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The Walk #2
Miles to Go
Alan Christoffersen lost everything he loves. Searching for hope, Alan embarks on a walk across America, from Seattle to Key West. Angel continues his journey from Spokane, Washington, where we left him in The Walk, as he encounters new people and learns new lessons about love, life, and loss.
Audiobook
First published April 5, 2011
About the author
Richard Paul Evans
237 books6,627 followersWhen Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author. His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. He has since written eleven consecutive New York Times bestsellers. He is one the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won several awards for his books including the 1998 American Mothers Book Award, two first place Storytelling World Awards, and the 2005 Romantic Times Best Women Novel of the Year Award. His books have been translated into more than 22 languages and several have been international best sellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,508 reviews
February 5, 2017
I loved this book. Richard Paul Evans, as an author, is outstanding in expressing the importance of other people that touch your life in some way that you and that person are changed forever in a very positive way. I am looking forward to book 3 in the series.
September 23, 2012
Ok ... this is God talking for sure! After finishing the first book, I wanted to read the 2nd. I was in WalMart, heading from the groceries to the books, when I prayed: "God, I know You have more important things to think about than whether the store has the book I want, but I also know You care about the details of my life, so if that book is on the shelf, please help me to see it." I walked all down the book aisle, looking in every section, and did not see the book. There was a clearance bin, and I stopped to look at the children's books, but nearly passed over the other side. However, some book caught my eye, and as I picked it up, underneath it, was "Miles to Go" ... the very book I was searching for. My eyes teared up, because that was absolutely God saying to me, "I do care about the details of your life."
Was the book worth it? Absolutely! As good as the first one, just a different part of the journey. This one was especially interesting to me, because I grew up in Montana, so many of the places he walked in this book were familiar haunts to me. More poignant lessons, more gripping story, with humor, mystery, drama, adventure, and lots of wonderful relationships. Now, however, I have to wait a bit for the 3rd book ... and then I'll have to wait till next May for # 4!
Was the book worth it? Absolutely! As good as the first one, just a different part of the journey. This one was especially interesting to me, because I grew up in Montana, so many of the places he walked in this book were familiar haunts to me. More poignant lessons, more gripping story, with humor, mystery, drama, adventure, and lots of wonderful relationships. Now, however, I have to wait a bit for the 3rd book ... and then I'll have to wait till next May for # 4!
November 26, 2018
This was an unusual book but I find these journeys/pilgrimages are often not just interesting but touching deeply as they provide an insight into the author's mindset too. The book lost a star for me because of the constant descriptions of food and the many different types he ate on the way.
Apart from that I did find the book interesting to read. There are many parts of sadness and some in depth portraits of the people he met on his long journey by foot. I am keeping this short because I am without a PC at the moment and I am using my new tablet for the first time and I am unused to how sensitive the touch typing I'm now having to use. I've already messed up my previous review of The Pillars of Rome so hopefully you will be patient with me. Thank goodness for the predictive spelling and choice of words to help. Overall I liked this first book in the series and will be reading the next book in the series so recommended if you like this sort of book. I watched a DVD named "The Way" I think starring Martin Sheen and Jamestown Newbottle which again is interesting and thoughtful if you found this type of story appeals to you. It's not for everyone though.
.
F
Apart from that I did find the book interesting to read. There are many parts of sadness and some in depth portraits of the people he met on his long journey by foot. I am keeping this short because I am without a PC at the moment and I am using my new tablet for the first time and I am unused to how sensitive the touch typing I'm now having to use. I've already messed up my previous review of The Pillars of Rome so hopefully you will be patient with me. Thank goodness for the predictive spelling and choice of words to help. Overall I liked this first book in the series and will be reading the next book in the series so recommended if you like this sort of book. I watched a DVD named "The Way" I think starring Martin Sheen and Jamestown Newbottle which again is interesting and thoughtful if you found this type of story appeals to you. It's not for everyone though.
.
F
September 9, 2018
Book 2 in “The Walk” series has Alan Christoffersen accomplishing yet another segment of his walk - his destination: Key West, Florida.
Across the western states of the U.S. he treks, learning life lessons, meeting good people and bad, doing good deeds, making friends with people along the way, learning their stories, feeling their pain, recollecting his own stories. He doesn’t know if he’s walking from his past or towards his future.
Spokane, Washington
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
The state line of Montana
Yellowstone National Park
Cody, Wyoming
Rapid city, South Dakota
This book is a personal journal and also a life and travel guide all rolled into one.
Book 3 is next!
Across the western states of the U.S. he treks, learning life lessons, meeting good people and bad, doing good deeds, making friends with people along the way, learning their stories, feeling their pain, recollecting his own stories. He doesn’t know if he’s walking from his past or towards his future.
Spokane, Washington
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
The state line of Montana
Yellowstone National Park
Cody, Wyoming
Rapid city, South Dakota
This book is a personal journal and also a life and travel guide all rolled into one.
Book 3 is next!
April 18, 2013
My Take
A beautiful, well-written second book in The Walk series, this book is rich in life lessons and character development, two things I love in a novel. Evans’ chapters are short and impacting – it makes you feel like you are zipping through the book (I read it in two days). I like the title and how it is taken from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost (shown below) – I’ve always loved this poem.
There are really three stories going on here – Alan Christoffersen’s, a woman he meets on the highway names Angel, and Kailamai’s – a young girl running away from her most recent foster home.
Alan is reeling from the untimely death of his wife, McKale, and also the loss of his business and home from a rather unscrupulous business partner. In Spokane, he is recovering from three knife wounds he suffered just outside of town, when he was mugged by three punks but saved by two truckers with a shotgun.
He recuperates in Angel’s apartment and learns about her bout with depression and suicide, and he is able to help her start her life again. The story of their Thanksgiving and Christmas together with Bill, the caretaker and owner who lost his wife recently, and Christine, a college student living in another apartment, is poignant.
Alan has a reconciliation with his father, who comes out to see him and make sure he is ok.
When Spring rolls around, Alan is finally fit enough to continue his walk. He travels from Spokane to upper Idaho (Coeur d’Alene-Kellog-Wallace) where he meets Kailamai (he says her from a bunch of gang-bangers) with his 9mm pistol that his father gave him (good to see some common sense creep in here). She is a run-away from a foster home and has had a terrible life up to this point, but she is the most hopeful person he has ever met. Alan plans it out so that Angel (now Nicole) meets them just before he enters Yellowstone National Park to bring Kailamai back to Spokane with her and enroll her in school.
Alan continues on – alone again. His trek through Wyoming is very boring (see quotes below) – I wonder if they ticked him off some how when he asked for information about their state (or maybe during his own travels?). In any case, it picks up again when he enters South Dakota, and his description of Korczak Ziolkowski and his work on the Crazy Horse monument is extremely interesting (see pp. 310-311).
The ending is very ambiguous - I hate it! He notices an older woman in the hotel lobby who knows him who says “I’ve been looking for you for weeks” and boom, the book is over. Boo!
Summary
Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, wakes one morning to find himself injured, alone, and confined to a hospital bed in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen days earlier, reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan left everything he knew behind and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. Carrying only a backpack, he planned to walk to Key West, the farthest destination on his map. But a vicious roadside stabbing has interrupted Alan’s trek and robbed him of his one source of solace: the ability to walk. Homeless and facing months of difficult recovery, Alan has nowhere to turn—until a mysterious woman enters his life and invites him into her home. Generous and kind, Angel seems almost too good to be true, but all is not as it appears. Alan soon realizes that before he can return to his own journey, he must first help Angel with hers. From one of America’s most beloved and bestselling storytellers comes an astonishing tale of life and death, love and second chances, and why sometimes the best way to heal your own suffering is by helping to heal someone else’s. Inspiring, moving, and full of wisdom, Miles to Go picks up where the bestseller The Walk left off, continuing the unforgettable series about one man’s unrelenting search for hope.
Quotes
This is story of contrasts-about living and dying, hope and despair, pain and healing, and the tenuous, thin places between both extremes where most of us reside. (p. 6)
The sun will rise again. The only uncertainty is whether or not we will rise to greet it. (Prologue)
Sometimes Mother Nature has PMS. (Chapter Four – describing his wedding day)
There are people who come into our lives as welcome as a cool breeze in summer – and last about as long. (Chapter Seven-describing how much Norma, the nurse, helped him)
People aren’t wired to be alone. Even in the stressful population of prison, solitary confinement is still considered a cruel punishment. (Chapter Thirteen-Mom underlined this when she read it)
There can be no job without gratitude. (Chapter Twenty-one)
My father came. No matter what he said, his search for me spoke louder. (Chapter Twenty-two)
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.”
-Longfellow (Chapter Twenty-seven)
My mother always said that the shortest path to healing was to heal someone else. (p. 166)
“How’s Seattle?” I asked. “Rain,” she said. (p. 175)
Old friends are memories personified. (Chapter Thirty)
Forgiveness is the key to the heart’s shackles. (Chapter Thirty-four)
I don’t think it as much a human foible as it is a human curse that we cannot understand the beauty of a thing until it is gone. (Chapter Thirty-five)
My father liked to drive at night and I slept for most of the ride home. I still remember the feel and smell of cold vinyl against my face. Somehow I woke in my own bed, the soft white sheets tucked in around me. I miss that. Childhood is magical that way. (p.292)
Nothing clears the mind (nor colon) like an encounter with a grizzly bear. (293)
The Wild West has never been so dull. (p.301)
I’ve known people from Wyoming and I’ve heard tale of its rugged beauty and friendly folksy inhabitants, but honestly, in this part of the state, I didn’t feel it. (p. 303)
Crossing from Wyoming into South Dakota was like the moment Dorothy emerged from her re-located Kansas home in the magical, Technicolor world of Oz. (p. 306)
A beautiful, well-written second book in The Walk series, this book is rich in life lessons and character development, two things I love in a novel. Evans’ chapters are short and impacting – it makes you feel like you are zipping through the book (I read it in two days). I like the title and how it is taken from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost (shown below) – I’ve always loved this poem.
There are really three stories going on here – Alan Christoffersen’s, a woman he meets on the highway names Angel, and Kailamai’s – a young girl running away from her most recent foster home.
Alan is reeling from the untimely death of his wife, McKale, and also the loss of his business and home from a rather unscrupulous business partner. In Spokane, he is recovering from three knife wounds he suffered just outside of town, when he was mugged by three punks but saved by two truckers with a shotgun.
He recuperates in Angel’s apartment and learns about her bout with depression and suicide, and he is able to help her start her life again. The story of their Thanksgiving and Christmas together with Bill, the caretaker and owner who lost his wife recently, and Christine, a college student living in another apartment, is poignant.
Alan has a reconciliation with his father, who comes out to see him and make sure he is ok.
When Spring rolls around, Alan is finally fit enough to continue his walk. He travels from Spokane to upper Idaho (Coeur d’Alene-Kellog-Wallace) where he meets Kailamai (he says her from a bunch of gang-bangers) with his 9mm pistol that his father gave him (good to see some common sense creep in here). She is a run-away from a foster home and has had a terrible life up to this point, but she is the most hopeful person he has ever met. Alan plans it out so that Angel (now Nicole) meets them just before he enters Yellowstone National Park to bring Kailamai back to Spokane with her and enroll her in school.
Alan continues on – alone again. His trek through Wyoming is very boring (see quotes below) – I wonder if they ticked him off some how when he asked for information about their state (or maybe during his own travels?). In any case, it picks up again when he enters South Dakota, and his description of Korczak Ziolkowski and his work on the Crazy Horse monument is extremely interesting (see pp. 310-311).
The ending is very ambiguous - I hate it! He notices an older woman in the hotel lobby who knows him who says “I’ve been looking for you for weeks” and boom, the book is over. Boo!
Summary
Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, wakes one morning to find himself injured, alone, and confined to a hospital bed in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen days earlier, reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan left everything he knew behind and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. Carrying only a backpack, he planned to walk to Key West, the farthest destination on his map. But a vicious roadside stabbing has interrupted Alan’s trek and robbed him of his one source of solace: the ability to walk. Homeless and facing months of difficult recovery, Alan has nowhere to turn—until a mysterious woman enters his life and invites him into her home. Generous and kind, Angel seems almost too good to be true, but all is not as it appears. Alan soon realizes that before he can return to his own journey, he must first help Angel with hers. From one of America’s most beloved and bestselling storytellers comes an astonishing tale of life and death, love and second chances, and why sometimes the best way to heal your own suffering is by helping to heal someone else’s. Inspiring, moving, and full of wisdom, Miles to Go picks up where the bestseller The Walk left off, continuing the unforgettable series about one man’s unrelenting search for hope.
Quotes
This is story of contrasts-about living and dying, hope and despair, pain and healing, and the tenuous, thin places between both extremes where most of us reside. (p. 6)
The sun will rise again. The only uncertainty is whether or not we will rise to greet it. (Prologue)
Sometimes Mother Nature has PMS. (Chapter Four – describing his wedding day)
There are people who come into our lives as welcome as a cool breeze in summer – and last about as long. (Chapter Seven-describing how much Norma, the nurse, helped him)
People aren’t wired to be alone. Even in the stressful population of prison, solitary confinement is still considered a cruel punishment. (Chapter Thirteen-Mom underlined this when she read it)
There can be no job without gratitude. (Chapter Twenty-one)
My father came. No matter what he said, his search for me spoke louder. (Chapter Twenty-two)
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.”
-Longfellow (Chapter Twenty-seven)
My mother always said that the shortest path to healing was to heal someone else. (p. 166)
“How’s Seattle?” I asked. “Rain,” she said. (p. 175)
Old friends are memories personified. (Chapter Thirty)
Forgiveness is the key to the heart’s shackles. (Chapter Thirty-four)
I don’t think it as much a human foible as it is a human curse that we cannot understand the beauty of a thing until it is gone. (Chapter Thirty-five)
My father liked to drive at night and I slept for most of the ride home. I still remember the feel and smell of cold vinyl against my face. Somehow I woke in my own bed, the soft white sheets tucked in around me. I miss that. Childhood is magical that way. (p.292)
Nothing clears the mind (nor colon) like an encounter with a grizzly bear. (293)
The Wild West has never been so dull. (p.301)
I’ve known people from Wyoming and I’ve heard tale of its rugged beauty and friendly folksy inhabitants, but honestly, in this part of the state, I didn’t feel it. (p. 303)
Crossing from Wyoming into South Dakota was like the moment Dorothy emerged from her re-located Kansas home in the magical, Technicolor world of Oz. (p. 306)
November 8, 2021
The story of Alan who lost everything, so he decides to walk to Key West Florida. This is the story of people he meets on the way and his personal journey of healing and Grace. Here he meets a woman who helps him after he gets stabs and in the process he helps her as well. Then he meets a teen on his travels, in the end he helps her and when through helping these individuals he learns that he is helping himself in the process. Richard Paul Evans wrote a book similar to this one but I still love these books and what the characters learn on their travails. If you want to read this series each b9ok is short and you can get thru a book in a day. I highly recommend this series and if you haven't discovered Richard Paul Evans you really need to!
February 19, 2012
I picked up Miles to Go by Richard Paul Evans on purpose. I'm not a fan of his writing, but I wanted an uplifting book for the holidays. Reading it reminded me of why I'm not a fan of his writing. It should have been an uplifting book. It had all the parts of the formula: sad story, characters overcoming hard times, a happy ending. The problem was it had all the parts of the formula. All of his books follow the same formula and when I read them, I get bored. There are no surprises, no suspense, no mysteries. I can't even cheer for the characters because they lack personalities. They are cookie cutter gingerbread people without any unique decorations.
His writing is also bland. He likes to tell the story, rather than show us. This subtle change makes a huge difference to the reader. When I hear about the characters and what they feel, rather than experience it with them, they are removed from me. I am just the reader, rather than a part of their world. When I am part of their world, I care deeply about them and want to know what happens to them. Writers do this by showing us what they are going through, rather than just saying things like, "She was depressed."
There were great things about this book. I loved some of the quotes the characters said. They sounded like inspirational posters. The trouble was without an interesting character to connect the quotes in my mind, the quotes were easily forgotten. I also enjoyed the story on the Good Samaritan experiment. I was so intrigued by this story, I Googled the experiment to find out more.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make me like the book. I didn't even feel like talking about the book when I was done, and you know how much I love talking about books I am reading.
It was an okay book, but like the characters, it will be easily forgotten. If you are looking for an inspirational read for the holidays, pick up a Mitch Albom book. His books will be ones you will not forget.
His writing is also bland. He likes to tell the story, rather than show us. This subtle change makes a huge difference to the reader. When I hear about the characters and what they feel, rather than experience it with them, they are removed from me. I am just the reader, rather than a part of their world. When I am part of their world, I care deeply about them and want to know what happens to them. Writers do this by showing us what they are going through, rather than just saying things like, "She was depressed."
There were great things about this book. I loved some of the quotes the characters said. They sounded like inspirational posters. The trouble was without an interesting character to connect the quotes in my mind, the quotes were easily forgotten. I also enjoyed the story on the Good Samaritan experiment. I was so intrigued by this story, I Googled the experiment to find out more.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make me like the book. I didn't even feel like talking about the book when I was done, and you know how much I love talking about books I am reading.
It was an okay book, but like the characters, it will be easily forgotten. If you are looking for an inspirational read for the holidays, pick up a Mitch Albom book. His books will be ones you will not forget.
May 18, 2011
Miles To Go (The Second Journal of The Walk Series)
By Richard Paul Evans
Published by Simon & Schuster
In this second journal in the series, Alan Christoffersen awakens in a hospital bed after a brutal roadside attack. Lucky to be alive, Alan is visited daily by a woman named ‘Angel’ he recently helped while on his walk. A true blessing, Angel invites Alan to complete his recovery at her home; however, Alan soon discovers that it is Angel who’s in real need of healing.
As one person’s soul mends, the light of their transformation illuminates those around them; a chain reaction of blessings. And so, with new friends, comfort and strength, Alan once again sets out for Key West, Florida. Along his route he meets some amazing people and sees some of America’s most spectacular wonders. Yet his journey is far from over and it will take all the resilience he has to endure.
Miles To Go “is a story of contrasts⎯about living and dying, hope and despair, pain and healing, and the tenuous, thin places between both extremes where most of us reside.”
By Richard Paul Evans
Published by Simon & Schuster
In this second journal in the series, Alan Christoffersen awakens in a hospital bed after a brutal roadside attack. Lucky to be alive, Alan is visited daily by a woman named ‘Angel’ he recently helped while on his walk. A true blessing, Angel invites Alan to complete his recovery at her home; however, Alan soon discovers that it is Angel who’s in real need of healing.
As one person’s soul mends, the light of their transformation illuminates those around them; a chain reaction of blessings. And so, with new friends, comfort and strength, Alan once again sets out for Key West, Florida. Along his route he meets some amazing people and sees some of America’s most spectacular wonders. Yet his journey is far from over and it will take all the resilience he has to endure.
Miles To Go “is a story of contrasts⎯about living and dying, hope and despair, pain and healing, and the tenuous, thin places between both extremes where most of us reside.”
June 19, 2014
Another very well done book.
I'm hooked on this series!
I'm hooked on this series!
January 24, 2013
I'm not quite sure why I keep reading books by RPE... I guess I keep hoping that I'll really like one eventually.
Things I liked:
1) I love the character of Falene, a beautiful woman who is not swayed by the gawking men and does things because it's the right thing to do.
2) Two new characters, Angel and Kailamai. Very distinct personalities, well written so that I could picture them. Angel seemed a bit bi-polar for a while, but then things were explained.
3) Some great phrases that are profound, most coming from the chapter headings. "...it's difficult to believe that someone with so many trials could harbor such hope, as that there are those with so much advantage who harbor such hopelessness."
4) The map at the beginning of each book showing his travel plans.
Things I didn't like:
1) His writing is okay, moments of wonderful phrases that make me say, "wow", followed by mundane.
2) I got tired of the word 'surprisingly'. "It was surprisingly good", "he was surprisingly----", etc... Really overused.
3) I'm still tired of reading about what he eats....
4) I'm still bugged about the initial timeline that started this series. The foreclosure on the home seemed really quick, where were all of the letters of warning? Had McKale hidden them from him? That wasn't explained.
5) At the beginning of each book we're told that we are reading Alan's journal, but only the chapter headings read like a journal, the rest reads like what it is--- the story. Hmm...
6) Poor proof-reading. Page 86- "I didn't even know her last name." Well, if I'm supposed to be reading his journal it's
on page 70. Also, who says, "bottles of toothpaste"?
That being said...I guess I'll have to keep reading just to see if Alan gets to Key West. Thank goodness for library checkout and bookstore clearance tables.
Things I liked:
1) I love the character of Falene, a beautiful woman who is not swayed by the gawking men and does things because it's the right thing to do.
2) Two new characters, Angel and Kailamai. Very distinct personalities, well written so that I could picture them. Angel seemed a bit bi-polar for a while, but then things were explained.
3) Some great phrases that are profound, most coming from the chapter headings. "...it's difficult to believe that someone with so many trials could harbor such hope, as that there are those with so much advantage who harbor such hopelessness."
4) The map at the beginning of each book showing his travel plans.
Things I didn't like:
1) His writing is okay, moments of wonderful phrases that make me say, "wow", followed by mundane.
2) I got tired of the word 'surprisingly'. "It was surprisingly good", "he was surprisingly----", etc... Really overused.
3) I'm still tired of reading about what he eats....
4) I'm still bugged about the initial timeline that started this series. The foreclosure on the home seemed really quick, where were all of the letters of warning? Had McKale hidden them from him? That wasn't explained.
5) At the beginning of each book we're told that we are reading Alan's journal, but only the chapter headings read like a journal, the rest reads like what it is--- the story. Hmm...
6) Poor proof-reading. Page 86- "I didn't even know her last name." Well, if I'm supposed to be reading his journal it's
on page 70. Also, who says, "bottles of toothpaste"?
That being said...I guess I'll have to keep reading just to see if Alan gets to Key West. Thank goodness for library checkout and bookstore clearance tables.
January 26, 2015
Easy read. Enjoyable. Uplifting. Picked it up shortly after reading the first book in the series The Walk because I enjoyed it so much.
June 23, 2017
I found the second book of this series as compelling and touching as the first. I think I have found an author that I am very inspired by. He writes a tale that is gripping, realistic, and emotional. I think if you haven't read anything by him, you should give it a try. It might not be your type of story, but I think you will be effected by the time you finish it. I am continuing my journey into the third book. Hope you are out there on road with me.
May 1, 2011
NOTE*** The second journal of “The Walk” series. The first was titled: “The Walk”. MILES TO GO continues where The Walk left off. Book 3 will be released in April 2012.
Alan Christoffersen, thirty-two-years old, is writing the second journal of his walk from a hospital bed. His plan to walk to Key West, Florida from Seattle, Washington was interrupted when he was mugged, stabbed, and left to die on the side of the road in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen weeks earlier, within a 5-week period, Alan lost his precious wife, McKale, his home, and his business. He decided to leave everything behind and go on a cross country journey, walking! He chose to walk to Key West, Florida a 3,500 mile walk because it was the furthest point on his map. But the unexpected attack has interrupted Alan’s journey. He is facing months of hard recovery and has nowhere to live until he meets a woman named, Angel, who is sitting beside his bed when he wakes up.
Alan had previously lived in a 2 million dollar home, was a highly successful advertising executive, and was married to his gorgeous and beloved wife, McKale. Alan’s partner in his advertising business, Craig, stole his clients while he was at the hospital caring for McKale. After his business went under and he lost everything, he had his assistant, Falene, liqudate office furniture and other items and deposit the money into a bank account to finance his walk. In order to survive, he just packed up and started his trek to Key West in order to survive.
This is a story of: “contrasts, about living and dying, about suffering and pain, about loss and emotions, and hope, despair and healing. Alan doesn’t know yet whether he is walking away from his past, or into his future”.
Come with me on this walk as we follow along with Alan for this is truly an unbelievable walk and he learns important life lessons from the people he meets, and leaves them with a bit of his own wisdom.
Alan Christoffersen, thirty-two-years old, is writing the second journal of his walk from a hospital bed. His plan to walk to Key West, Florida from Seattle, Washington was interrupted when he was mugged, stabbed, and left to die on the side of the road in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen weeks earlier, within a 5-week period, Alan lost his precious wife, McKale, his home, and his business. He decided to leave everything behind and go on a cross country journey, walking! He chose to walk to Key West, Florida a 3,500 mile walk because it was the furthest point on his map. But the unexpected attack has interrupted Alan’s journey. He is facing months of hard recovery and has nowhere to live until he meets a woman named, Angel, who is sitting beside his bed when he wakes up.
Alan had previously lived in a 2 million dollar home, was a highly successful advertising executive, and was married to his gorgeous and beloved wife, McKale. Alan’s partner in his advertising business, Craig, stole his clients while he was at the hospital caring for McKale. After his business went under and he lost everything, he had his assistant, Falene, liqudate office furniture and other items and deposit the money into a bank account to finance his walk. In order to survive, he just packed up and started his trek to Key West in order to survive.
This is a story of: “contrasts, about living and dying, about suffering and pain, about loss and emotions, and hope, despair and healing. Alan doesn’t know yet whether he is walking away from his past, or into his future”.
Come with me on this walk as we follow along with Alan for this is truly an unbelievable walk and he learns important life lessons from the people he meets, and leaves them with a bit of his own wisdom.
May 24, 2011
The continuation of The Walk by Richard Paul Evans. In this small novel Alan wakes up in a hospital in Spokane, Washington with three knife wounds to his stomach, inflicted by a gang. He has only walked 318 of the 3,500 miles in his journey from Seattle to Key West, Florida. Alan has lost everything important in his life and walks, with only the bare necessities on his back, to get through the pain - well he did, until he was jumped by the gang outside Spokane. Now, lying in a hospital bed regaining his strength, Alan wonders how he will get through the day, let alone the upcoming months of recuperation. A good samaritan, by the name of Angel, offers to take him home and care for him until he's back on his feet and able to travel again. Can Angel and Alan help each other heal from their own personal tragedies?
My 18 year old daughter read the first in this emotional series and eagerly awaited Miles to Go. Two nights of staying up until 3am and it was finished - she said she couldn't put it down.
My 18 year old daughter read the first in this emotional series and eagerly awaited Miles to Go. Two nights of staying up until 3am and it was finished - she said she couldn't put it down.
March 11, 2017
I had great hopes for this series, but it just solidified my conclusion that I'm not a Richard Paul Evans fan. The idea of wanting to walk across the US because of grief is an interesting starting point, but his journey felt so... soul-less.
He didn't really come to any conclusions or learn anything, and it drove me nuts that every woman who met him wanted to desperately throw herself at him. Alan ended the series pretty much where he started, but a little less grief stricken. Which probably would have happened in the same amount of time without the walk.
I don't know. I thought the main character was shallow and incomplete, and I disliked being in his head for a whole journey across the US.
He didn't really come to any conclusions or learn anything, and it drove me nuts that every woman who met him wanted to desperately throw herself at him. Alan ended the series pretty much where he started, but a little less grief stricken. Which probably would have happened in the same amount of time without the walk.
I don't know. I thought the main character was shallow and incomplete, and I disliked being in his head for a whole journey across the US.
September 12, 2013
The first book in the series is enjoyable, but this one was just annoying. It was sickeningly sweet with always a happy, quick ending to complex personal problems.
Definitely written by a guy with a huge ego -- all of his relationships with the women implied their complete adoration and devotion for main character, Alan. He is the perfect, witty, life-changing gentleman with whom they are simply content to be friends.
Alan changes everyone's life for the BET-TER, and at the end of the book has a surprise visit from a mystery person. I'm sure to entice the reader to read book 3. I'll take a pass, and just skim the Wikipedia synopsis.
Definitely written by a guy with a huge ego -- all of his relationships with the women implied their complete adoration and devotion for main character, Alan. He is the perfect, witty, life-changing gentleman with whom they are simply content to be friends.
Alan changes everyone's life for the BET-TER, and at the end of the book has a surprise visit from a mystery person. I'm sure to entice the reader to read book 3. I'll take a pass, and just skim the Wikipedia synopsis.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2015
This book of the Walk, at first I was surprised that Alan spent so much time Rehabbing with Angel and her neighbors. Than I realized it not the Walk itself, but the journey Alan is taking and the people he encounters that make differences in his life and him in theirs. Kaliamai has a wonderful quote "The way I see it, everyone has problems. It's how you choose to deal with them." Isn't that the truth!
May 20, 2016
This is book #2 in a 5 part Walk series by the author. I liked this enough that I am going back to read the first one and am on the library waiting list for the other 3. It is a reflective, thoughtful and inspirational read. As a quote in the book said "We plan our lives in long, unbroken stretches that intersect our dreams the way highways connect the city dots on a road map. But in the end we learn that life is lived in the side roads, alleys, and detours."
August 11, 2012
I enjoyed the continued story of Alan Christoffersen's walk across the US after the death of his wife. It was interesting to see the reconnection with Angel and how it played out as well as meet a new person who affected Alan's life, Kailamai. I look forward to reading book 3 in this series.
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February 10, 2012Another Richard Paul Evans classic. The continuation of Alan's journey as he walks across the nation to find healing after his wife's death.
June 30, 2016
I like this author and always enjoy his writing, this book definitely sets the stage for a very long series.
April 9, 2022
I feel like I'm on a journey myself reading these books. Inspirational, thought provoking, soul searching, powerful. Another incredible read!
March 1, 2018
Miles To Go
By: Richard Paul Evans
If you’re looking for some kind of happy ending love story, this isn’t the book for you. This book will make you question your purpose on earth. Overall this is a great book.
Richard Paul Evans wrote this book describing what it was like after losing his wife, home, and cars. He had nothing, so he decided to walk. Miles to Go is the second book in the series. When you first start reading you notice that Alan Christopherson is in the hospital with 3 scars on his abdomen. He had been in a violent accident.
Whenever he woke he saw that the lady he had helped a few miles back was at his bedside. Her name was Angel. The hospital had called her. She was the only contact Alan had on him. This is because he had helped her a few days ago and Angel had given him her card. Through all the recovering at the hospital, Angel had stayed by Alans side. She didn’t know this man. Why was she being so caring for a man she knew nothing about?
Her generousness went to the next level when she told Alan that he could stay with her, until he was fully recovered and could walk again. " My offers still open. You're welcome to stay with me. I've already moved some things around in my apartment... just in case" (Evans 14). He took up this offer only because he needed the help and had nowhere to stay. For the next 5 months Alan and Angel grew incredibly close. You would think they were a thing. The love between the two of them bloomed into something unimaginable.
Then, the day came when Alan could walk alone for miles and not feel any pain. He decided to leave the next morning. He felt like if he didn’t go then, he wouldn’t be able to leave Angel. He loved her, but he loved his wife more." McKale was still gone- and my heart was still broken. How can I stay here with Angel when I'm still madly in love with Mckale? I need to keep walking. I need to reach my destination" (Evans 306). He had remembered why he started walking and why he must finish. He needed to heal completely. He still had 2,600 more miles to go. He wanted to reach Key West more than anything. He was ready to stop hurting and let her go.
By: Richard Paul Evans
If you’re looking for some kind of happy ending love story, this isn’t the book for you. This book will make you question your purpose on earth. Overall this is a great book.
Richard Paul Evans wrote this book describing what it was like after losing his wife, home, and cars. He had nothing, so he decided to walk. Miles to Go is the second book in the series. When you first start reading you notice that Alan Christopherson is in the hospital with 3 scars on his abdomen. He had been in a violent accident.
Whenever he woke he saw that the lady he had helped a few miles back was at his bedside. Her name was Angel. The hospital had called her. She was the only contact Alan had on him. This is because he had helped her a few days ago and Angel had given him her card. Through all the recovering at the hospital, Angel had stayed by Alans side. She didn’t know this man. Why was she being so caring for a man she knew nothing about?
Her generousness went to the next level when she told Alan that he could stay with her, until he was fully recovered and could walk again. " My offers still open. You're welcome to stay with me. I've already moved some things around in my apartment... just in case" (Evans 14). He took up this offer only because he needed the help and had nowhere to stay. For the next 5 months Alan and Angel grew incredibly close. You would think they were a thing. The love between the two of them bloomed into something unimaginable.
Then, the day came when Alan could walk alone for miles and not feel any pain. He decided to leave the next morning. He felt like if he didn’t go then, he wouldn’t be able to leave Angel. He loved her, but he loved his wife more." McKale was still gone- and my heart was still broken. How can I stay here with Angel when I'm still madly in love with Mckale? I need to keep walking. I need to reach my destination" (Evans 306). He had remembered why he started walking and why he must finish. He needed to heal completely. He still had 2,600 more miles to go. He wanted to reach Key West more than anything. He was ready to stop hurting and let her go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 19, 2026I love this author, Richard Paul Evans. This is the second book in his walk series. Alan Christofferson was a once successful advertising executive who lost it all, his wife died, his partner stole his business and his home was foreclosed. So he decided to walk from his home in Seattle WA to Key West FL. At the end of the first book he suffered a vicious roadside attack. A mysterious “Angel” invites him to stay at her house during his recovery. Because of the weather and time of year, he ended up staying several months. At the end of this book, he was in Wyoming and is ready to head south.
September 15, 2017
I really like the first book but this book, even though it is fiction, is a little bit 'too much' with all the troubled people he meets on his walk. It just seems to unrealistic. And some parts of the book feel too rushed while others are too long and too elaborated. I will eventually continue reading this series because this book ended with another cliffhanger and I want to know how it all ends. I just don't know when I will start with book 3.
May 4, 2019
Loved this book. Just all around good book from the writing to the story to the characters. I'm kind of bummed though that I didn't realize this was the 2nd in a series. I like to start with the first. Oh well, it was well worth reading, it's worth buying I think and I'm off to track down the first in the series. I think there are at least 4 in the series.
April 3, 2026
the walk continues but only after recovery from violence. Devine intervention causes two women to enter Alan's experience and life. Nicole aka angel and kailamai. one to heal and both to be healed. then the journey continues from washington to the black hills of south Dakota and the crazy horse monument.
October 6, 2019
A fantastic continuation of The Walk. I'm struggling to find words for how much I truly enjoyed reading this book. It deals with some pretty hard topics, but I think they're dealt with beautifully. I can't wait to see where the rest of this series takes me.
January 9, 2026
If the first book, The Walk, was about the devastation of loss, Miles to Go is about the slow, often painful process of grace and recovery. Richard Paul Evans has a gift for taking a simple physical journey and turning it into a profound map of the human soul.
January 28, 2019
If I could put six stars I would. Loved this book and the journey it takes you on. Definitely hooked.
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