I was first on the list at my local library for Two Steps Forward, as I have been eagerly awaiting any new work with Graeme Simsion's name attached. I was obviously overly excited because Two Steps Forward did very little for me. The parts I did enjoy and warranted all the stars was meeting all the characters in the midst of their Camino de Santiago pilgrimage to Spain. It was so interesting to see everyone's reason for making the religious pilgrimage, and not only did I learn something new but

When I first started this book I found it a little slow and a little too full of details about walking, finding accommodation and what they had for breakfast. But it surely did not stay like that! As Martin and Zoe take their first tentative steps along the walking trail they also begin a romance which is by turns funny and sad, and full of misunderstandings. The cover picture says it all. There is Zoe on one stretch of the path and Martin with his little cart on a whole separate section. Occasi...

4.5 It was a treat to read this book! As I progressed more deeply in my reading, I became increasingly enthralled. I had heard of the Camino or the Way, a centuries old pilgrimage traversing much of France and Spain, but the narrative by these authors did much to familiarize me with the routes and the myriad reasons of people to undertake these treks. Whether one is a pelerin , a peregrino , or a pilgrim, the reasons for the walk varied widely. It seemed that the religious pilgrimage was r

I read this because it was a Book Club selection by someone in my club that obviously hates me.I gave this 1 star but would give it 0 if I could.This is badly written. It is pedestrian, predictable and plodding (puns intended).I was NOT impressed with Simsion's ROSIE PROJECT and it seems his writing has gone downhill from there.Why, oh why do people who walk the Camino think they need to write a book about it to illuminate the rest of us on its transformative powers? Please, just don't.From page...

Two Steps Forward by husband and wife team Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist was an uplifting and thoroughly enjoyable novel. Though completely different from Simsion's "Rosie" series it contained a number of my favourite elements. For example the writing was engaging so that once started I didn't want to stop reading, the characters were likeable, the story well executed and the setting interesting. Having walked the Chemin/Camino themselves - from Cluny in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain...

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project comes a story of taking chances and learning to love again as two people, one mourning her husband and the other recovering from divorce, cross paths on the centuries-old Camino pilgrimage from France to Spain. The book is about two characters, Zoe and Martian who decide to take this journey separately to heal. The book took me forever to read and I didn't really care for it. I felt it was boring. I shouldn't be surprised that I did...

‘Simsion and Australian psychiatrist Buist have written an insightful study of loss, grief, and the possibility of romance after.’ Library Journal ‘This is the sort of book that you can easily imagine being filmed, with strong set pieces, gorgeous scenery, and lots of heart and humour.’ Booktopian‘The leisurely paced novel explores themes of forgiveness and self-discovery with gentle humour…A feel-good, mature romance that explores what we need to let go of to move forward.’Books+Publishing‘I en...

Two Steps Forward is a novel written by Australian husband and wife author team, Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist. When Zoe and Martin arrive in France, neither of them does so with the Camino de Santiago in mind. Engineer, Dr Martin Eden has just gone through an acrimonious divorce, giving up his home and job for a temporary teaching position in Cluny. An aspiring artist whose fledgling career was aborted by marriage and the birth of her two (now adult) daughters, Zoe Witt is a recent widow. Her h...

I have heard about the Camino walk because a friend's husband walked much of it, I heard an interview about it on the radio by another person who walked it, so when Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist presented itself, I opened it and started reading with interest. I have no desire to walk it myself but I was very happy to vicariously experience it this way.It is described in acknowledgements at the end of the book as a mature-age love story, and it is, but so much more. It is abo...

I only read this because it was chosen for my book club and I can’t stand it when people don’t finish my choices. This book is so awful. Zoe the smarmy vegetarian walks the Camino with Martin the bore. A series of misunderstandings and miscommunication means hilarity ensues. No it doesn’t, it’s just predictable blah blah blah. From the description of the blisters I’m sure the authors read Cheryl Strayed’s brilliant memoir Wild. I’m fascinated by the Camino but this book would have you believe th...

[3.5 stars] I like the idea of going on a walking "pilgrimage" to work through life's problems. ("The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Frye" and "Wild" are two favorites of mine) This is the premise of Two Steps Forward. Zoe and Martin, both middle aged, are separately walking "The Chemin" through France and Spain. I enjoyed both of their journeys and the description of the trail and wish I could go on this walk! It sounds like a very appealing experience. The alternating narratives sometimes felt

I debated whether or not to add this book to my Travel shelf because it shouldn't really fit; it's fiction. But the authors explain in their Authors' Note that they were very careful about being accurate with routes, timings and locations, and taking only occasional liberties with accommodation and restaurants, based on their own experiences of walking the Chemin/Camino twice in 4 years. It's just the characters that are fictional. I was convinced, so there it sits.Martin and Zoe are strangers,

Beautifully written diary of two travelers whose paths cross repeatedly. A love story and a journey to finding oneself. Inspiring! I want to walk the Camino to Santiago de Compostella myself now!