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Walking the Camino
- A Modern Pilgrimage to Santiago
- Narrated by: James Millar
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
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Summary
In May 2006, armed only with a small rucksack and a staff, Tony Kevin, an overweight, sedentary, 63-year-old former diplomat, set off on an eight-week trek across Spain. But this was not just a very long walk - it was a pilgrimage.
From Granada, in the southeast, to Santiago de Compostela, in the far northwest, Tony followed the Via Mozarabe and the Via de la Plata, two of the many pilgrim trails that crisscross Spain and Portugal and that all lead to a single destination. In the Middle Ages, the cathedral city of Santiago de Compostela was Europe’s most famous centre of pilgrimage, and in recent years it has enjoyed a remarkable revival; every day towards noon, hundreds of hot, tired, and dusty pilgrims stream into Santiago Cathedral for the daily Pilgrim’s Mass.
What, in our busy, materialistic 21st century, is this apparently anachronistic phenomenon all about? What drives tens of thousands of people of all nationalities and creeds to make long, exhausting walks across the cold mountains and hot tablelands of Spain, to take part finally in a medieval Christian liturgy of spiritual renewal and reconciliation with God?
Walking the Camino beautifully captures the flavour of what it was like to walk the camino, and is filled with fascinating observations and anecdotes about the nature of contemporary Spain. And because pilgrimage is such a deeply personal experience that has the potential to unlock the deepest recesses of hidden memory and conscience, it is also a profound personal meditation on the nature of modern life.
It will be of interest to people who contemplate making, or who have made this walk; to those interested in the politics and culture of contemporary Spain; and indeed anyone who appreciates fine travel writing.
Tony Kevin served in the Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister's departments over a 30-year period, and was Australia's ambassador to Poland and Cambodia. His other award-winning book is A Certain Maritime Incident: the sinking of SIEV X
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What listeners say about Walking the Camino
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- Anonymous User
- 25-10-21
An intelligent and interesting listen, but frustrating.
I mostly enjoyed this. I know Andalusia very well and Mérida is a city I have stayed in a few times, but have no strong connection to the church and its traditions. Retelling the author’s emotional experience was both uplifting and fascinating as he discovered places I know well. However, I found the poor pronunciation of Spanish place names annoying (more than I should have) and it clouded my my enjoyment.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Pannika
- 12-08-21
What a walk!
This had exactly what I'd hoped for - an insight into the route, the history, the politics, the religious background of the country as well as the personal experience and motivations of the walker and tips for anyone else wanting to walk the Camino, For anyone not interested in too much religion / politics, there are 'signposts' for the sections to skip, which seemed very considerate of the author.
My big grumble is the narrator. Honestly, This book deserves better. It needs a narrator who has a smattering of Spanish and is at least as well educated and knowledgeable as the author himself. Given the subject matter, the author had included the occasional prayer and poem in Spanish and sometimes in Latin. In addition, it was predictably full of Spanish place names, people's names, foods- all mangled by the narrator.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Mr Adrian Lamasz
- 30-12-18
Wonderful run through of what to expect
a great book worthy of a read. I would recommend you take the time to consider.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Yorkshireman
- 16-08-18
Not much talking about walking!
About 80% is about Spanish history, regions, politics, how Chritianiy was mean to the Moors, (nothing about how Moors were mean to everyone). The narration is a droning monotone and doesn't help the story. Sorry but I cannot recomend this one.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Ms
- 18-03-16
Ok
Chapter 13 don't bother reading, inaccurate diatribe about Catholic Church who according to Mr Kevin have never done anything but good. It was written in 2006 do no excuse.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 02-09-21
Excellent!
Loved it! Particularly the final chapter…very moving and only makes me more excited about my own pilgrimage in the spring, God willing.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Alex
- 09-02-16
Facinating
I bought this book as I was interested in finding out more about Walking the Camino.
I got this and much more. The history of the walk, Spanish history, Spanish politics, Spanish countryside and the towns along the walk. I also got to enjoy the thoughts and experiences of a great writer.
This Australian writer is fascinating and tells an honest experience.
Superb book read by a great narrator.
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- blair stevenson
- 19-02-24
A jumble of disparate ideas...
Firstly, addressing the elephant in the room - the narration of this book is truly terrible. The entire book is delivered in a monotone, emotionless drone. The butchering of even the most basic of Spanish words is also winch inducing.
However, to the actual content of the book...
This book is all over the place. One third a travel diary, one third a bland retelling of disparate moments in Spanish history, one third an analysis of the healing powers of religion in the modern day.
...with an overly long chapter on the world's unsustainable consumer culture thrown in there too for some reason. Only "linked" to the story because the author is walking beside a busy road...
All of this delivered on a plate by an author who's view of his own self-importance can on occasion become nauseating.
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- Mrs Elizabeth Bowen
- 24-01-24
Loved the gentle pace, incisive thoughts and places visited
Tony took me on his journey along the Camino, he allowed me to share the villages, food, architecture, fellow pilgrims and locals he encountered (without a single blister or muscle ache- on my side of the page at least). His sense of justness and morality a welcome head wind. Thank you
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- Boz
- 12-08-23
Awful narration but very good book
Great book. But please, narrator...if you are being paid to narrate a book about Spain, why are you not able to make just a minimal effort to pronounce Spanish names in a comprehensible manner? It takes quite some imagination to understand which cities he is talking about at times as the pronunciation is so awful. Let alone the times when the narrator reads passages in Spanish... If you are not willing to ask a Spanish speaker about basic pronunciation, why would you take on the job of reading an entire book full of Spanish words and names?? Very unprofessional.
But the book itself was great! Especially for someone preparing the Camino or with knowledge of it!
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