The Road to Santiago

by Kathryn Harrison

Displaying her "real talent for conjuring far-flung times and places," Kathryn Harrison tells the mesmerizing story of her 200-mile pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. In the spring of 1999, Kathryn Harrison set out to walk the centuries-old pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. "Not a vacation, " she calls it, "but a time out of time." With a heavy pack, no hotel reservations, and little Spanish, she wanted an experience that would be both physically and psychically demanding. No pain, no gain, she thought, and she had some important things to contemplate. But the pilgrim road was spattered with violets and punctuated by medieval churches and alpine views, and, despite the exhaustion, aching knees, and brutal sun, she was unexpectedly flooded with joy and gratitude for life's gifts. "Why do I like this road?" she writes. "Why do I love it? What can be the comfort of understanding my footprint as just one among the millions? ... While I'm walking I feel myself alive, feel my small life burning brightly." Throughout this deeply personal and revealing memoir of her journey, first made alone and later in the company of her daughter, Harrison blends striking images of the route and her fellow pilgrims with reflections on the redemptive power of pilgrimages, mortality, family, the nature of endurance, the past and future, the mystery of friendship. The Road to Santiago is an exquisitely written, courageous, and irresistible portrait of a personal pilgrimage in search of a broader understanding of life and self.

Genres: Travel, Memoir, Nonfiction, Spain, Spirituality, Biography, Religion

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2003

About the author

Kathryn Harrison is the author of the novels Envy, The Seal Wife, The Binding Chair, Poison, Exposure, and Thicker Than Water.

She has also written memoirs, The Kiss and The Mother Knot, a travel memoir, The Road to Santiago, a biography, Saint Therese of Lisieux, and a collection of personal essays, Seeking Rapture.

Ms. Harrison is a frequent reviewer for The New York Times Book Review; her essays, which have been included in many anthologies, have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Vogue, O, The Oprah Magazine, Salon, and other publications.

She lives in New York with her husband, the novelist Colin Harrison, and their children.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meditative and somber essay on El Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James. Kathryn Harrison offers intimate glimpses into three different journeys she undertook along the Camino, over a period of ten years. None makes the Camino particularly appealing from a physical standpoint, though it must be acknowledged she made many poor decisions, including starting late in the day and pushing herself —and during one journey, her 12-year-old daughter—past the point of exhaustion, walking during the hottest parts of the day during of the hottest months of the year, trekking while seven months pregnant, carrying too little water and hardly any food. Her account could serve as a mini-primer on how not to be a Camino peregrino.

But she captures with beautiful, honest language what it means to walk, day after day, along a storied, arduous route. Priorities narrow to the essentials: water, shelter, food and feet. The mind quiets, the heart beats more slowly, the eyes see more, the ears pick up the tiniest sounds. Walking is pure meditation. The fear of being alone is subsumed by the craving for solitude.

Harrison's treks are short: each lasts no more than a week, so her body hardly has time to acclimate to the the rigors of the Camino. And each journey is so brief, she seems to pry open and examine dark places in her soul without having time enough to resolve them (I'm afraid I found the closing paragraph disappointingly pat).

I respected this book for what it did not try to be: a blow-by-blow travelogue. It is an interior monologue we've been invited to listen in on. It would be easy to judge Kathryn Harrison for the choices she made. Until it comes time to undertake our own pilgrimage, or admit we don't have what it takes to go the distance she did.

[René · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little baffled by some of the negative reviews of this book. I'm not sure what other readers expected or how many other personal accounts of the Camino they've read. I've read quite a few in the past couple years (as well as walked the Camino Frances from St. Jean myself last fall) and I rate Harrison's as one of the best so far. She writes beautifully, and I find her observations very honest and her expression of feeling frustrated, disappointed, and baffled at times on her journey very human. Her experience was very different than mine in many ways, and very similar in others (especially while she was walking alone and experiencing the usual hassles of being a solo female traveler). I think even if I hadn't walked the Camino aleady, reading this book would've piqued my curiosity on finding out more about it. I am also intrigued to try one of her other books sometime.

[Bonnie E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last year, my sister Rene trekked the entirety of the Camino de Santiago, also known as the Way of Saint James, and her experience opened my eyes to the story of the pilgrimage. Her tales about the journey were fascinating and when she showed me the compostellana which she had been issued-- a certificate in Latin validating her status as an official pilgrim -- I became all the more intrigued.

Harrison's book about her own personal journey was well worth the read, because she walked some of the road on three separate occasions, and at different stages of her life. She provides interesting context describing the history of the pilgrimage, and her writing style is quite exquisite. All that said, I would have liked to learn more details about her day to day journey, because when she does provide those glimpses into any one of the three occasions that she was on the trail, the book becomes much, much more engrossing.

[Kristel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk om eens te lezen, al vraag ik me af hoe accuraat de beschrijving van deze weg nog is na 25 jaar commercialisatie. En, als je 40km per dag wandelt, jachtig, steeds op zoek, dan denk ik dat je andere conclusies moet trekken. De dochter lijkt me in dat opzicht veel wijzer dan de moeder.

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

short book about a woman's 3 trips on the Camino. her main, long walk was in 1999. I'm sure a lot has changed in 25 years. her reflection on how she grew from the experience was good. most of her interactions with the locals was not good. she made it sound unappealing!

[Rachel Knibbe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voorbereiding op m’n eigen Camino

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know that I'd use the word 'mesmerizing,' but I really enjoyed this relatively brief reflection of a woman walking el Camino. Harrison 'word paints' well; I could picture her 'mind photos.' I liked that the book looked at 3 different periods in her life. She pointed out details I didn't expect, but never bogged down in too much detail. She reflected on her spiritual journey, but it was never too much. This short memoir made me want a little more.

Looking forward to my own Camino pilgrimage this year and perhaps reading some of Harrison's other books or books in this National Geographic Series.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's honesty is appreciated, even if she didn't actually walk the famed old camino all in one effort. She was on it more than once, and she adds more perspective to anyone interested in such efforts, or considering such a walk.

Her family plays a big role in this one.

I have read more than one book on the subject, and it does look like one way to see some nice countryside up close and lose a few pounds in the process.

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the way Kathryn Harrison writes but I don't relate to her at all. I think I might like a work of fiction by this author, but I found her rather annoying as a person. The truth of the pilgrimage to Santiago is that everyone walks their own camino. This book really brought that out as the road she walked seemed nothing like the road that I have read about in other books. An OK book but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is not rich & neurotic.

[Virginia Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spring of 1999, Kathryn Harrison set out to walk the part of the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela with her 12 year old daughter. "Not a vacation, " she points out. The book recounts their experiences on the road and what they learned - including that some times it's OK not to finish what you start. " The Road to Santiago is an exquisitely written, courageous, and irresistible portrait of a personal pilgrimage in search of a broader understanding of life and self." A gentle read that should be on the list for anyone thinking about undertaking the pilgrimage.

[Miekje1402 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. As a Dutch person it was obvious for me that the author grew up in a culture different from mine and I found her story not very inspiring. I waited until the last page for a nice insight or something but it didn’t come. I even found the descriptions of the surroundings minimal and even though I have walked the Camino myself a few years ago, often times I couldn’t really find myself in her descriptions. Our experience could not be more apart, I guess, so my low-ish rating might be due to the fact that I don’t really understand the author. In the end, everybody walks their own Camino.

2.5 stars for me. If you have a similar feeling about this book, you might like ‘Walk in a relaxed manner’ by Joyce Rupp. I’ve read that one in preparation for my Camino and it’s still one of my favorites on the topic.

[Georgia Herod · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the fifth or sixth Camino memoir I've read. This is definitely a literary memoir, beautifully written, though not captivating. Because I've also walked part of the Camino, I appreciated Harrison's observations, struggles, and experiences. She writes of three different trek experiences, the last with her 12-year-old daughter, allowing her a completely different perspective.

Like others, Harrison uses the silence and solitude to reflect on her life.

[Antoinette L. Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was just "meh", but I think it simply wasn't what I was expecting. I'll be walking the last 100km of the Camino later this year, and while I know it won't be easy, and a lot has changed along the journey since 2002, the author's last documented pilgrimage in the book, I feel she was overly dramatic and even whiny at times. Her 12 year old daughter often acted more mature than she did.

This said, it's a short book and an easy read, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

[Jacqueline Bussjaeger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely description; narrative moves along easily and it’s a quick read. But some things bothered me: seemed a bit touristic, and it shocked me how ill-prepared the author seemed to be while walking this trail. Lattes and madeleines every day for lunch? Is this a pilgrimage, or a vacation? Eat some goddamn protein!

[Brigitte Gemme · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes some guts to write about one's struggles and failures, and Kathryn Harrison did so with grace in this short account of her three visits onto the Camino de Santiago. I read a little too fast to fully appreciate the literary quality of her narration, but still very much appreciated her raw yet delicate storytelling.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Camino de Santiago has a dark side, and Kathryn spills the tea. Sexual harassment? Yes. Poorly marked trails that take walkers miles out of their way? Yes. Overall a more balanced travelogue of the camino then the glowing reviews I've seen. Her tale is a Public Service Announcement and maybe a must read for solo female travelers. Non-camino side topics distracted from the narrative.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having walked the Camino myself, I felt nostalgic reading through Harrison's narrative recounting her three different Caminos. My own Camino looked very different than hers, but I still appreciated the reflections Harrison provides.

[Andrea M. Cabarrús · Rating 4 out of 5]

De fácil lectura. Narra las vivencias personales de una mujer atraída por el Camino de Santiago. Las tres fases de su viaje son diferentes entre sí, demostrando que el mismo camino no se repite aunque el sendero sea aparentemente el mismo.

[Matias Vazquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me costo terminarlo de lo denso que es. No dice nada y no pasa nada.

Se lo regalaría a gente que piensa que piensa y cree que siente, pero en realidad no le pasa nada. Ideal para gente aburrida.

Le doy ⭐️⭐️ y no ⭐️ por hacerlo corto. Al menos se apiadó del lector en eso.

[Kati Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

More 3 1/2 stars due to its relative mundanity. Still want to do the walk.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most Camino books I've read are filled with details of every step and every person met. This is a very quiet, introspective story.

[Pamela Alaimo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo leí español hace varios años.

[Haki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author tried too hard. Felt too flowery.
Short read

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads quickly and she captures some of the exact sentiments I've had. Our thoughts/paths diverge in other ways. :-)

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking is hard

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is such a special writer.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story of a woman's trek completing the Camino, and incorporating some partial trips on the Camino.

[Elsje · Rating 1 out of 5]

Als wandelaar vind ik het altijd leuk om te lezen over andermans/vrouws wandelervaringen. Dacht ik. Want Kathryn Harrisons 'De weg naar Santiago de Compostela' bekoorde me helemaal niet. Ze beschrijft de drie ervaringen die ze met de Camino heeft, voor lopers toch wel een beetje dé tocht der tochten. Maar niet voor haar.

Haar eerste kennismaking is bij toeval, als ze 7 maanden zwanger in Burgos is en daar de markeringen van de Camino ontdekt. Impulsief en totaal onvoorbereid loopt ze een eindje de stad uit, tot harde buiken haar verder lopen beletten. Zeven jaar later keert ze terug en loopt dan het laatste deel van de route. Ook nu is ze slecht voorbereid, slaat ze eigenwijs de raadgevingen van mensen die ze ontmoet in de wind en schrijft ze vooral over de ontberingen die de loper op de weg der wegen moet ondergaan: blaren, slecht sanitair en dito maaltijden, drukte. Zo zijn haar schoenen tot op de draad versleten na 200 km, sorry hoor, maar mijn schoenen hebben al heel wat meer kilometertjes afgelegd en zijn nog lang niet op!
Ook bij haar laatste bezoek, waarin ze met haar 12-jarige dochter het begin van de route loopt, is ze weer bijzonder slecht voorbereid, slaat ze terwijl ze nota bene met een kind loopt de raad en hulp af en klaagt ze er een potje op los. Dit deel heeft Harrison overigens als eerste deel in het boek gebruikt, want ze beschrijft de verschillende etappes die je vanaf de start loopt (en dat is bij haar dus niet chronologisch).

Kathryn Harrison beschrijft haar Camino-ervaringen louter vanuit logistiek oogpunt. Vrijwel niets over wat er in haar omgaat terwijl ze de kilometers onder haar voeten door laat glijden. De spirituele kant van de pelgrimage naar Santiago de Compostela komt amper aan bod. Even raakt ze eraan als ze bij het eindpunt naar de mis gaat. Maar ook dan moet er weer zo nodig genoemd worden dat ze in haar smerige kleren in de kerk uit de toon valt. Zucht. Who cares?!

Ergo: 1 ster. Omdat ik wel uitgelezen heb.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Hadn't actually planned to read this one, but then I ran across a copy, and...I am powerless in the grip of a used book store.

It's a quick little read; I read it cover to cover in a little more than an hour. Harrison writes of three segments of the Camino de Santiago that she travelled -- 1992, 1999, 2002. All short segments; she wasn't particularly interested in completing the whole route or identifying herself as a pilgrim. In many ways it was just not my book because of that -- absolutely nothing wrong with the way she experienced the Camino, but not what I particularly want to read about. Not that there's anything wrong with the writing itself, but I wonder whether she'd have had a harder time finding a publisher -- or whether a publisher would have wanted more in the concrete realm of walking -- had she not already had impressive publishing credits.

I suppose it comes down to this being more about soul-searching (and unanswerable questions) than about physically walking the Camino; fine but not what I'm looking for.

[Michele Lonergan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Working my way through the hefty number of memoirs written about the Camino de Santiago,in preparation for my own pilgrimage, Ms. Harrison's short meditation on her experience was entirely disappointing. I was looking forward to something a bit different from the usual travelogue of quirky characters and difficult conditions. I just did not get the purpose of her trip nor of her writing about it. I felt annoyed at her lack of engagement with her fellow pilgrims and native Spaniards, her silly decisions to walk late in to the night, her endless complaining. She walks SIX days and her knee hurts, I get it already. The insights are worthy of a private journal, not National Geographic standards. My two suggestions: Jack Hitt's, "Off the Road" for humor and history and Catholic priest, Kevin Codd's beautiful account, "To The Field of Stars".