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The Worrier's Guide to the End of the World: Love, Loss, and Other Catastrophes—through India, Italy, and Beyond
Torre DeRoche is grieving the loss of the two most important men in her life--the partner of nine years who she's just broken up with, and her father, who's just passed away--when she crosses paths with Masha, a woman who has put her marriage on hold to pursue a dream of walking the world in order to try and make sense of it. When Masha invites Torre to join her on a pilgrimage in India, Torre embarks on a journey both physical and spiritual.
It's an uncertain route full of danger--pollution, wild dogs, snakes, and men--but if they can survive uninjured the duo hope they'll absorb wisdom by osmosis and end the journey as two women who are fit, fearless, and ready to save the world. But nothing these two unlikely adventurers encounter is quite as terrifying as being 30-something women who have no clue about anything anymore.
"Like so many of us, Torre DeRoche is wracked with fear, doubt, uncertainty, anxiety; unlike so many of us DeRoche figured she might as well walk 250 miles through India. Which she does, with humor, grace, insight and a fair amount of grit, too, in this lovely and wholly uplifting account of confronting our fears... Luckily (and always enviously) in The Worrier's Guide to the End of the World we get to tag along."
--- Carl Hoffman, bestselling author of Savage Harvest
"Torre's managed to write a witty and engrossing tale of loss, pain, and transformation that captivates the reader as magically as her first book. Like her previous work, I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend it!"
--- Matt Kepnes, New York Times Bestselling Author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
"A moving account of conquering fears while walking a pilgrim's path. Also funny as f@#k."
--- Janice MacLeod, author of New York Times bestseller Paris Letters
It's an uncertain route full of danger--pollution, wild dogs, snakes, and men--but if they can survive uninjured the duo hope they'll absorb wisdom by osmosis and end the journey as two women who are fit, fearless, and ready to save the world. But nothing these two unlikely adventurers encounter is quite as terrifying as being 30-something women who have no clue about anything anymore.
"Like so many of us, Torre DeRoche is wracked with fear, doubt, uncertainty, anxiety; unlike so many of us DeRoche figured she might as well walk 250 miles through India. Which she does, with humor, grace, insight and a fair amount of grit, too, in this lovely and wholly uplifting account of confronting our fears... Luckily (and always enviously) in The Worrier's Guide to the End of the World we get to tag along."
--- Carl Hoffman, bestselling author of Savage Harvest
"Torre's managed to write a witty and engrossing tale of loss, pain, and transformation that captivates the reader as magically as her first book. Like her previous work, I couldn't put it down! I highly recommend it!"
--- Matt Kepnes, New York Times Bestselling Author of How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
"A moving account of conquering fears while walking a pilgrim's path. Also funny as f@#k."
--- Janice MacLeod, author of New York Times bestseller Paris Letters
288 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2017
About the author
Torre DeRoche
6 books219 followersTorre’s first memoir, LOVE WITH A CHANCE OF DROWNING, (Penguin ANZ) was optioned in Hollywood. Since then, her profile as a travel writer has continued to grow. Her blog, fearfuladventurer.com, has been profiled in NatGeo and was one of Viator’s Top Travel Blogs of 2015. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian Travel and alongside Cheryl Strayed, Dave Eggers and Sloan Crosley in the Lonely Planet travel writing anthology, An Innocent Abroad.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
July 23, 2017
This book was frustrating to me. It sounds like it should be right up my alley: combining a memoir about loss with a memoir about walking pilgrimages. These are two of my favourite topics of memoirs and I often enjoy reading those types of books immensely. Add the fact that Torre DeRoche had already written a memoir about her relationship with her partner and how they spend a couple of years on a boat together and I was looking forward to reading this. I was absolutely intrigued to see how she would deal with the fact that her relationship that had just ended was such a public one - one she had written a monument to.
Torre DeRoche lost two of the most important men in her life: her nine-year relationship ended right around the time her father died. Apparently because her partner could not stand still long enough to stay with her while she spent time with her dying father. [Aside: I am trying very hard not to judge him here. I know we only know her side of the story... but leaving your partner to deal with the death of their father on their own because you want to keep travelling? Not cool, to say the least] She is at a loss as to how to precede with her life now - she had spent most of her time travelling and seeing the world but now feels like she wants to settle down but does not really know how to do this; how to stay in one place for an extended period of time and to put down roots. When she meets Masha - a woman she knows periphically - again in Italy she decides to accompany her first on her pilgrimage to Rome and than later on a pilgrimage following Ghandi's footsteps in India.
The memoir worked best for me when it was focussed on Torre herself and her friendship with Masha. Here the story was clear and the purpose of writing it was obvious. I would have liked for her to be a little bit more introspective - but I understand that writing a memoir is a very personal endeavour and the author needs to write it in a way that feels right for them.
The writing got a bit muddled whenever Torre DeRoche tried to make claims for everybody - here her research was definitely not thorough enough and it felt out of place in a memoir that is ultimately about a personal journey through loss to self-discovery. It sometimes felt like she wasn't quite clear as to what she wanted to accomplish - the descriptions of the walks could have been more vivid or her inner journey could have been more fleshed-out.
In the end, I did enjoy this book and especially the second part, the one dealing with India and a pilgrimage that was in many places obviously unpleasant, was super interesting to read. I just think that maybe Torre DeRoche should have waited a bit longer with writing about it. A bit of added distance might have done wonders for the focus.
First sentence: “When I was a kid, I killed everyone I loved in hundred creative ways.”
_______
I received an arc of this book curtesy of NetGalley and Perseus Books in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for that.
Torre DeRoche lost two of the most important men in her life: her nine-year relationship ended right around the time her father died. Apparently because her partner could not stand still long enough to stay with her while she spent time with her dying father. [Aside: I am trying very hard not to judge him here. I know we only know her side of the story... but leaving your partner to deal with the death of their father on their own because you want to keep travelling? Not cool, to say the least] She is at a loss as to how to precede with her life now - she had spent most of her time travelling and seeing the world but now feels like she wants to settle down but does not really know how to do this; how to stay in one place for an extended period of time and to put down roots. When she meets Masha - a woman she knows periphically - again in Italy she decides to accompany her first on her pilgrimage to Rome and than later on a pilgrimage following Ghandi's footsteps in India.
The memoir worked best for me when it was focussed on Torre herself and her friendship with Masha. Here the story was clear and the purpose of writing it was obvious. I would have liked for her to be a little bit more introspective - but I understand that writing a memoir is a very personal endeavour and the author needs to write it in a way that feels right for them.
The writing got a bit muddled whenever Torre DeRoche tried to make claims for everybody - here her research was definitely not thorough enough and it felt out of place in a memoir that is ultimately about a personal journey through loss to self-discovery. It sometimes felt like she wasn't quite clear as to what she wanted to accomplish - the descriptions of the walks could have been more vivid or her inner journey could have been more fleshed-out.
In the end, I did enjoy this book and especially the second part, the one dealing with India and a pilgrimage that was in many places obviously unpleasant, was super interesting to read. I just think that maybe Torre DeRoche should have waited a bit longer with writing about it. A bit of added distance might have done wonders for the focus.
First sentence: “When I was a kid, I killed everyone I loved in hundred creative ways.”
_______
I received an arc of this book curtesy of NetGalley and Perseus Books in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for that.
October 9, 2018
Is there a season for worrying, when we're more anxious than at other times?
Perhaps for most people, it's the full moon, or maybe spring, when the seasons are changing. For me though? Life is the season for worrying. Every day.
Anxiety is probably an issue a lot of you have. We readers are often more prone to thinking about things deeply, we get swept into the inner conversation – perhaps that's why we love reading so much. But that also makes us worry. Or maybe it's not so for you – but I know it is for me.
I've always been prone to worrying, ever since I was small. The “what ifs” really do get tiring, but unfortunately, there isn't always something you can do about it. Yeah, you can try being more positive. But positivity in the face of anxiety is like trying to defeat a gale wind by blowing at it with a hair dryer.
Perhaps books can't be manuals to help you out in these situations either. But it's good to read about these things. It's not that you're happy that someone else is experiencing negative emotions – no, it's more that you understand that you're not alone with this in the world. Because it's not enough to be told once – people who are prone to shut in and suffer anxiety always forget that they're not alone. It's a constant battle of reminding yourself you're not the only steadily sad person in the world.
My current read is called The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World, and I'm wishing I had started reading it many months ago. I'm not even entirely sure how long I've had it, but it's one of those ‘guilt' titles – a review copy I got a while ago and couldn't review at the correct time. After you fail to, you tend to just leave them hanging indefinitely. I wish I hadn't. Because I can't pry myself away from The Worrier’s Guide.
It's a nonfiction book about a woman and her worrying ways, and how she went on an adventure to deal with it. Actually, several adventures. She's been an anxious person all her life, and she meets someone who radiates belief in the world as if straight from the pages of The Alchemist. The funny thing is that I'm somewhere in the middle of these two women. I am as anxious and prone to work as Torre, the author of the book, but also prone to believing in the magic of the universe, like Torre's travel companion, Masha. (Well, okay, maybe not The Alchemist levels though. The Alchemist has way too much sugar between the pages.)
But the book is also about the fact that reality is not just black and white – as much as we always want to make it that way. Maybe unbeknownst to ourselves? It's rooted in our culture, and if a thing is good, it can't be bad. If a thing is bad, it can't be good. It's got to be one of those. But life is so much more! It's the same with the women's story of the pilgrimage – perhaps the first time it's one of them who is strong. The other time it's the other one. The fact that you radiate joy doesn't mean you have all the answers. It also doesn't mean that you're going to radiate joy steadily for the rest of your life. When it comes to my own thoughts and misconceptions, I know well enough that I tend to think like this as well – that some people just 'have it together' and some don't (mostly me...) But is that really true? Or is it just a lie I keep telling myself?
Another thing I am enjoying a lot about Torre's pilgrimage with Masha is her incredible sense of humor and the ability to laugh at her own self. Sometimes I wish I could learn that, but then again – maybe it's still in the future for me. The ability to laugh at one's own self and one's deficiencies of character is perhaps one of the things that can save an anxiety sufferer from a complete wind down into the darker regions of hell.
The Worrier’s Guide to The End of the World both talks about and laughs at synchronicities as well. It's almost as if the author hasn't quite made up her mind about them either. That's kind of the way with me. Yet I have to mention one that happened while I was reading this book, because even if it's not on par with the ones in the story, it's still pretty cool. Do you know that talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the danger of telling only one story about people? I had seen that talk years ago. Seen it, loved it and remembered it. Curiously, I had not seen it anywhere for years. But then, I was just scrolling over Facebook and it was there the other day. I remembered it because it had been a while since I'd seen it – at least five years, and I thought that was curious. And then, just a few hours later, as I was reading The Worrier’s Guide, there it was – the author mentioned the very same talk. I thought this was the perfect illustration for how the book talks about synchronicity.
Anyway, in the book, Torre's friend Masha kept saying that everything happens just as it was meant to be. Maybe it's no mistake that I picked up this book so much later than I was ‘supposed to’. Maybe it was no coincidence at all. This book was very needed and much appreciated.
Not every book based on another person's experience is a manual on what to do with your life. This one isn't either. But sometimes, you just have to hear someone else's story. Sometimes, that's enough to help. If only for this time, until you forget it again – forget that you're not really alone in your little bubble. And a lot of the times, that really is the best that can be done.
I thank the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange to my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
More Bookish Talk on my Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
Anxiety is probably an issue a lot of you have. We readers are often more prone to thinking about things deeply, we get swept into the inner conversation – perhaps that's why we love reading so much. But that also makes us worry. Or maybe it's not so for you – but I know it is for me.
I've always been prone to worrying, ever since I was small. The “what ifs” really do get tiring, but unfortunately, there isn't always something you can do about it. Yeah, you can try being more positive. But positivity in the face of anxiety is like trying to defeat a gale wind by blowing at it with a hair dryer.
Perhaps books can't be manuals to help you out in these situations either. But it's good to read about these things. It's not that you're happy that someone else is experiencing negative emotions – no, it's more that you understand that you're not alone with this in the world. Because it's not enough to be told once – people who are prone to shut in and suffer anxiety always forget that they're not alone. It's a constant battle of reminding yourself you're not the only steadily sad person in the world.
My current read is called The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World, and I'm wishing I had started reading it many months ago. I'm not even entirely sure how long I've had it, but it's one of those ‘guilt' titles – a review copy I got a while ago and couldn't review at the correct time. After you fail to, you tend to just leave them hanging indefinitely. I wish I hadn't. Because I can't pry myself away from The Worrier’s Guide.
It's a nonfiction book about a woman and her worrying ways, and how she went on an adventure to deal with it. Actually, several adventures. She's been an anxious person all her life, and she meets someone who radiates belief in the world as if straight from the pages of The Alchemist. The funny thing is that I'm somewhere in the middle of these two women. I am as anxious and prone to work as Torre, the author of the book, but also prone to believing in the magic of the universe, like Torre's travel companion, Masha. (Well, okay, maybe not The Alchemist levels though. The Alchemist has way too much sugar between the pages.)
But the book is also about the fact that reality is not just black and white – as much as we always want to make it that way. Maybe unbeknownst to ourselves? It's rooted in our culture, and if a thing is good, it can't be bad. If a thing is bad, it can't be good. It's got to be one of those. But life is so much more! It's the same with the women's story of the pilgrimage – perhaps the first time it's one of them who is strong. The other time it's the other one. The fact that you radiate joy doesn't mean you have all the answers. It also doesn't mean that you're going to radiate joy steadily for the rest of your life. When it comes to my own thoughts and misconceptions, I know well enough that I tend to think like this as well – that some people just 'have it together' and some don't (mostly me...) But is that really true? Or is it just a lie I keep telling myself?
Another thing I am enjoying a lot about Torre's pilgrimage with Masha is her incredible sense of humor and the ability to laugh at her own self. Sometimes I wish I could learn that, but then again – maybe it's still in the future for me. The ability to laugh at one's own self and one's deficiencies of character is perhaps one of the things that can save an anxiety sufferer from a complete wind down into the darker regions of hell.
The Worrier’s Guide to The End of the World both talks about and laughs at synchronicities as well. It's almost as if the author hasn't quite made up her mind about them either. That's kind of the way with me. Yet I have to mention one that happened while I was reading this book, because even if it's not on par with the ones in the story, it's still pretty cool. Do you know that talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the danger of telling only one story about people? I had seen that talk years ago. Seen it, loved it and remembered it. Curiously, I had not seen it anywhere for years. But then, I was just scrolling over Facebook and it was there the other day. I remembered it because it had been a while since I'd seen it – at least five years, and I thought that was curious. And then, just a few hours later, as I was reading The Worrier’s Guide, there it was – the author mentioned the very same talk. I thought this was the perfect illustration for how the book talks about synchronicity.
Anyway, in the book, Torre's friend Masha kept saying that everything happens just as it was meant to be. Maybe it's no mistake that I picked up this book so much later than I was ‘supposed to’. Maybe it was no coincidence at all. This book was very needed and much appreciated.
Not every book based on another person's experience is a manual on what to do with your life. This one isn't either. But sometimes, you just have to hear someone else's story. Sometimes, that's enough to help. If only for this time, until you forget it again – forget that you're not really alone in your little bubble. And a lot of the times, that really is the best that can be done.
I thank the publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange to my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book.
More Bookish Talk on my Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
October 12, 2017
Torre de Roche has a perceptive and unique literary voice. I absolutely loved her first book, Love with a Chance of Drowning (2013), and was delighted to be sent an ARC of The Worrier’s Guide to the End of the World. Torre’s been off the writing grid for a while and I hoped I wouldn’t be disappointed. I wasn’t.
I discovered she had been, among other things, walking and worrying. She’s an expert at the latter. But she’s also an expert at digging deep into her heart and head and candidly sharing what’s going on there. Grief and loss are a big part of what had been going on. Life isn’t always easy and it’s been tearing Torre apart.
In The Worrier’s Guide, Torre has met up with Masha, the unlikely pilgrim, and the two women walk, talk, laugh, eat and drink (and occasionally bicker) their way through parts of Tuscany and India. As the power of their friendship grows, they face fears and discover there is a path out of darkness. The introduction of Ajit, their sweet but uninformed male guide in India, adds an entirely new dimension as they, sort of, walk in Ghandi’s footsteps.
Torre effectively takes the reader on her journey in every way. In fact, I didn’t want it to end.
De Roche’s voice is as strong, irreverent, probing and entertaining as ever. She also introduces some serious information, obviously well researched, about confronting fear and neuroses.
A very good read!
I discovered she had been, among other things, walking and worrying. She’s an expert at the latter. But she’s also an expert at digging deep into her heart and head and candidly sharing what’s going on there. Grief and loss are a big part of what had been going on. Life isn’t always easy and it’s been tearing Torre apart.
In The Worrier’s Guide, Torre has met up with Masha, the unlikely pilgrim, and the two women walk, talk, laugh, eat and drink (and occasionally bicker) their way through parts of Tuscany and India. As the power of their friendship grows, they face fears and discover there is a path out of darkness. The introduction of Ajit, their sweet but uninformed male guide in India, adds an entirely new dimension as they, sort of, walk in Ghandi’s footsteps.
Torre effectively takes the reader on her journey in every way. In fact, I didn’t want it to end.
De Roche’s voice is as strong, irreverent, probing and entertaining as ever. She also introduces some serious information, obviously well researched, about confronting fear and neuroses.
A very good read!
September 29, 2017
Torre is everything I want to be as a writer: honest, funny, and a passionate storyteller. I loved her first book but really adored this one. Highly recommend!
October 20, 2018
I loved this! Travel memories can be predictable and slow-this was anything but. I loved the story of two friends’ journey on foot through Italy, and then India. During part of this journey, the two couldn’t stand each other. I’ve never been on such an intense physical journey, but I know the feeling of (temporarily) hating your travel partner. I hope DeRoche writes many more books.
October 11, 2017
"Barcelona. A place to feel at home by way of never having belonged there before."
Torre gets me. And this is why I love her. (You can probably guess I am an avid traveler.)
In so many ways this book is even better than the first one. She has matured as a writer and somehow I can not shake off the feeling that she is a female version of Eric Weiner. (I love, love, love Eric Weiner!) You know, same wise thoughts, same amazing sense of humor, but with much more willingness to talk about emotions, doubts and frustrations.
Five star from me, no question about it. I just resent two things:
1) That she didn't give just a tiny bit more of details about the pilgrimages in case somebody wants to do them also.
2) That the books was so short. Honestly, I didn't want it to finish!
Torre gets me. And this is why I love her. (You can probably guess I am an avid traveler.)
In so many ways this book is even better than the first one. She has matured as a writer and somehow I can not shake off the feeling that she is a female version of Eric Weiner. (I love, love, love Eric Weiner!) You know, same wise thoughts, same amazing sense of humor, but with much more willingness to talk about emotions, doubts and frustrations.
Five star from me, no question about it. I just resent two things:
1) That she didn't give just a tiny bit more of details about the pilgrimages in case somebody wants to do them also.
2) That the books was so short. Honestly, I didn't want it to finish!
October 5, 2017
Through steps and more than a few missteps, DeRoche opens up her heart on the pages of this soul-searching quest to find tranquility in this crazy, and oftentimes, maddening world of ours. Brave and honest, DeRoche guides us down a path of “only having one life- so live it” (YOLO- You only live once) with thought-provoking insights and laugh-out-loud humor, making the reader feel as if they are walking right beside her. You’ll root, scream, and cheer for this lovable heroine as she conquers her world and personal demons one hesitant–and then steady– foot at a time. DeRoche's journey will leave an indelible imprint on your heart.
September 24, 2018
At first glance (and in the first few chapters), this definitely has an Eat Pray Love vibe. Although it has some parallels, I think this book does a great job of delving deep into grief and the meaning of travel. It's a quick read (I read it cover to cover in a few hours while stranded at the airport). What set this book apart from other grief-related travel memoirs is her scathing humor and nihilism. Oh, and snakes!
February 1, 2018
Loved this book! Great story, love the authors wit and sarcastic humor. Hope they make this into a movie. Reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love and Wild but with more snarkyness.
September 24, 2017
Please Note: I received an advance readers copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions of my review in any way.
When I first read the description for The Worriers Guide to The End of The World, by Torre DeRoche, I worried that it would be a copycat of Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. As much as I did like that book, it seemed to say that all one had to do was take some "Me" time in an exotic land, and all your troubles would vanish.
Thankfully, Torre DeRoche's book shows a much more realistic outcome from such a arduous walk: painful blisters, hot grimy bodies, exhaustion, confusion, and bickering. But also some measure of letting go, appreciation, and acceptance.
I found this book to be a grounded reflection on how we confront the essential questions of our lives.
What I Liked:
Friendship:
Torre and Masha have a friendship that travels at warp speed from acquaintances to inseparable twins. The first half of the book is about how simpatico they are. Both have similar outlooks on life, and are looking for something as they walk. They support each other, particularly when a male friend of Masha's joins in on their walk for a few week. They can both clearly see how he is commandeering the trip. I loved how they stood up for each other.
Italy:
The descriptions of Italy are divine! It does seem idyllic to be meandering through Italy, taking moments to enjoy local wines, cheeses, and olives. I really liked how Torre could see all the kindness in the people she encountered on the way. Masha also had an attitude of feeling that God would provided when there was a need. This gave her confidence even in the most stressful of situations.
India:
While Italy was all gourmet food and pleasant meandering, India was vastly different. Maybe both Torre and Masha were in a different place, mentally, when they embarked on their walk in India. But their trip became a traveler's nightmare. Aside from the difficulties of facing real poverty head-on, the two friends have a falling out. And that is the true agony of their trip. Nothing is more disheartening than being on a long journey and fighting with your companion.
The contrast between these two types of trips is what elevates this book. I loved how gritty the trip was for these two people, and that they ultimately found a way to let go of their petty grievances with each other and the world. This was life-affirming, yet not sappy.
When I first read the description for The Worriers Guide to The End of The World, by Torre DeRoche, I worried that it would be a copycat of Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. As much as I did like that book, it seemed to say that all one had to do was take some "Me" time in an exotic land, and all your troubles would vanish.
Thankfully, Torre DeRoche's book shows a much more realistic outcome from such a arduous walk: painful blisters, hot grimy bodies, exhaustion, confusion, and bickering. But also some measure of letting go, appreciation, and acceptance.
I found this book to be a grounded reflection on how we confront the essential questions of our lives.
What I Liked:
Friendship:
Torre and Masha have a friendship that travels at warp speed from acquaintances to inseparable twins. The first half of the book is about how simpatico they are. Both have similar outlooks on life, and are looking for something as they walk. They support each other, particularly when a male friend of Masha's joins in on their walk for a few week. They can both clearly see how he is commandeering the trip. I loved how they stood up for each other.
Italy:
The descriptions of Italy are divine! It does seem idyllic to be meandering through Italy, taking moments to enjoy local wines, cheeses, and olives. I really liked how Torre could see all the kindness in the people she encountered on the way. Masha also had an attitude of feeling that God would provided when there was a need. This gave her confidence even in the most stressful of situations.
India:
While Italy was all gourmet food and pleasant meandering, India was vastly different. Maybe both Torre and Masha were in a different place, mentally, when they embarked on their walk in India. But their trip became a traveler's nightmare. Aside from the difficulties of facing real poverty head-on, the two friends have a falling out. And that is the true agony of their trip. Nothing is more disheartening than being on a long journey and fighting with your companion.
The contrast between these two types of trips is what elevates this book. I loved how gritty the trip was for these two people, and that they ultimately found a way to let go of their petty grievances with each other and the world. This was life-affirming, yet not sappy.
August 5, 2017
For me this was a really fun memoir to read. Full of humor and insight.
The author had lost two important people in her life the year this story takes place, her father died, and she had broken up with a love of nine years. She had also always suffered from insecurities and fears, and through her travels, she thought she might be able to come to grips with what the impetus for these might be and if she could overcome it. She writes about these fears with a dash of humor which had me laughing through a lot of the book.
I could relate to a feeling she had which was “I just want to be anywhere other than here”. Somehow we always bring ourselves along.
While in Italy, on another escape from her life, she was contacted by a woman she had met once before named Masha, who was taking a year to walk the world. Masha noticed she was passing near to where Torre was staying and asked her if she wanted to walk for awhile with her on the The Via Francigena a pilgrimage she was walking from Canterbury to Rome. These two got along so well, that when Torre need to get back home for work, they agreed to meet up again in India to walk in the footsteps that Gandhi took on the salt march protest from Ahmadabad to Dani in the 1930's. Here, admits the chaos of India, and a sharp contrast to Italy, with the poverty, death, human conditions, etc. the fears and uncertainties once more surfaced ,and their moods changed,as they looked into their lives more, until Torre learned to be in the now and appreciate the moments and not the chaos surrounding them and they were able to reconnect and find that friendship once more.
There was a lot of good wisdom, sayings and book references in this story. So worth the read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Perseus Books, Da Capo Press
The author had lost two important people in her life the year this story takes place, her father died, and she had broken up with a love of nine years. She had also always suffered from insecurities and fears, and through her travels, she thought she might be able to come to grips with what the impetus for these might be and if she could overcome it. She writes about these fears with a dash of humor which had me laughing through a lot of the book.
I could relate to a feeling she had which was “I just want to be anywhere other than here”. Somehow we always bring ourselves along.
While in Italy, on another escape from her life, she was contacted by a woman she had met once before named Masha, who was taking a year to walk the world. Masha noticed she was passing near to where Torre was staying and asked her if she wanted to walk for awhile with her on the The Via Francigena a pilgrimage she was walking from Canterbury to Rome. These two got along so well, that when Torre need to get back home for work, they agreed to meet up again in India to walk in the footsteps that Gandhi took on the salt march protest from Ahmadabad to Dani in the 1930's. Here, admits the chaos of India, and a sharp contrast to Italy, with the poverty, death, human conditions, etc. the fears and uncertainties once more surfaced ,and their moods changed,as they looked into their lives more, until Torre learned to be in the now and appreciate the moments and not the chaos surrounding them and they were able to reconnect and find that friendship once more.
There was a lot of good wisdom, sayings and book references in this story. So worth the read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Perseus Books, Da Capo Press
November 19, 2017
I love Torre's voice. Despite the grief that she's going through, she's managed to take us through the pain without bringing us down. She has a way of putting a healthy dose of optimism with realism.
However, I think this book needed a bit more to fully tell her story. I know she took us through her pilgrimage but it felt like the journey ended abruptly. This feels very different from her former book, Love With a Chance of Drowning, that was quite an adventure and ended at just the right time.
If anything, I wish she wrote more for this book.
However, I think this book needed a bit more to fully tell her story. I know she took us through her pilgrimage but it felt like the journey ended abruptly. This feels very different from her former book, Love With a Chance of Drowning, that was quite an adventure and ended at just the right time.
If anything, I wish she wrote more for this book.
March 15, 2019
Brilliantly written, funny life changing and reflective. Made me really question life in a positive way, I even read excerpts to my husband that has us giggling together! This is a must read book!
May 31, 2018
I really like Torre DeRoche, she is very honest with her writing and a very humble person in general. I gifted this book to a friends who eventually ended up taking doing the camino to Santiago De Compostela. Her journey shared in the book is fun one and her writing is very simple and unassuming. Recommended one time read.
September 23, 2017
A brilliant book by a brilliant author - takes you on a literal, and spiritual, journey through Italy and India.
Wonderfully written with a trademark sense of humour that never lets it stray into the saccharine.
Highly recommended, a rippingly good yarn!
Wonderfully written with a trademark sense of humour that never lets it stray into the saccharine.
Highly recommended, a rippingly good yarn!
November 10, 2017
A must-read for anyone who loved Torre's first book, although I think this one could be enjoyed on its own as well. Excellent travel writing, introspective without being pretentious, inspiring, relatable....I loved it.
September 24, 2017
So honest
I devoured this book and highlighted so many parts I related to. I am also a worried and feel like I may have just read the solution to what ails me.
I devoured this book and highlighted so many parts I related to. I am also a worried and feel like I may have just read the solution to what ails me.
September 29, 2017
Loved following Torre's journey again in this one! Her second memoir does not disappoint, and brings her relatable voice along with it. Enjoyed every page along with her walk.
February 8, 2018
This book was interesting, hearing about her walking travels through Italy and then India. It got slow at times, but the whole idea of her trips was sure unique.
May 27, 2018
One of my favorite books of all time.
May 1, 2023
Another enjoyable memoir from DeRoche- so different to the first- ‘love with a chance of drowning’ . In this one, DeRoche is a seeker on a mission to get to the bottom of her fears and generalised anxiety which has plagued her since childhood. DeRoche shared her candid, funny and spiritual experiences alongside her new best friend on two startlingly different pilgrimage experiences- one Italy, one India. DeRoche invites in into her inner world of loss and love and I shed tears throughout the whole book- starting from the prologue. It was so touching and human. A neat and meaningful book for seekers, travellers and those who can have adventures while sitting on our couch- thanks to writers like this.
August 9, 2021
This was among my favourites of travel memoirs - Torre had a beautiful way of describing her surroundings in ways that allowed me to picture it without being overly flowery and losing me in her descriptions. Having traveled in Italy, I loved that she put into words what I could never say. And while I can't say her description of India made me want to go there, I appreciated how she talked of the single story and how that didn't fit with her experience in India.
And I related so strongly to her anxiety and while a walking pilgrimage would not be my choice, I felt inspired by the idea of pushing yourself to do scary things in order to break out of the fear and anxiety.
And I related so strongly to her anxiety and while a walking pilgrimage would not be my choice, I felt inspired by the idea of pushing yourself to do scary things in order to break out of the fear and anxiety.
February 26, 2024
I absolutely adored this book - as an anxiety ridden, lover of travel and female friendship it was perfect for me. It was a beautifully written story and will now be part of my list of ‘all time favourite books.
May 22, 2019
3.5 stars
March 13, 2019
I liked this.
The author is a beautiful writer, I could practically smell the places she was describing.
It was an nice blend of travel book and growth memoir.
She made me want to pack my bags and head off to Italy!
The author is a beautiful writer, I could practically smell the places she was describing.
It was an nice blend of travel book and growth memoir.
She made me want to pack my bags and head off to Italy!
July 19, 2017
If her previous memoir, Love with a Chance of Drowning was a story of getting in love and conquering fears through travel, Torre DeRoche last memoir deals with falling out of love, grieving and finding home.
Her father died, her almost 10-year old relationship ended - 'I can't keep waiting. Need to live my life' - , and she is overwhelmed by anguish and fears and depression. Travel can heal but can also lead to a way out of the road. While walking the roads of Italy and on the footsteps of Gandhi in India - sounds like a serious travel article lead, but the reality on the ground is less spectacular - with her adventurous friend Masha, herself in search of her own self, Torre is starting slowly to build a new her, the way she want it to be, not how she is expected to be.
As a passionate travel writer myself, I love her sincerity, her refuse to be just another glamorous adventurer excited to take a selfie of herself in the middle of a hill of cow poo just to show how beautiful her life is. Nomad life is not for everyone and setting a home, even if you keep discovering the world doesn't sound so bourgeois after all.
Torre DeRoche writes good, in an entincing style, with a lot of talent for good travel writing. Her (black) humour is the final salt and pepper touch which makes the memoir even more readable. I've read the book in a couple of hours and although there are no bungee jumping from the top of the highest mountains or other adrenaline-driven adventures, its human side and honesty are the most appealing treats of this book.
A recommended read, especially if you feel you are going nowhere and all you are left are your untreated worries. Or just because you want to see other sides of the travel 'business' than what you are generously offered via social media. (Not that I will ever give up travel myself)
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Her father died, her almost 10-year old relationship ended - 'I can't keep waiting. Need to live my life' - , and she is overwhelmed by anguish and fears and depression. Travel can heal but can also lead to a way out of the road. While walking the roads of Italy and on the footsteps of Gandhi in India - sounds like a serious travel article lead, but the reality on the ground is less spectacular - with her adventurous friend Masha, herself in search of her own self, Torre is starting slowly to build a new her, the way she want it to be, not how she is expected to be.
As a passionate travel writer myself, I love her sincerity, her refuse to be just another glamorous adventurer excited to take a selfie of herself in the middle of a hill of cow poo just to show how beautiful her life is. Nomad life is not for everyone and setting a home, even if you keep discovering the world doesn't sound so bourgeois after all.
Torre DeRoche writes good, in an entincing style, with a lot of talent for good travel writing. Her (black) humour is the final salt and pepper touch which makes the memoir even more readable. I've read the book in a couple of hours and although there are no bungee jumping from the top of the highest mountains or other adrenaline-driven adventures, its human side and honesty are the most appealing treats of this book.
A recommended read, especially if you feel you are going nowhere and all you are left are your untreated worries. Or just because you want to see other sides of the travel 'business' than what you are generously offered via social media. (Not that I will ever give up travel myself)
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
June 23, 2018
This book was so open and honest. It eschews our current culture of negaphobia, and becomes so real and relatable because of this. The writer mentions her grief and anxiety, but doesn't dwell on them in much depth. The narrative focuses mainly on her two journies and present relationships.
Their walk through Italy read like a dream and I loved being along for the ride. Then suddenly we were in India, the contrast to Italy so stark I even felt the culture shock just reading about it. Torre struggled with it, and so did Masha and their relationship with each other. I loved the searing honesty here and was so impressed by it, many a writer would only ever gush about how magical or spiritual this place was for them, too scared to tell the whole truth (due to negaphobia). So I take my hat off to Torre.
I also just enjoyed her fresh voice overall, and would like to read more of her stuff. Before reading this, I wasn't particularly drawn to her first memoir, which looks to be about romance and sailing, meh. But after this I think I probably will read it with a bit more confidence that there will be something in it to keep me engaged.
Their walk through Italy read like a dream and I loved being along for the ride. Then suddenly we were in India, the contrast to Italy so stark I even felt the culture shock just reading about it. Torre struggled with it, and so did Masha and their relationship with each other. I loved the searing honesty here and was so impressed by it, many a writer would only ever gush about how magical or spiritual this place was for them, too scared to tell the whole truth (due to negaphobia). So I take my hat off to Torre.
I also just enjoyed her fresh voice overall, and would like to read more of her stuff. Before reading this, I wasn't particularly drawn to her first memoir, which looks to be about romance and sailing, meh. But after this I think I probably will read it with a bit more confidence that there will be something in it to keep me engaged.
February 28, 2019
This book is so fucking good and so funny and it helped me plan my next adventure. An absolute must-read for any of my future travel companions. Catch me on the Via Francigena in Italy in September. I manifested this book at exactly the time I needed to read it. Absolutely perfect.
September 15, 2017
I struggle with how I feel about this book - it's a 3.5 for me, but is it closer to a 3 or a 4? Ultimately, I think a little closer to a 3. I loved the author's first book, and as with that one, her writing is beautiful. She is absolutely talented and is living an incredibly interested life worthy of being told. I think where she lost me a little bit in the book was in the structure - it was a journey of self-discovery, but I think more introspection throughout the book to give us insight into her thoughts (instead of mainly a retelling of events) would have helped to drive that home. I also bristle a little bit when she had a page about how she rejected using SSRIs to treat her depression. She absolutely acknowledged that SSRIs are important for some people, but she seemed to very quickly knock down the experiences of people with depression and anxiety and made some hasty assumptions.
All that being said, absolutely an enjoyable book - especially for those who like travel memoirs that are full of depth and exploration.
All that being said, absolutely an enjoyable book - especially for those who like travel memoirs that are full of depth and exploration.
May 15, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this book. I absolutely loved the first half -- DeRoche's relationship with Masha is funny and heartfelt and delightful, and it was so much fun to read about their adventures. It made me think of memorable trips and misadventures I've had with my own soul-friends, and gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.
However, she started to lose me in the section on India. I understand that it is a different experience from the sunshine and rainbows of Tuscany (it would have to be, in such a vastly different country and culture), but it was the sweeping statements made about poverty, injustice, and the human condition that put me off. I much preferred her writings about her own experience -- that's where her real strength is. She found her way again by the end of the book, it was just those few sections that I was impatient to get through in order to move on to the more entertaining parts.
DeRoche is a good writer and has an entertaining voice. I would read other titles from her.
However, she started to lose me in the section on India. I understand that it is a different experience from the sunshine and rainbows of Tuscany (it would have to be, in such a vastly different country and culture), but it was the sweeping statements made about poverty, injustice, and the human condition that put me off. I much preferred her writings about her own experience -- that's where her real strength is. She found her way again by the end of the book, it was just those few sections that I was impatient to get through in order to move on to the more entertaining parts.
DeRoche is a good writer and has an entertaining voice. I would read other titles from her.
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