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Two Steps Forward

from the author of The Rosie Project

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Two Steps Forward

By: Graeme Simsion, Anne Buist
Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins, Simon Slater
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Summary

 A smart and funny story from the author of The Rosie Project - two misfits walk 2,000 km along the the Camino to find themselves and, perhaps, each other. A novel of second chances and reinvention from Graeme Simsion, and his wife Anne Buist. Optioned for film.

Zoe, a sometime artist, is from California. Martin, an engineer, is from Yorkshire. Both have ended up in picturesque Cluny, in central France. Both are struggling to come to terms with their recent past - for Zoe, the death of her husband; for Martin, a messy divorce.

Looking to make a new start, each sets out alone to walk two thousand kilometres from Cluny to Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain, in the footsteps of pilgrims who have walked the Camino (the Way) for centuries. The Camino changes you, it's said. It's a chance to find a new version of yourself, and a new beginning. But can these two very different people find themselves? Will they find each other?

In this smart, funny and romantic journey, Martin's and Zoe's stories are told in alternating chapters by husband-and-wife team Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist. Two Steps Forward is a novel about renewal - physical, psychological and spiritual. It's about the challenge of walking a long distance and of working out where you are going. And it's about what you decide to keep, what you choose to leave behind and what you rediscover along the way.

Optioned by Fox Searchlight for Ellen DeGeneres to produce through A Very Good Production Europe Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Marriage Heartfelt Feel-Good Funny Divorce
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Critic reviews

Sleepless in Seattle meets Wild as missed opportunities and misunderstandings keep the pair from getting together and a raucous supporting cast of fellow walkers keep the fun bubbling. A beautifully crafted tale of love, self-acceptance and blisters.
Charming and absorbing
The cast of quirky characters make this a diverting read
The misunderstandings, blisters and bust ups make for a charming, uplifting journey
An authentic and diverting read that will make you want to put on your walking boots and book a one-way ticket to southern France
A charming tale of intrepid, later-life romance ... Much like the winding pilgrimage the book's characters take, their romance charts a bumpy course. The authors unpack their protagonists' insecurities and emotional issues with great skill and sensitivity.
Entertaining and refreshingly unpredictable (Frances Atkinson)
Intriguing
A fun misadventure of misunderstandings
Incredibly powerful . . . An untraditional love story, a time to reflect and some fascinating characters; I was completely caught up in the magic of this book
All stars
Most relevant
a pleasant, undemanding listen...story is, forgive the pun, pedestrian and the performances do ok with a limited script.
easy listening

pleasant

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Great narration by main characters and loved the accents of the others.
It gave a picture of life on the trail and what it would be like to be there.
Really love to walk it myself after listening to this book.

Brilliant...couldn’t stop listening!

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I had to listen to this as Graeme Simsion was a coauthor.
I was tempted to give up the story like Martin however I chose to finish as part of my pilgrimage and also as I have had the pleasure of going to Santiago (though not by walking).
I’m not sure why they (the authors) chose an American female as an Aussie female might have been a little more amusing.

A long trail

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Great writing and characters - lovely easy read when you need a soulful uplifting book or inspiration to do that Camino at last!

All the humour, surprise and soulfulness!

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Expertly narrated, a beautiful account of two people on a spiritual journey. The path changes them both for the better. If you only read one book this year it has to be this one.

Must read

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