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Walk in a Relaxed Manner
At age 60 Joyce Rupp didn't know what she was getting into when she began a 47-day pilgrimge along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Joined by a friend, Joyce learned lessons that can help all of us travel on life's up-and-down journey with more grace and lightness. She shares them in this enjoyable recounting of her journey across mountains and valleys, cities and farms.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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673 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Rupp
65 books71 followers Joyce Rupp is well known for her work as a writer, a spiritual "midwife," and retreat and conference speaker. She has led retreats throughout North America, as well as in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Joyce has a B.A. in English, a M.R.E. in Religious Education, and a M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology. She is a member of the Servites (Servants of Mary) community and was a volunteer for Hospice for fifteen years. She currently resides in Des Moines, Iowa. A list of Joyce's works can be found in the left column of this page. Click on the book title to find out more information about that title.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
April 16, 2019
I love reading books about the Camino. And I love Joyce Rupp. Thus, this book was my annual “pilgrimage book of choice” for the end of Lent this year. I’m not a world traveler and I most likely never will be. Travel writing has always been as adventurous & worldly as I get (aside from running into burning buildings). However, the pull of the Camino is ever-present in my life. Devouring books about this sacred road allows me to live vicariously through past pilgrims. Ms. Rupp’s account of her pilgrimage (at sixty!) is equal parts travelogue and spiritual memoir and is honest, beautiful, and full of wisdom. She and her friend Tom are true inspirations for their bravery and faithful surrender to travel the Way together. The spiritual lessons she learned and graciously shared can resonate with anyone on the daily trek through life. This book is marvelous.
August 8, 2011
I read this in 2009 as I prepared to walk my own Camino. The author is from Iowa (which is where I was born and raised). I found tRupp's language and attitudes resonated with me - perhaps because they are familiar and reflect attitudes and ideas that seem very Midwestern. My Father-in-Law read this book and that was when he realized what kind of walking adventure I was undertaking - how simple the "accomodations" would be and the challenges I would face on this pilgrimage. Often people expect a pilgrimage to be prosaic, but it also involves a lot of challenges. Among those challenges is discovering things about oneself - things that one may not like, as well as discovering some wonderful qualities too. I walked my almost-1000 kilometer pilgrimage of gratitude across northern Spain, unaccompanied for the 40 days it took me. I met some amazing people and had the solitude I longed for. I recommend Rupp's book as an insight into Camino life (though, to me, it reflects a middle-class background...of course I have been through US Air Force Basic Training and served in Peace Corps as well as travelled in rural, remote Malawi...)but I think it provides a useful insight into this ancient pilgrimage.
"Ginn"
Peregrino Pulver
My Camino - May 2009
In Steamy SC
"Ginn"
Peregrino Pulver
My Camino - May 2009
In Steamy SC
May 20, 2016
Rupp may have had an advantage in writing this, in that she was already an established author. This is the first full-length Camino memoir I've read that doesn't take a start-to-finish approach—rather, she structures her story around lessons she learned.
Hers seems a very contemplative, intentional trip. She is a nun and her walking partner a priest, and while they try to go in without too many expectations, they also treat the trip as some combination of spiritual retreat and chance to examine, and improve, their inner selves. (Or perhaps those are one and the same?) But they focus on the more prosaic as well, worrying about blisters (this is the only book I've read where the author has claimed not to suffer from blisters at all along the trip—combination of walking in a relaxed manner, letting the feet breathe when they stop to rest, and regular applications of vaseline) and where they will next find food and whether or not there will be space at the refugio. They kept their professions to themselves along the way, with the understanding that doing so would result in a different set of interactions than they might have had otherwise.
The end holds an unexpected, sad twist, which Rupp treats with the same grace and perspective as she applies over the course of the book. She says up front that she hadn't planned to write a book about the Camino—she had actively planned not to write a book, in fact—but she ended up writing one of the better ones.
Written February 8, 2015; edited May 2016 for some minor fixes.
Hers seems a very contemplative, intentional trip. She is a nun and her walking partner a priest, and while they try to go in without too many expectations, they also treat the trip as some combination of spiritual retreat and chance to examine, and improve, their inner selves. (Or perhaps those are one and the same?) But they focus on the more prosaic as well, worrying about blisters (this is the only book I've read where the author has claimed not to suffer from blisters at all along the trip—combination of walking in a relaxed manner, letting the feet breathe when they stop to rest, and regular applications of vaseline) and where they will next find food and whether or not there will be space at the refugio. They kept their professions to themselves along the way, with the understanding that doing so would result in a different set of interactions than they might have had otherwise.
The end holds an unexpected, sad twist, which Rupp treats with the same grace and perspective as she applies over the course of the book. She says up front that she hadn't planned to write a book about the Camino—she had actively planned not to write a book, in fact—but she ended up writing one of the better ones.
Written February 8, 2015; edited May 2016 for some minor fixes.
October 6, 2008
Excellent to read before, during or after walking the Camino, especially if you are walking it for spiritual purposes. But the book is also highly instructive whether you go on pilgrimage or not, each chapter being devoted to a specific spiritual task or lesson.
Walk in a Relaxed Manner is the type of book you read in small bites. I recommend reading one chapter at a time—which is what I finally did the last time I started it, the time I finally finished it.
It was my dear aunt who first suggested I read something by the author Joyce Rupp. Although I’d never heard of her before then, soon I began seeing Sr. Rupp’s books everywhere, especially on the shelves of my favorite religious bookstore. But which of the many books written by this prolific author to begin with? In the end, it was the cover which drew me to the book—the picture of a woman backpacker hiking in the mountains among the sheep. And perhaps the subtitle also had something to do with my selection, Life Lessons From the Camino.
I did a European pilgrimage last fall. One of the stops was Santiago de Compostela, the destination of all pilgrims along the Camino. The author, Sr. Joyce Rupp hiked the Camino in 2003 with Fr. Tom Pfeffer, now deceased. This book is a collection of short essays or reflections she wrote on the lessons she learned while hiking the Camino. In fact, each chapter is given over to one succinct lesson, e.g., go prepared, live in the now, return a positive for a negative, travel lightly, look for unannounced angels and keep a strong network of prayer to name but a few from the list of twenty-five. Oh! And, there is a chapter specifically devoted to walking in relaxed manner.
In retrospect, even though I did not hike the Camino, this would have been an invaluable book to have read, savored and prayed before I left on my pilgrimage. I regret not having done so! And yet, I did finish it very soon after my trip. Was I able to relate to the author’s mistakes so easily because I had recently returned from my own trip and I recognized myself and my own errors in the author's self-deprecating stories? I wonder. Would I have derived the same benefit from the book if I'd read it before leaving? I like to think so. There’s no way of knowing of course. However, if you do plan on hiking the Camino—especially if it’s for spiritual reasons—I cannot recommend this book too highly.
And as a beautiful spiritual guide, this book is wonderful, uplifting and insightful.
Walk in a Relaxed Manner is the type of book you read in small bites. I recommend reading one chapter at a time—which is what I finally did the last time I started it, the time I finally finished it.
It was my dear aunt who first suggested I read something by the author Joyce Rupp. Although I’d never heard of her before then, soon I began seeing Sr. Rupp’s books everywhere, especially on the shelves of my favorite religious bookstore. But which of the many books written by this prolific author to begin with? In the end, it was the cover which drew me to the book—the picture of a woman backpacker hiking in the mountains among the sheep. And perhaps the subtitle also had something to do with my selection, Life Lessons From the Camino.
I did a European pilgrimage last fall. One of the stops was Santiago de Compostela, the destination of all pilgrims along the Camino. The author, Sr. Joyce Rupp hiked the Camino in 2003 with Fr. Tom Pfeffer, now deceased. This book is a collection of short essays or reflections she wrote on the lessons she learned while hiking the Camino. In fact, each chapter is given over to one succinct lesson, e.g., go prepared, live in the now, return a positive for a negative, travel lightly, look for unannounced angels and keep a strong network of prayer to name but a few from the list of twenty-five. Oh! And, there is a chapter specifically devoted to walking in relaxed manner.
In retrospect, even though I did not hike the Camino, this would have been an invaluable book to have read, savored and prayed before I left on my pilgrimage. I regret not having done so! And yet, I did finish it very soon after my trip. Was I able to relate to the author’s mistakes so easily because I had recently returned from my own trip and I recognized myself and my own errors in the author's self-deprecating stories? I wonder. Would I have derived the same benefit from the book if I'd read it before leaving? I like to think so. There’s no way of knowing of course. However, if you do plan on hiking the Camino—especially if it’s for spiritual reasons—I cannot recommend this book too highly.
And as a beautiful spiritual guide, this book is wonderful, uplifting and insightful.
June 16, 2017
This is a wonderful book about walking the Camino and the lessons one can learn. While this is most often viewed as a spiritual quest, Rupp also brings to light the every day lessons that one learns while on this spiritual quest. Since I believe that life is a pilgrimage of sorts, the life lessons that Rudd relates are relevant for each and every one of us. I would suggest anyone considering the Camino pilgrimage read this book.
February 26, 2017
A review of “A Man Called Ove” and “Walk in a Relaxed Manner”:
A combined book review is unorthodox, particularly for these two books which, on the surface have little in common. For starters: “A Man Called Ove” is a work of fiction. “Walk in a Relaxed Manner” is a nonfiction book.
But I read them at the same time, and I noticed one clear similarity. Ove, the main character in “A Man Called Ove is 59 during most of the book. Joyce Rupp, the author and central figure in “Walk in a Relaxed Manner,” was 59 when she decided to take her pilgrimage hike across the Camino of northern Spain and 60 when she took it along with her friend the retired priest.
I am 59 and will be 60 before the end of this year, if I’m permitted to live that long.
See how this all fits together?
Granted, Ove and Joyce have virtually nothing in common. Ove is a cranky, fussy, pessimistic, profane, irreligious Swede. (I’m happy to say that author Fredrik Backman doesn’t find it necessary to share much of Ove’s profanity with us.) Rupp is a spiritually-minded, positive-thinking, earnest Catholic sister from Iowa.
Rupp advocates what her book title suggests, walking in a relaxed manner, and that’s referring not just to how to handle a 37-day hike but how to handle life in general. Ove has never done anything in a relaxed manner in his life.
I amused myself while reading these books by imagining the two having a dialogue. Here’s where my thoughts were going, using words from the books:
Joyce: “Acknowledge the kindness of strangers.”
Ove: As he drove across the parking area he passed the Pregnant Foreign Woman from next door. She was holding her three-year-old by the hand. The big blond Lanky One was walking beside her. All three of them caught sight of Ove and waved cheerfully. Ove didn’t wave back.
Joyce: “Remember, life is a great adventure.”
Ove: If they had to go anywhere, why not just take the Saab? But Sonja insisted that buses were “romantic,” and that sort of thing was incredibly important, Ove had learned. So that’s how it ended up. Even though everyone in Spain seemed to think they were exceptional because they went around yawning and drinking and playing foreign music in restaurants and going to bed in the middle of the day. Ove did his best not to like any of it.
(Hey! Another commonality! They both went to Spain!)
Ove is a curmudgeon indeed, but what also becomes clear is that he’s a man of integrity. Given a choice between a curmudgeon who is a man of integrity and a friendly fellow who can’t be trusted, I’ll take the curmudgeon every time. A friendly man of integrity would be even better.
I am not like Ove or Joyce, but I’d have to say I’m more of an Ove than a Joyce. I appreciate her spiritual insights, some of which I’ll try to apply to my life. But on occasion, her Kumbaya-ishness had me rolling my eyes a bit.
On one occasion, Joyce describes walking past a vineyard and desiring to become one with the grapes. My inner Orv would prefer to eat the grapes, and let them become one with me.
A combined book review is unorthodox, particularly for these two books which, on the surface have little in common. For starters: “A Man Called Ove” is a work of fiction. “Walk in a Relaxed Manner” is a nonfiction book.
But I read them at the same time, and I noticed one clear similarity. Ove, the main character in “A Man Called Ove is 59 during most of the book. Joyce Rupp, the author and central figure in “Walk in a Relaxed Manner,” was 59 when she decided to take her pilgrimage hike across the Camino of northern Spain and 60 when she took it along with her friend the retired priest.
I am 59 and will be 60 before the end of this year, if I’m permitted to live that long.
See how this all fits together?
Granted, Ove and Joyce have virtually nothing in common. Ove is a cranky, fussy, pessimistic, profane, irreligious Swede. (I’m happy to say that author Fredrik Backman doesn’t find it necessary to share much of Ove’s profanity with us.) Rupp is a spiritually-minded, positive-thinking, earnest Catholic sister from Iowa.
Rupp advocates what her book title suggests, walking in a relaxed manner, and that’s referring not just to how to handle a 37-day hike but how to handle life in general. Ove has never done anything in a relaxed manner in his life.
I amused myself while reading these books by imagining the two having a dialogue. Here’s where my thoughts were going, using words from the books:
Joyce: “Acknowledge the kindness of strangers.”
Ove: As he drove across the parking area he passed the Pregnant Foreign Woman from next door. She was holding her three-year-old by the hand. The big blond Lanky One was walking beside her. All three of them caught sight of Ove and waved cheerfully. Ove didn’t wave back.
Joyce: “Remember, life is a great adventure.”
Ove: If they had to go anywhere, why not just take the Saab? But Sonja insisted that buses were “romantic,” and that sort of thing was incredibly important, Ove had learned. So that’s how it ended up. Even though everyone in Spain seemed to think they were exceptional because they went around yawning and drinking and playing foreign music in restaurants and going to bed in the middle of the day. Ove did his best not to like any of it.
(Hey! Another commonality! They both went to Spain!)
Ove is a curmudgeon indeed, but what also becomes clear is that he’s a man of integrity. Given a choice between a curmudgeon who is a man of integrity and a friendly fellow who can’t be trusted, I’ll take the curmudgeon every time. A friendly man of integrity would be even better.
I am not like Ove or Joyce, but I’d have to say I’m more of an Ove than a Joyce. I appreciate her spiritual insights, some of which I’ll try to apply to my life. But on occasion, her Kumbaya-ishness had me rolling my eyes a bit.
On one occasion, Joyce describes walking past a vineyard and desiring to become one with the grapes. My inner Orv would prefer to eat the grapes, and let them become one with me.
July 20, 2025
Quaint and lovely! What else could you expect from a modern theologian from Iowa. Probably not worth the read if you’re not Camino pilled though.
“Beauty does that to us. It revisits us with joy calls to us with its lucidity and strength, and unites us over and over to the deeper thread of the holy within us and among us.”
“Beauty does that to us. It revisits us with joy calls to us with its lucidity and strength, and unites us over and over to the deeper thread of the holy within us and among us.”
May 29, 2024
Having just walked the Camino de Santiago this month I was so happy to read beautifully described experiences that I too had endured. Rupp’s lessons and recollections are absolutely right on the money. I would love to meet her and chat sometime.
August 23, 2025
I really liked the lessons learned on the Camino trail. The author was very honest about the highs and lows of walking, not just the physical challenges but also the internal challenges. Good book to read before one starts their adventure on the Camino.
July 28, 2025
This is the second time I've read it and it holds up beautifully. Can be read in short bursts, like a daily meditation. Whether I'm traveling or just hunkered down at home, a few pages of Joyce Rupp's pilgrim perspective helps me to be more aware of what's actually happening around me, and grateful for all the small good things. I have not walked the Camino, but have gone on other journeys.
May 21, 2019
A wonderful book. Especially recommended if you are thinking of walking the Camino (as I was). It made a huge difference to how I approached the pilgrimage.
October 13, 2020
In this heartfelt book, American nun, retreat leader, and prolific author Joyce Rupp shares her experiences of walking the Camino, as well as the life lessons she strives to keep alive by passing them along to her readers.
September 30, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. I felt like it was inspiring but also very real. It showed the various sides of what happened while they were on the Camino, and in what ways it changed them. Like all pilgrimages there is a humbling that occurs. At the end of the book it touched me deeply with what Joyce shared. It was not something I was expecting, but felt myself grow so close to her and Tom that it impacted me in a manner as mentioned I did not expect. Really beautiful and recommend this read to anyone wanting a bit of inspiration and to be reminded of our human journey in this grand adventure called life.
January 25, 2010
The title is the best part of this book. That, and the chapter titles, which give common sense advice like: Travel Lightly. It was good to read some concrete descriptions of the refugio bathrooms, but other than that, Rupp's constant complaining about lack of privacy and her pious, prissy tone got really annoying. Hape Kereling's book is much, much better. I would love to walk the path with him. I won't want to walk around the block with her.
January 27, 2015
I have wondered about this walk and after reading Joyce's book I still wonder if I could do it. At some point I was so ready to make the walk and then a few paragraphs later I thought "no way". What I so enjoyed were her life lessons that she shares and how we can use them in our own life journey. Her writing is easy to read and so moving. This will be a book I will read over and over again. I also have a greater respect for those who have made the walk.
February 18, 2024
Not a memoir, rather, 25 chapters of mostly telling/advice giving/summaries about a Camino experience in the early 2000s. I read it aloud to my partner, who agreed that it wasn't great storytelling but had some good advice and provided us a springboard for some conversations.
December 6, 2018
For the fan of the Camino and its enticement, these lessons and observations are perfect. Twenty five ways to grow as you walk plus many reasonable explanations of the trials and tribulations one may or may not encounter. There is a reality check on the various places provided for food and logging. There are warnings for those of us with back, foot, or other physical problems to expect. The spiritual experience is for everyone different, but open to whatever you are willing to allow. These two people managed to successfully travel the distance and return home with a friendship that indeed grew and to this day is a remarkable example of love as a neighbor, in a tender way.
Their little prayer they opened each day of their walk is fit for everyone of us; whether we walk out to water the garden, race down the highway to work, meet a friend for a chat, enjoy the cats or dogs we have; it is something to carry in our heart! THE PILGRIM PRAYER, Guardian of my soul, guide me on the way today. Keep me safe from harm, deepen my relationship with you, your Earth, and all your family. Strengthen your love within me that I may be a presence of your peace in our world. Amen Tim Pfeffer and Joyce Rupp. This lovely book was finished a month ago, and I was afraid my words would be insufficient reflection, but humbly I present these today.
Their little prayer they opened each day of their walk is fit for everyone of us; whether we walk out to water the garden, race down the highway to work, meet a friend for a chat, enjoy the cats or dogs we have; it is something to carry in our heart! THE PILGRIM PRAYER, Guardian of my soul, guide me on the way today. Keep me safe from harm, deepen my relationship with you, your Earth, and all your family. Strengthen your love within me that I may be a presence of your peace in our world. Amen Tim Pfeffer and Joyce Rupp. This lovely book was finished a month ago, and I was afraid my words would be insufficient reflection, but humbly I present these today.
March 26, 2022
This made me so excited for the Camino and all the spiritual gifts it might bring. Every couple chapters I would think "Wow, that's going to be me! I'll be out there walking where centuries of others have walked, and this book proves that what people say about it is real. Who knows what God has in store for me?" Joyce Rupp pointed out a lot of beauty on the trail, even in the things that might seem like obstacles/irritants, and I hope I can go into the trail looking for the blessings too.
This is a slow read, but it's not challenging or boring. It's just peaceful, and it made me feel good both while and after reading it. I read it in breaks during finals week, so it's good for cooling down and focusing on the now.
The chapter about unannounced angels... don't get me started. That part was real, and I feel like I've already crossed paths with someone who has helped my family with our Camino. That experience happened right before I read the chapter, and I was so happy that this is something shared. It was like my Camino was already beginning, and this book gave me a better sense of the Camino's presence beyond the trail. I feel like it's a part of my Camino too, and I'm very grateful to have read it and to have spiritually met Joyce and Tom through it as well.
This is a slow read, but it's not challenging or boring. It's just peaceful, and it made me feel good both while and after reading it. I read it in breaks during finals week, so it's good for cooling down and focusing on the now.
The chapter about unannounced angels... don't get me started. That part was real, and I feel like I've already crossed paths with someone who has helped my family with our Camino. That experience happened right before I read the chapter, and I was so happy that this is something shared. It was like my Camino was already beginning, and this book gave me a better sense of the Camino's presence beyond the trail. I feel like it's a part of my Camino too, and I'm very grateful to have read it and to have spiritually met Joyce and Tom through it as well.
April 14, 2024
I picked up this book because I was missing the Camino. I had walked the Camino Ignaciano and have been wanting to walk the Camino towards Santiago. Most of the life lessons shared by the author resonated with my experience. But I would have wanted to hear more stories about the people, situations and places they encountered.
There was a good number of chapters which bored me, particularly those that talked about cramped sleeping quarters and dirty bathrooms. Coming from a developing country, cramped spaces, the crush of the crowd, the lack of amenities in public places were not new to me. I don’t like these conditions but I wouldn’t be in such a shock either.
I found the last few chapters more helpful to me. The acknowledgment of the sadness and hollow feeling upon arriving at the destination was a validation of what I felt when I reached the end of my camino. The insight of needing time to pause and integrate the experience is something I am taking away as well.
There was a good number of chapters which bored me, particularly those that talked about cramped sleeping quarters and dirty bathrooms. Coming from a developing country, cramped spaces, the crush of the crowd, the lack of amenities in public places were not new to me. I don’t like these conditions but I wouldn’t be in such a shock either.
I found the last few chapters more helpful to me. The acknowledgment of the sadness and hollow feeling upon arriving at the destination was a validation of what I felt when I reached the end of my camino. The insight of needing time to pause and integrate the experience is something I am taking away as well.
July 27, 2024
A nice collections of lessons from walking the camino in the early 2000s. Some things have changed: I think lodging is generally cleaner, the food is generally better, and maybe things are just the same. Virtually everything she shares about interacting with people, and lessons she learned resonated with me. For someone who has walked the Camino I think you will find this book with trigger many memories. For someone who is planning to walk the Camino, the book gives a preview of what you will experience, but it's shadow of the actual experience. Rupp reports the small acts which touched her... many of which didn't move my heart. I am sure many of my stories wouldn't seem significant to anyone but me. The beauty is that the Camino provides what each of us needs. I think the book would have been better uf Rupp had included more details about some of her encounters with people.
July 25, 2023
This book is about a spiritual and reflective woman and her male friend who walk the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain.
I was interesting to me to read of the many musings and daily reflections of this woman who rarely spoke of a Biblical perspective of life or the Gospel.
I wasn't so much disappointed as I was interested in how a spiritual person can be so reflective and come up with "lessons from the camino" with so much emphasis on authors and writers and almost zero from the Bible.
I enjoyed the musings and didn't really find much significance in them.
She seems like a kind and thoughtful woman.
I am sticking my neck out here reflecting on my experience with is book of reflections knowing that others may not find much significance in these words!
I was interesting to me to read of the many musings and daily reflections of this woman who rarely spoke of a Biblical perspective of life or the Gospel.
I wasn't so much disappointed as I was interested in how a spiritual person can be so reflective and come up with "lessons from the camino" with so much emphasis on authors and writers and almost zero from the Bible.
I enjoyed the musings and didn't really find much significance in them.
She seems like a kind and thoughtful woman.
I am sticking my neck out here reflecting on my experience with is book of reflections knowing that others may not find much significance in these words!
July 11, 2025
Having walked the Camino de Santiago in April, I read many memoirs about the camino as I prepared for my trip. This book was recommnded to me by several people, but I did not have a chance to read it before my camino experience. I enoyed it. As the title suggests, she had to learn to chill or relax a little and not try to attack the trail, but to rather calmly walk it and keep walking it. I enjoyed her insights and lessons. For example, whenever she judged someone (in her mind or out loud to her companion), she would catch herself and try to turn that negative thought into a positive. I found her to be inspiring. It wasn't my favorite camino book, but it was a good, solid read for anyone contemplating doing the Camino.
November 24, 2022
I am a huge fan of Joyce Rupp’s writings, but I especially loved Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino. I read this book after returning from my own Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Even though Joyce’s pilgrimage was almost twenty years ago (in 2003), most of her experiences are still relevant for today’s pilgrims. (Two exceptions: Cell phones can be used for directions and communications, and trekking gear has improved.) I especially liked how each chapter related a few stories and then ended with a life lesson. Of course, every pilgrim’s path is different, but this book definitely helped me to reflect on my own journey on the Camino and through life.
December 12, 2022
Spiritual writer Joyce Rupp’s account of her 2003 Camino pilgrimage was full of surprises. I figured the trek would be arduous, but Rupp’s detailed telling of the challenges of finding food, laundering clothes, and navigating sleeping arrangements made me more than happy to walk vicariously from my armchair. The life lessons she weaves through the narrative speak to Rupp’s mature perspective on the ways of humanity. Many of these lessons from the practical to the ethereal are applicable to other walks we take in life.
I closed the book inspired by Rupp’s walking adventure to take on a few of my own just closer to home.
I closed the book inspired by Rupp’s walking adventure to take on a few of my own just closer to home.
October 27, 2018
Another in my reading series of Camino walk books. There are more than I thought and this is a good one. Two over-60s friends take a walk --for 37 days on the great Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain. Insightful, spiritual, funny, and sad--this book brings a lot with it and a story of Life and living and how we view ourselves in this context.
She says "Struggles are the fertilizer for spiritual growth, " and boy is she right. I did only 100 miles of the Camino--she did all-- and i got it! Thank you Joyce Rupp for a lovely pilgrimage.
She says "Struggles are the fertilizer for spiritual growth, " and boy is she right. I did only 100 miles of the Camino--she did all-- and i got it! Thank you Joyce Rupp for a lovely pilgrimage.
June 1, 2019
Have been reading a lot of books on pilgrimages, particularly on the Camino de Santiago. This is the best of those, and not just because I'm in the same demographic as the author (female, somewhat Catholic, middle aged), although that did matter. A book about an actual pilgrimage that transcends Catholic platitudes, and not just a walk for "self-discovery" or exercise or the bucket list. Written conversationally and comfortably. I keep wanting to loan it to friends, but then remember that I want to read it again, soon!
September 7, 2019
Profound
This is a beautiful and painfully honest story about a pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain undertaken by a Catholic Sister and her priest friend in the later years of their lives. Their transparency, humor and fidelity as spiritual companions, along with their openness to existential friendships with other pilgrims they met along the way, offer inspiration and an archetypal template for anyone seeking to grow closer to God through a religious pilgrimage.
This is a beautiful and painfully honest story about a pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain undertaken by a Catholic Sister and her priest friend in the later years of their lives. Their transparency, humor and fidelity as spiritual companions, along with their openness to existential friendships with other pilgrims they met along the way, offer inspiration and an archetypal template for anyone seeking to grow closer to God through a religious pilgrimage.
January 25, 2021
If you're interested in a true account of walking the Camino, you'll enjoy this, but I really liked this book for the obvious deep thinking and feeling that went into her experience. Rupp truly presents "lessons learned" as she and a friend took on this adventure that we can all carry through life. In her final chapter, Pause to Reflect, she shares 8 questions that she and her friend pondered at the end of the journey. These questions alone are worth spending time with her.
January 5, 2022
As I was walking a "virtual" Camino de Santiago around a 2 mile route in my neighborhood, I read books, ate Spanish foods, watched films about the Camino. Joyce's book was one of my favorites to get the feel of life on the Camino as I logged 480+ miles at home. There are many gifts to be found walking and noticing all that life puts in front of us. Loved this book and thinking about setting another goal to walk the Camino at home for the third time!
March 24, 2024
I appreciated the succinct insights and wisdom from the author’s Camino journey. This was not a chronological telling of her experience but rather a list of points of truth that she discovered. I found myself reflecting on my own stories from the Camino throughout the reading. I can’t decide if I would have rather read it before I went or if reading it after and making connections of my own was better. Either way, there are beautiful life lessons offered here.
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