest Reading Together read, as we only started it at the beginning of August and we finished it on 30 September! Raynor Winn’s “The Salt Path” is quite a short and easy read, though – definitely easier than our last book – although it was a bit more sad and a bit less uplifting than I’d imagined (Em trusted me on this one and was just attracted by the cover, however she did say she enjoyed it overall, phew!). I did wait to read this until I knew there was a sequel, and then Verity very kindly gave me this copy for Christmas.
Raynor Winn – “The Salt Path”
(25 December 2020, from Verity)
Excited, afraid, homeless, fat, dying, but at least if we made that first step we had somewhere to go, we had a purpose. And we really didn’t have anything better to do at half past three on a Thursday afternoon than to start a 630-mile walk. (p. 43)
This is one of those books (again!) that pretty well everyone has read and/or knows about. Raynor Winn and her husband, Moth, become homeless in their early 50s as a result of a a business arrangement gone wrong. In a long relationship they’ve gone from students to farmers, building up their lives and family, but now it’s all gone – and now Moth’s had a devastating diagnosis of a degenerative disease.
So things aren’t great and indeed Em and I wept our way through the first section. Then they get onto the South-West coast path, having decided to walk that and wild camp as something positive to do. At first, Moth is really creaky and in pain but things improve and, while they never achieve the speed of the man who wrote their guidebook, they work their way around from North Somerset to South Cornwall.
It was lovely reading about places I know, and we both enjoyed the nature and travel aspect. Amusingly, until half-way around they are unwittingly tracking Simon Armitage (who is writing his journey up for “Walking Away”) which causes all sorts of mix-ups. Less positive was people’s attitude to finding out they’re homeless, which is quite shocking, assuming they’re addicts and backing away or being cruel. They do experience kindness, as well – the kindness of strangers being a theme through this and my last review.
Emma, who has children, was very affected by the effect on theirs, having to turn into sensible adults when they’re barely into their 20s, worrying about their parents but having to stand on their own two feet. This was poignant of course, as was so much of the book, but we both drew from it a sense of the capacity humans have for endurance and strength. And the book does end with a degree of hope, Moth has been all the better for regular exercise but they need to work out how to sustain that. Look out for the tortoise, too!
Emma and I have decided on our next tranche of books and I’m going to note them here so we have them recorded to look up. AND we’ve actually met up in person, the other weekend, after not having seen each other since late February 2020, the longest we’ve gone without seeing each other in our 28-year friendship!
Afua Hirsch – “Brit(ish)” – this is the next one we’ll start and is part memoir of growing up with mixed heritage in Britain, part an exploration of racism and colonialism
Francesca Wade – “Square Haunting” – about Meckelburgh Square and five overlapping residents
Sabeena Akhtar (ed.) – “Cut from the Same Cloth” – stories from British women who wear the hijab
Jini Reddy – “Wanderland” – a London woman with multicultural roots goes looking for the magical in the British landscape
Adam Nicolson – “The Sea is Not Made of Water” – rock pool and beach life between the British tides
Raynor Winn – “The Wild Silence” – homelessness and travels after “The Salt Path” and yes we’re aware people don’t rate it as highly as the first book, but we were curious
Those should keep us going for a good while: I’m so glad we’re keeping our Thursday Evening Reading going even as the lockdowns (hopefully) diminish and we can actually see each other again a bit more regularly.
Oct 06, 2021 @ 09:05:01
Square Haunting is just wonderful. And I must get this new Adam Nicolson!
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 10:10:40
Welcome to my blog! And yes, really looking forward to reading both of these, although it takes us a while to work our way through each book (but there’s a reward in slow, discussed reading, too!).
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 12:53:44
Liz, I hadn’t realized your hair has gotten so long! It’s usually up in a pony tail because you’re running in many of your photos. This book sounds interesting and has an element of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, who takes his old friend along who is unfit and a bit of a pill, albeit a fun pill. There’s something about walking books that we just can’t seem to get enough of. Any ideas why?
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 13:48:33
Ha – yes, my running friends have been surprised by me with my hair down recently! It’s the lockdown; I didn’t have it cut for aaaages. Anyway, yes, it is an interesting book, it certainly doesn’t play it for laughs, as Bryson does, though. I do like a walking book although also like the ones where people run or row or sail or cycle a long way. The thought that it’s something one could almost, but not quite, do, maybe? Emma and I certainly knew a few of the places in this book between us, and have walked along a little bit of it together!
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 14:07:14
you’ve reminded me that I keep meaning to read Square haunting! I loved The Salt Path, it is about endurance and strength of the human spirit but I also found it an education – the geography and geology and also about my own reactions to homeless people. A lot to think about.
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 14:24:14
It does look a good one and we’re both looking forward to it, especially as Emma lives in London so we can go and have a poke around there at some point! I was quite familiar with the geography and geology but the reactions to their homeless state (and age, actually!) were quite shocking.
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 14:10:39
How wonderful that you’ve been able to meet up again. Although I also agree that these circumstances have reminded us that there are other ways to keep in touch and nourish friendships even when in-person get-togethers aren’t possible. I hope you both enjoy your next reading selections! Or, at least finds lots to discuss. Undoubtedly…
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 14:25:16
Well, yes, even if we don’t actively enjoy a book (see our last but one!) we still have plenty to discuss. And it has indeed been a revelation doing our Reading, we both love it and have kept to the schedule really well. But was super to see her properly again, too, of course.
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 17:30:28
I loved Square Haunting, such a beautifully constructed book, full of fascinating insights into the inhabitants of the Square. I hope you enjoy it too. As for The Salt Path, it does seem to have seeped into the cultural consciousness, partly through word of mouth. I’m glad you found it worthwhile – there’s such a lot in it to discuss.
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 17:39:35
I’m sure it’s brilliant, and Emma lives in London so we can go and visit it, too. We always seem to have a good discussion about our books – we did find this one pretty upsetting though, and ha to read on early on as were in floods of tears!
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Oct 06, 2021 @ 17:52:46
Well done! Interested in your response to The Salt Path, as I *have* seen mixed reviews and wonder whether I’ll enjoy it? Square Haunting is a great buddy read – I loved it! đŸ˜€
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Oct 07, 2021 @ 10:10:03
Oh, that’s interesting, as I’ve seen nothing but “This book is so amazing and joyful and inspiring” and we found it quite upsetting! We are looking forward to Square Haunting.
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Oct 09, 2021 @ 07:00:43
I’m so excited you’re reading Square Haunting together. It’s a book designed to be shared and raved about together. Hopefully you’ll go off on all sorts of tangents to read works by the five women featured in it (which was my plan….!)
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Oct 10, 2021 @ 07:11:53
I think that is a distinct possibility, plus a field trip, of course!
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Oct 10, 2021 @ 10:37:38
Perfect!! Can’t wait to see the pics.
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Oct 09, 2021 @ 07:48:09
My mum and sister have been reading The Salt Path and The Wild Silence, so now I really want to read them both. So glad you will be reading Square Haunting together, I still haven’t read it since passing my copy to you when I said I would get a kindle copy.
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Oct 10, 2021 @ 07:12:59
I’ll let you know when we start on it in case you fancy reading at sort of the same time (we take ages to read a book week by week!). And I think you would enjoy The Salt Path, I was going to bring my copy to you but then realised there must be at least two in your family already!
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