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East Winds: A Global Quest to Reckon with Marriage
"An engrossing exploration of a hard but ultimately exhilarating trek toward love and commitment."
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Rachel panicked as she lay awake on the first night of her year-long honeymoon—a backpacking trip around the world. Though young and in love, she wasn’t sure she actually believed in marriage, let alone the lofty Mormon ideal of eternal marriage. This unconventional honeymoon felt like a brief reprieve from the crushing expectations for a Mormon bride. But this trip also offered the chance to study wedding traditions in other cultures and the space to confront what marriage—including her own—meant to her.
Along the way, she got kicked out of Peru, escaped rabid dogs in the Amazon, stumbled upon democracy protests in Hong Kong, launched an unlucky lantern in Thailand, and trekked five hundred miles across Spain in sandals. These experiences helped Rachel confront her tumultuous past, question her inherited relationship models, and embrace her restless nature within marriage—exchanging faith in certainty for faith in the day-to-day choice of partnership and faith in herself.
EAST WINDS is written in the tradition of Elizabeth Gilbert’s COMMITTED, Cheryl Strayed’s WILD, and Tara Westover’s EDUCATED. Far more than a travelogue, this sweeping coming-of-age memoir offers timeless insights into this complex, universal institution. Too many love stories end with marriage. This one starts there instead.
*
Advance Praise
"[A] soulful debut memoir . . . Rueckert’s grappling with uncertainty yields courage and a luminous sense of hope. An engrossing exploration of a hard but ultimately exhilarating trek toward love and commitment."
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Is it an ethnography, a travelogue, a memoir, a love story, or a true confession? Whatever its genre, it is funny, inciteful, poetic, and engaging. A delightful read!
—Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, PhD, Pulitzer Prize winner & author of WELL-BEHAVED WOMEN SELDOM MAKE HISTORY
Trouble abounds in this brave, stirring, engaging memoir, but the protagonist proves equal to every bit of it, thanks to her self-awareness and pluck. A travel account that takes us deep into the author's inner life and spiritual struggles while delivering vividly detailed accounts of the lands she explores, this satisfying record of the growth of a self should please readers of every type. It certainly pleased me.
—Phillip Lopate, PhD, American essayist & editor of THE ART OF THE PERSONAL ESSAY
Thoroughly smart and clear-eyed. EAST WINDS invites the reader to question their assumptions. Rueckert asks unique questions that resonate on a universal level.
—Gary Shteyngart, author of LITTLE FAILURE
In EAST WINDS, Rachel Rueckert journeys around the world and into the heart of a marriage, asking how we can truly know our partner, ourselves, and the truth of our bond. Exploring communities in Asia, South America and Europe as well as excavating her own Mormon roots, Rueckert’s warm, frank voice takes the reader across oceans and generations, examining how love, family, connection and commitment are reflected in and through culture. A fascinating travelogue and a charmingly bumpy love story, EAST WINDS is an ultimately joyous struggle for identity as and with a partner that many women will recognize within themselves.
—Allison K Williams, author of SEVEN DRAFTS
Rachel Rueckert’s EAST WINDS is outstanding. A captivating reflection on love and faith found in unexpected places, it’s a chronicle of the early days of marriage. Rueckert is a writer to watch. In lovely, candid prose, she shares intimate insights about partnership and the connections that exist because of it. I could not put it down.
—Wendy S. Walters, PhD, Nonfiction Director at Columbia University & author of MULTIPLY/DIVIDE
The engine that drives this delightful memoir is the rash condition the author puts on her fiancé: immediately after marrying, they must embark on a low-budget, one-year-long honeymoon around the world. This would strain any relationship to the breaking point, but Rueckert and her husband triumph in surprising and moving ways. Both are socially progressive Mormons; they rebel against their faith without rejecting it. By turns comical and serious, this passionate, searchful book will speak especially to readers who grapple with the cultural pressure to marry and the taboo of divorce. In strange, far-off cities and miserable hotels, Rueckert investigates this conundrum with a restless and insightful mind. The writing is filled with funny, shivery, illuminated moments. EAST WINDS brims with intelligence.
—Michael Greenberg, author of HURRY DOWN SUNSHINE
A worldwide voyage of self-discovery and intriguing anthropological study in marriage relationships . . . Author Rachel Rueckert establishes a compelling case for women’s empowerment and provides a significant amount of information about various backgrounds of marriage ...
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Rachel panicked as she lay awake on the first night of her year-long honeymoon—a backpacking trip around the world. Though young and in love, she wasn’t sure she actually believed in marriage, let alone the lofty Mormon ideal of eternal marriage. This unconventional honeymoon felt like a brief reprieve from the crushing expectations for a Mormon bride. But this trip also offered the chance to study wedding traditions in other cultures and the space to confront what marriage—including her own—meant to her.
Along the way, she got kicked out of Peru, escaped rabid dogs in the Amazon, stumbled upon democracy protests in Hong Kong, launched an unlucky lantern in Thailand, and trekked five hundred miles across Spain in sandals. These experiences helped Rachel confront her tumultuous past, question her inherited relationship models, and embrace her restless nature within marriage—exchanging faith in certainty for faith in the day-to-day choice of partnership and faith in herself.
EAST WINDS is written in the tradition of Elizabeth Gilbert’s COMMITTED, Cheryl Strayed’s WILD, and Tara Westover’s EDUCATED. Far more than a travelogue, this sweeping coming-of-age memoir offers timeless insights into this complex, universal institution. Too many love stories end with marriage. This one starts there instead.
*
Advance Praise
"[A] soulful debut memoir . . . Rueckert’s grappling with uncertainty yields courage and a luminous sense of hope. An engrossing exploration of a hard but ultimately exhilarating trek toward love and commitment."
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Is it an ethnography, a travelogue, a memoir, a love story, or a true confession? Whatever its genre, it is funny, inciteful, poetic, and engaging. A delightful read!
—Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, PhD, Pulitzer Prize winner & author of WELL-BEHAVED WOMEN SELDOM MAKE HISTORY
Trouble abounds in this brave, stirring, engaging memoir, but the protagonist proves equal to every bit of it, thanks to her self-awareness and pluck. A travel account that takes us deep into the author's inner life and spiritual struggles while delivering vividly detailed accounts of the lands she explores, this satisfying record of the growth of a self should please readers of every type. It certainly pleased me.
—Phillip Lopate, PhD, American essayist & editor of THE ART OF THE PERSONAL ESSAY
Thoroughly smart and clear-eyed. EAST WINDS invites the reader to question their assumptions. Rueckert asks unique questions that resonate on a universal level.
—Gary Shteyngart, author of LITTLE FAILURE
In EAST WINDS, Rachel Rueckert journeys around the world and into the heart of a marriage, asking how we can truly know our partner, ourselves, and the truth of our bond. Exploring communities in Asia, South America and Europe as well as excavating her own Mormon roots, Rueckert’s warm, frank voice takes the reader across oceans and generations, examining how love, family, connection and commitment are reflected in and through culture. A fascinating travelogue and a charmingly bumpy love story, EAST WINDS is an ultimately joyous struggle for identity as and with a partner that many women will recognize within themselves.
—Allison K Williams, author of SEVEN DRAFTS
Rachel Rueckert’s EAST WINDS is outstanding. A captivating reflection on love and faith found in unexpected places, it’s a chronicle of the early days of marriage. Rueckert is a writer to watch. In lovely, candid prose, she shares intimate insights about partnership and the connections that exist because of it. I could not put it down.
—Wendy S. Walters, PhD, Nonfiction Director at Columbia University & author of MULTIPLY/DIVIDE
The engine that drives this delightful memoir is the rash condition the author puts on her fiancé: immediately after marrying, they must embark on a low-budget, one-year-long honeymoon around the world. This would strain any relationship to the breaking point, but Rueckert and her husband triumph in surprising and moving ways. Both are socially progressive Mormons; they rebel against their faith without rejecting it. By turns comical and serious, this passionate, searchful book will speak especially to readers who grapple with the cultural pressure to marry and the taboo of divorce. In strange, far-off cities and miserable hotels, Rueckert investigates this conundrum with a restless and insightful mind. The writing is filled with funny, shivery, illuminated moments. EAST WINDS brims with intelligence.
—Michael Greenberg, author of HURRY DOWN SUNSHINE
A worldwide voyage of self-discovery and intriguing anthropological study in marriage relationships . . . Author Rachel Rueckert establishes a compelling case for women’s empowerment and provides a significant amount of information about various backgrounds of marriage ...
328 pages, Hardcover
Published November 15, 2022
22 people are currently reading
2233 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Rueckert
4 books271 followersRachel Rueckert has been pirate-obsessed since she was a young girl. She wore a plastic sword through her belt loops, drew ships on tests when she didn’t know the answers, and dressed as a pirate every year for Halloween—including in her high school senior picture. She is now an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher who holds an MFA from Columbia University and an M.Ed from Boston University. She is fascinated by unconventional journeys and enjoys excavating real-life people—such as Mary Read, Anne Bonny, and Sam Bellamy—from the sands of history.
Find her books and newsletter: Website
Find her books and newsletter: Website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
January 27, 2023
Update: I did read this book again to prep for a book club with the author (so lucky!) and loved it all over again. I noticed so many details in rereading and even more while discussing with a group of friends. I find the lessons Rachel learns on this trip and in the time after while writing the book very powerful, and it's so easy to get emotional by the end as I can see her growth. Definitely recommend, especially now that there's an audiobook too. No excuses! Just read it!
I have very strict criteria for giving a book 5 stars (I rated my brother's book only 4 stars) and it's that I have to a) love the book obviously, b) not want to change anything about it and c) want to read it again. I was lucky to participate in giving feedback to an earlier manuscript along with a book club in 2020, and again lucky to receive an advanced copy of this book in its final form. I will read this book again!! A beautiful memoir with emotional depth and stunning scenery. And the epigraphs are just so perfect.
I have very strict criteria for giving a book 5 stars (I rated my brother's book only 4 stars) and it's that I have to a) love the book obviously, b) not want to change anything about it and c) want to read it again. I was lucky to participate in giving feedback to an earlier manuscript along with a book club in 2020, and again lucky to receive an advanced copy of this book in its final form. I will read this book again!! A beautiful memoir with emotional depth and stunning scenery. And the epigraphs are just so perfect.
January 21, 2023
The book attempts to be servers l different things, and mostly succeeds. It’s an impressively broad examination of travel, religion, marriage, companionship, and family dynamics that are all self reflective without being tirelessly indulgent. A very unique style and approach that is enjoyable during and after reading
November 3, 2022
East Winds helped me to name and describe feelings I felt keenly as a young woman contemplating marriage. The author very unselfishly shares intimate details of her flaws and her hang ups (resulting from a very relatable cultural upbringing) that resonated deeply with me. I am grateful to the author for being so open in this intensely personal memoir of a woman still growing up and a marriage in its infancy.
March 22, 2023
Rueckert's beautifully written memoir is a masterpiece. I did not expect it to be so powerfully meaningful to me. Being in middle age, I did not expect to learn anything new about marriage. I was wrong. So many gems of insight and wisdom conveyed genuine insights I didn't expect. Her experiences traveling the world with her new husband were genuinely a delight. Repeatedly, as I finished a chapter, I found myself thinking, "one more chapter before I go to bed," and ended up doing more than just another one and staying up way too late reading. Don't miss this one. One the best memoirs I've ever read.
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July 2, 2023
An honest and poignant memoir that, for all its shortcomings, spoke to me on multiple levels.
The narrator, a recent BYU grad, provides a unique authorial voice that captures early 2010s millennial “wanderlust”, idiosyncratic “Utah frugality”, and an open evaluation of faith and relationships, the combination of which felt unnervingly familiar and personally applicable.
At times reminiscent of a BYU student essay - with study abroad travelogue, odd tonal shifts, flowery metaphor, and a sprinkling of the occasional “damn” as a very deliberate spicy seasoning!
But nestled in the morass is something that feels valuable: a sincere catalogue of doubts and experiences in dealing with uncertainties in peculiar stage of life and faith. An enjoyable read that was at the least quite thought provoking.
The narrator, a recent BYU grad, provides a unique authorial voice that captures early 2010s millennial “wanderlust”, idiosyncratic “Utah frugality”, and an open evaluation of faith and relationships, the combination of which felt unnervingly familiar and personally applicable.
At times reminiscent of a BYU student essay - with study abroad travelogue, odd tonal shifts, flowery metaphor, and a sprinkling of the occasional “damn” as a very deliberate spicy seasoning!
But nestled in the morass is something that feels valuable: a sincere catalogue of doubts and experiences in dealing with uncertainties in peculiar stage of life and faith. An enjoyable read that was at the least quite thought provoking.
November 1, 2022
I was fortunate enough to have received an advanced copy of the book. Here’s my review:
This memoir is thoughtful, engaging, and relatable. It’s a book I wish I had years ago, but I am grateful to have it now. Rachel asks questions and confesses things that feel taboo but shouldn’t be. The book helped me to feel less alone. If you’re interested in nature; traveling; different cultures; questions about marriage, relationships, and community; coming of age as a woman; or religion in contemporary society, then this book has something in it for you. The chapters are artfully arranged and easily digestible—I stayed interested throughout the entire book and devoured it quickly.
This memoir is thoughtful, engaging, and relatable. It’s a book I wish I had years ago, but I am grateful to have it now. Rachel asks questions and confesses things that feel taboo but shouldn’t be. The book helped me to feel less alone. If you’re interested in nature; traveling; different cultures; questions about marriage, relationships, and community; coming of age as a woman; or religion in contemporary society, then this book has something in it for you. The chapters are artfully arranged and easily digestible—I stayed interested throughout the entire book and devoured it quickly.
January 17, 2023
The sheer amount of work this book does on behalf of Mormon culture is astonishing, although Rachel offers her stunning memoir as merely “one Mormon’s experience” and doesn’t intend it to be a book about Mormonism. Nevertheless, I appreciate all that it does do for Latter-day Saints along the way. Rachel plumbs the vulnerable depths of family trauma and the legacies it has left her with, investigating these imprints through a thoughtful Socratic dialogue with her self and the prismatic mores of a demanding doctrine that often feels as though it allows little room for the human considerations of the marriage project.
On the Mormon side, too few narratives exist around what marriage looks like for those coming from backgrounds where mental illness and family fracture define the futures of children who will one day themselves marry and need to reckon with myths shattered, theology as goad not refuge, and selves learning to find safety in what may inherently feel like an enormous risk. These wanderings and wonderings have immense cultural and theological value that Mormon culture would do well to swell to accommodate. Rachel’s workings with theological concepts as applied on her book-long Camino are tremendous; this book of many places is a place and a tradition where all may belong in their searchings.
Breathlessly beautiful in its descriptions of nature, artfully crafted with self-awareness, deftly woven with powerful strands of metaphor and cultural interpretation, an absolute pleasure to read, East Winds is a generational milestone in memoir for Mormons leaning into complexity and finding ways of generational healing & individuation. This is a book worth reading for anyone who desires a deeper dive into what marriage can be for pilgrims willing to journey into the uneasiness and unfathomable uncertainty that life and union with another presents.
On the Mormon side, too few narratives exist around what marriage looks like for those coming from backgrounds where mental illness and family fracture define the futures of children who will one day themselves marry and need to reckon with myths shattered, theology as goad not refuge, and selves learning to find safety in what may inherently feel like an enormous risk. These wanderings and wonderings have immense cultural and theological value that Mormon culture would do well to swell to accommodate. Rachel’s workings with theological concepts as applied on her book-long Camino are tremendous; this book of many places is a place and a tradition where all may belong in their searchings.
Breathlessly beautiful in its descriptions of nature, artfully crafted with self-awareness, deftly woven with powerful strands of metaphor and cultural interpretation, an absolute pleasure to read, East Winds is a generational milestone in memoir for Mormons leaning into complexity and finding ways of generational healing & individuation. This is a book worth reading for anyone who desires a deeper dive into what marriage can be for pilgrims willing to journey into the uneasiness and unfathomable uncertainty that life and union with another presents.
February 3, 2023
East Winds is a beautifully written memoir; it’s both a global and deeply personal exploration of the path towards marriage. Rueckert takes us with her on her year-long honeymoon: they start wading through the Amazon, make friends and find work in India, and end with hiking the five-hundred-mile el Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. We soon learn that this was supposed to be Rachel’s trip, and her hesitancy to give up the freedom and independence of her long-dreamed-of solo adventure mirrors her reservations about the institution of marriage and more specifically her own marriage.
As she shares of her upbringing in Utah, she tells vulnerably of the collapse of her parents’ marriage, and her wrestles with her faith. After graduating from BYU, she moves to Boston to teach, and she meets Austin. Despite some nagging doubts of their compatibility, they fall in love, get married, and put all their things in storage for a year. While abroad, Rachel seeks knowledge on how other cultures see and approach marriage but most importantly learns what her own marriage means to her.
Rueckert articulated cultural aspects of the Mormon church and her wrestle with faith better than I’ve ever encountered. More universally, she articulates fears of losing one’s self in a relationship and frustrations all women face amidst misogyny. Her honesty, insight, and vivid descriptions made me devour this in a weekend.
"I wondered if a difficult marriage appealed to me, the way difficulty had appealed to me in so many other areas of my life given my pull toward complexity, my never-ending quest for truth and meaning. The thought left me exhausted, like the exhaustion of this constant walking and walking."
As she shares of her upbringing in Utah, she tells vulnerably of the collapse of her parents’ marriage, and her wrestles with her faith. After graduating from BYU, she moves to Boston to teach, and she meets Austin. Despite some nagging doubts of their compatibility, they fall in love, get married, and put all their things in storage for a year. While abroad, Rachel seeks knowledge on how other cultures see and approach marriage but most importantly learns what her own marriage means to her.
Rueckert articulated cultural aspects of the Mormon church and her wrestle with faith better than I’ve ever encountered. More universally, she articulates fears of losing one’s self in a relationship and frustrations all women face amidst misogyny. Her honesty, insight, and vivid descriptions made me devour this in a weekend.
"I wondered if a difficult marriage appealed to me, the way difficulty had appealed to me in so many other areas of my life given my pull toward complexity, my never-ending quest for truth and meaning. The thought left me exhausted, like the exhaustion of this constant walking and walking."
November 12, 2023
This kind of read like a string of journal entries. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it just felt self indulgent. I was hoping to learn more about the practice of marriage as a whole, but felt unsatisfied. Overall, I felt it could have been developed more. Should be called a global quest to reckon with MY marriage.
November 15, 2022
East Winds moved me so deeply and gave words to feelings that I have felt my whole life but never knew how to articulate. The author’s internal and external journey through her yearlong honeymoon around the world (and her backstory) is captivating, relatable, funny, and gave me uncontrollable wanderlust because the writing was just that beautiful! I was left in tears more than once during this book. I couldn’t put it down and I can’t wait for more people to be able to be touched by her journey. I also loved the anthropological lens of exploring marriage around the world because it is something that has always interested me. Thank you Rachel for being so vulnerable and willing to share your story. This book is one I hold dear to my heart and I know it will touch many others.
December 21, 2022
Rachel’s writing is pure poetry!!I loved her honesty and beautiful metaphors to describe her life experiences and perspectives. I enjoyed reading about her adventures, and now have a desire to visit every single place she describe!! All together, a moving love story and a book that brings out the adventure in us all.
March 13, 2023
Memoir is a favorite genre of mine and this one was poignant, insightful and enjoyable to read.
November 25, 2022
I devour audiobooks, but I often struggle to find the time to read physical books. This was not a problem with East Winds. I carved out afternoons, stayed up late, and even risked the paperback in the bathtub. I devoured this book and loved it. So many of Rachel Rueckert's fears, doubts, and hopes resonate with my own. I appreciated her honesty and self-reflection, her generosity towards the people in her story, and the lessons she learned while traversing the world with her husband on their year-long honeymoon and quest to reckon with the idea of marriage. I can't wait to "read" it again when the audiobook comes out.
August 30, 2022
If you loved Educated, then this is the book for you!
East Winds is honest, poetic, and inspiring. Such a great perspective on the unique culture of Utah as well as marriage culture around the world. I believe this is highly relatable to any young married Mormon as well as anyone who has struggled with the notion of what marriage means.
East Winds is honest, poetic, and inspiring. Such a great perspective on the unique culture of Utah as well as marriage culture around the world. I believe this is highly relatable to any young married Mormon as well as anyone who has struggled with the notion of what marriage means.
August 5, 2023
Not much to see here. I listened to her interview on Faith Matters, and thought this would be a good book. Not really. Insights are few and far between, profundity is absent. I came away feeling like the author is just kind of shallow and self-centered.
August 8, 2024
The beginning was interesting but I lost steam about 70% of the way through. The narrative was a bit of a victim mindset and I struggled to enjoy because of that.
February 20, 2023
I didn’t expect much from this book, as memoirs can be hit or miss, and only picked it up because it had a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly, which is rare. Boy, am I glad I did, because this book does what all great memoirs do—it tells a great story while inviting you to question your own life and experiences in ways you likely haven’t before.
Rachel, the author, plans a trip around the world to find herself and make peace with the system she is in and find her place in it. Instead, she gets married, and the solo trip becomes a honeymoon. Rachel stays true to her intent, and does spend the trip investigating the institution of marriage, and what it means to her. It’s beautifully written, and a page-turner, in addition to being just a fun travel memoir. But I’m glad i read it slowly and took my time, because it really gave me so much to think about. I’m someone who has written my own memoir, and as such, have spent a lot of time contextualizing my own story. But experiencing this book through the authors’ eyes has given me so much to think about, and I bet it will do the same for you if you read it. I know Rachel has read my book and told me it changed the way she thought about her own story, and now the same has happened for me reading her book—I think that is beautiful.
The author doesn’t shy away from letting us know about her own trauma, and letting us see the impact that that has on her as an adult. She doubts her ability to fit, and spends time wondering whether or not she’s wasting time trying, in a way that I think all children of trauma have felt. “By my fuzzy logic, the currency of suffering—earned through acts of resilience—could inch me toward an elusive goal of success that manifested as accolades, productivity, prosperity, righteousness, belief, being happily married with a family for eternity—being happy in every aspect…but who collected the dues?…Who would I be without fearing the wrath of Failure?…how would I measure the value of my life?” I think this quote speaks so strongly to us trauma survivors who have taken the approach of perfectionism—that we can one day be perfect enough, achieved enough, happy enough, to erase all the pain. Learning that we have to embrace the pain and find a way to live with it is the hardest step. The image of the currency of suffering will stay with me for a long time.
I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and made over 40 videos with quotes, and thoughts that it inspired on my TikTok channel. So far, many, many people have loved the beautiful quotes that pepper this fun book, and many who’ve read it have expressed their love for it. I hope you will read it too.
If you liked Educated, or Uncultured (that’s my book), you will love this book.
Rachel, the author, plans a trip around the world to find herself and make peace with the system she is in and find her place in it. Instead, she gets married, and the solo trip becomes a honeymoon. Rachel stays true to her intent, and does spend the trip investigating the institution of marriage, and what it means to her. It’s beautifully written, and a page-turner, in addition to being just a fun travel memoir. But I’m glad i read it slowly and took my time, because it really gave me so much to think about. I’m someone who has written my own memoir, and as such, have spent a lot of time contextualizing my own story. But experiencing this book through the authors’ eyes has given me so much to think about, and I bet it will do the same for you if you read it. I know Rachel has read my book and told me it changed the way she thought about her own story, and now the same has happened for me reading her book—I think that is beautiful.
The author doesn’t shy away from letting us know about her own trauma, and letting us see the impact that that has on her as an adult. She doubts her ability to fit, and spends time wondering whether or not she’s wasting time trying, in a way that I think all children of trauma have felt. “By my fuzzy logic, the currency of suffering—earned through acts of resilience—could inch me toward an elusive goal of success that manifested as accolades, productivity, prosperity, righteousness, belief, being happily married with a family for eternity—being happy in every aspect…but who collected the dues?…Who would I be without fearing the wrath of Failure?…how would I measure the value of my life?” I think this quote speaks so strongly to us trauma survivors who have taken the approach of perfectionism—that we can one day be perfect enough, achieved enough, happy enough, to erase all the pain. Learning that we have to embrace the pain and find a way to live with it is the hardest step. The image of the currency of suffering will stay with me for a long time.
I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and made over 40 videos with quotes, and thoughts that it inspired on my TikTok channel. So far, many, many people have loved the beautiful quotes that pepper this fun book, and many who’ve read it have expressed their love for it. I hope you will read it too.
If you liked Educated, or Uncultured (that’s my book), you will love this book.
March 29, 2023
East Winds is a compelling and incredibly honest memoir about Rachel’s worldwide quest to understand marriage and what it means to her.
She writes the book in such a way so that you get glimpses of her past alongside the present. You come to understand her background as a Mormon, her family history and relationships that she has - between friends and friends, as well as romantic. It is quite a feat and certainly admirable to be as honest as Rachel was in this book. Not only with the imagined audience, but with yourself. This is why I have the love for memoirs that I do - the raw honesty that people can put down onto a page is truly something and this was level of realness that was absolutely achieved in this book.
Although the book is about marriage, Rachel also speaks about other aspects of her life and the restlessness she has felt ever since she was a kid. To travel, to escape, to run away and to run towards something else.
In so many cases, the books that I truly love is usually because of the writing. Don’t get me wrong, her writing is marvellous. But it was the stories that captivated me this time. I should have known that I’d be a sucker for this book because I’m doing a degree in Social Anthropology right now, but it took me by surprise how much I loved hearing about people and their cultures.
Rachel travels over the course of a year from Thailand, to India, to Europe, meeting different people along the way that have their own thoughts, reservations and hopes about marriage. This books shows the significance of one person and the effects that they can have on your life (and it makes me so itchy to travel and do my own research, meeting fascinating people!). I learnt a lot about marriage and the different ways that is done and thought about.
In part three she and her husband, Austin, walk el Camino Francés (The French Way) which is an 800 km walk all the way to Galicia, Spain. I must confess that this part was my favourite - I loved the people, the thick description ( to be clear this is an anthropology joke, not a sex one ;) ) and reading about the sense of accomplishment Rachel felt when she completed it.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this book was the love between and Austin. She spends the trip learning about herself, and him and their love together. She seeks her freedom and finds ways to be herself - important in any relationship. Towards the last leg of the walk she walks off on her own, excited about the prospect of some alone time. After a while, she realises that she no longer wants to walk alone and sits down to wait for Austin. This was a lovely way to end their honeymoon journey, and begin their new one, back home.
Overall, this was an amazing book and a memoir that I would absolutely recommend
She writes the book in such a way so that you get glimpses of her past alongside the present. You come to understand her background as a Mormon, her family history and relationships that she has - between friends and friends, as well as romantic. It is quite a feat and certainly admirable to be as honest as Rachel was in this book. Not only with the imagined audience, but with yourself. This is why I have the love for memoirs that I do - the raw honesty that people can put down onto a page is truly something and this was level of realness that was absolutely achieved in this book.
Although the book is about marriage, Rachel also speaks about other aspects of her life and the restlessness she has felt ever since she was a kid. To travel, to escape, to run away and to run towards something else.
In so many cases, the books that I truly love is usually because of the writing. Don’t get me wrong, her writing is marvellous. But it was the stories that captivated me this time. I should have known that I’d be a sucker for this book because I’m doing a degree in Social Anthropology right now, but it took me by surprise how much I loved hearing about people and their cultures.
Rachel travels over the course of a year from Thailand, to India, to Europe, meeting different people along the way that have their own thoughts, reservations and hopes about marriage. This books shows the significance of one person and the effects that they can have on your life (and it makes me so itchy to travel and do my own research, meeting fascinating people!). I learnt a lot about marriage and the different ways that is done and thought about.
In part three she and her husband, Austin, walk el Camino Francés (The French Way) which is an 800 km walk all the way to Galicia, Spain. I must confess that this part was my favourite - I loved the people, the thick description ( to be clear this is an anthropology joke, not a sex one ;) ) and reading about the sense of accomplishment Rachel felt when she completed it.
One of the most beautiful aspects of this book was the love between and Austin. She spends the trip learning about herself, and him and their love together. She seeks her freedom and finds ways to be herself - important in any relationship. Towards the last leg of the walk she walks off on her own, excited about the prospect of some alone time. After a while, she realises that she no longer wants to walk alone and sits down to wait for Austin. This was a lovely way to end their honeymoon journey, and begin their new one, back home.
Overall, this was an amazing book and a memoir that I would absolutely recommend
January 12, 2023
East Winds is the current Mormon lit “it” book. I started it reluctantly. Marriage is a big deal in Mormonism, so a Mormon memoir about marriage did not sound terribly novel to me. But I am a huge fan of travel memoirs, and there aren’t, to my knowledge, many non-mission-related Mormon travel memoirs out there. (Can you think of any that aren’t from the 19th century?)
This one has a rocky start. The narrative breezes through the South American leg of Rueckert’s journey, spending more time on her backstory than on her experiences in Colombia and Peru. This backstory is vital to the broader narrative and its themes, of course, and Rueckert narrates it well. But readers are left to wonder how her South American travels are relevant to her global quest.
This narrative sharpens, though, as Rueckert and her husband go to Asia and engage more with the peoples and marriage cultures of Thailand and India. For me, the book begins when Rueckert no longer has to juggle backstory with present action. Once the book becomes an actual global quest to reckon with marriage, it takes off.
For me, the best part of the book is Rueckert’s account of her and her husband’s experience on the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain, which contains—I’m going to say it—some of the best writing in recent Mormon literature. Rueckert is a terrifically vivid storyteller who excels at making even minor characters memorable—a hallmark of great travel writing.
This one has a rocky start. The narrative breezes through the South American leg of Rueckert’s journey, spending more time on her backstory than on her experiences in Colombia and Peru. This backstory is vital to the broader narrative and its themes, of course, and Rueckert narrates it well. But readers are left to wonder how her South American travels are relevant to her global quest.
This narrative sharpens, though, as Rueckert and her husband go to Asia and engage more with the peoples and marriage cultures of Thailand and India. For me, the book begins when Rueckert no longer has to juggle backstory with present action. Once the book becomes an actual global quest to reckon with marriage, it takes off.
For me, the best part of the book is Rueckert’s account of her and her husband’s experience on the Camino de Santiago in France and Spain, which contains—I’m going to say it—some of the best writing in recent Mormon literature. Rueckert is a terrifically vivid storyteller who excels at making even minor characters memorable—a hallmark of great travel writing.
February 17, 2023
This isn't a book to be rushed through in the style of a James Patterson thriller or Jodi Picoult story. This is a book -- a memoir -- to be savored, or you'll miss all the treasures, the nuggets, the thoughtful insights from the narrator's fascinating life experiences.
She masterfully weaves stories about her extensive travels, along with going back in time to the beginning of her relationship with her husband and family members, including childhood experiences.
I wish I'd read this book years ago when I was finding my own way -- during college and after -- but, of course, that would have required a time machine.
East Winds is a magnificent mixture of masterful, beautiful writing, alongside the story of a woman wise beyond her years. With her charm and gentle-when-necessary, yet assertive-when-necessary stye, she drew me into her complex, insightful world, and I didn't want to leave, to turn the last page; I wanted to continue with her on her physical, metaphysical, and spiritual journey. I highly recommend this book!!
She masterfully weaves stories about her extensive travels, along with going back in time to the beginning of her relationship with her husband and family members, including childhood experiences.
I wish I'd read this book years ago when I was finding my own way -- during college and after -- but, of course, that would have required a time machine.
East Winds is a magnificent mixture of masterful, beautiful writing, alongside the story of a woman wise beyond her years. With her charm and gentle-when-necessary, yet assertive-when-necessary stye, she drew me into her complex, insightful world, and I didn't want to leave, to turn the last page; I wanted to continue with her on her physical, metaphysical, and spiritual journey. I highly recommend this book!!
March 16, 2023
I really liked this book, and am still mentally chewing on pieces of it. The writing is gorgeous and honest. The story is about both travel and marriage, but also centers around identity, and what is lost (and/or gained) when a person decides to marry and join paths with someone else. My favorite part was towards the end, with the musings from the camino to Santiago de Compostela, and the interlacing of Don Quixote with the narrative. At first I was intensely envious of the travel aspect of the book, and it felt a little bougie (even as she travels the world on a very shoestring budget), but I think the author does a great job of showing how responsible travel takes us outside ourselves, how it enriches us, and how it prompts introspection and growth. All of this is to say that I probably need to take another trip.
November 28, 2022
I tore through this book like a maniac. After every chapter, I was hungry for another.
Rueckert writes with an urgency and a conviction that was utterly engrossing. Her voice is iron in its resolve--which is all the more striking because the story she tells is one of anxiety, rootlessness, and deep questioning. I have never encountered an authorial voice quite like it. This is a writer who details, with startling conviction, truths about uncertainty.
You listen as she tells you over and over again that she's not sure who she is, who her spouse is, or what marriage is, all while she bowls you over with the force of presenting each of these three in their capital-t Truth.
I am absolutely smitten with this book, and I can't wait for more from Rueckert.
Rueckert writes with an urgency and a conviction that was utterly engrossing. Her voice is iron in its resolve--which is all the more striking because the story she tells is one of anxiety, rootlessness, and deep questioning. I have never encountered an authorial voice quite like it. This is a writer who details, with startling conviction, truths about uncertainty.
You listen as she tells you over and over again that she's not sure who she is, who her spouse is, or what marriage is, all while she bowls you over with the force of presenting each of these three in their capital-t Truth.
I am absolutely smitten with this book, and I can't wait for more from Rueckert.
November 15, 2022
In East Winds, Rachel Rueckert journeys around the world and into the heart of a marriage, asking how we can truly know our partner, ourselves, and the truth of our bond. Exploring communities in Asia, South America and Europe as well as excavating her own Mormon roots, Rueckert’s warm, frank voice takes the reader across oceans and generations, examining how love, family, connection and commitment are reflected in and through culture. A fascinating travelogue and a charmingly bumpy love story, East Winds is an ultimately joyous struggle for identity as and with a partner that many women will recognize within themselves.
November 8, 2022
I read Rachel Ruckert’s novel East Winds over 17 days, and it felt like I was on her year long honeymoon along with her husband, her fears, and her memories.
Rachel was raised in Utah as a Mormon. During her upbringing she was taught that as a woman the most important thing she would do in her life would be to marry and become a mother. When her own family of origin was broken and her parents marriage ended Rachel began questioning the teachings of her faith community surrounding marriage. Rachel is restless and hungry for life experiences and the wisdom and perspective travel brings.
Rachel focuses on her education and ends up in Boston where she falls in love with a mormon man. She had been planning a year-long world tour and they decide to get married and make the trip a honeymoon.
Being together 24/7 in new and sometimes dangerous situations with her new husband creates a kind of pressure cooker and Rachel spend the year studying what marriage means in the various cultures they encounter on their trip. Rachel is wise beyond her years and asks many of the questions most of us don’t ask until after we are married for a decade or longer. By the end of the book she does not necessarily have all the answers but she has more clarity on what essence of marriage is and can be.
Rachel was raised in Utah as a Mormon. During her upbringing she was taught that as a woman the most important thing she would do in her life would be to marry and become a mother. When her own family of origin was broken and her parents marriage ended Rachel began questioning the teachings of her faith community surrounding marriage. Rachel is restless and hungry for life experiences and the wisdom and perspective travel brings.
Rachel focuses on her education and ends up in Boston where she falls in love with a mormon man. She had been planning a year-long world tour and they decide to get married and make the trip a honeymoon.
Being together 24/7 in new and sometimes dangerous situations with her new husband creates a kind of pressure cooker and Rachel spend the year studying what marriage means in the various cultures they encounter on their trip. Rachel is wise beyond her years and asks many of the questions most of us don’t ask until after we are married for a decade or longer. By the end of the book she does not necessarily have all the answers but she has more clarity on what essence of marriage is and can be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2022
6 stars. Really well written. This book spoke to me. Rachel quoted Toni Morrison’s “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,” in her Author’s note. This was exactly the book I wanted to read, and I’m glad Rachel wrote it so I didn’t have to.
Also from author’s note: “This book is not a spiritual memoir or a book about Mormonism… Speaking personally, I have rarely seen my complex Mormon experience represented in mainstream media—created and at times sensationalized by people who have, more often than not, never been Mormon.”
Agree. The book is about relationships and marriage and selfhood and pushing on through life’s uncertainties, not Mormonism. Rueckert is on a quest for authenticity. She also happens to be Mormon, and has lived in Utah and Boston, and writes about at least one person I know. So while I believe its themes are universal, and would highly recommend it to anyone, I also had the sense it was written directly to me. Lucky me!
On that note, I’m very curious to see what the wider reception is. I want this book to reach far and wide.
Also from author’s note: “This book is not a spiritual memoir or a book about Mormonism… Speaking personally, I have rarely seen my complex Mormon experience represented in mainstream media—created and at times sensationalized by people who have, more often than not, never been Mormon.”
Agree. The book is about relationships and marriage and selfhood and pushing on through life’s uncertainties, not Mormonism. Rueckert is on a quest for authenticity. She also happens to be Mormon, and has lived in Utah and Boston, and writes about at least one person I know. So while I believe its themes are universal, and would highly recommend it to anyone, I also had the sense it was written directly to me. Lucky me!
On that note, I’m very curious to see what the wider reception is. I want this book to reach far and wide.
December 4, 2022
Thought provoking book about finding yourself, marriage, and an amazing travel adventure (her year long honeymoon). Life is about choices and beginning again and again. The other 5 star reviews I read already covered everything I would mention. I highly recommend this book.
June 7, 2024
Rachel Rueckert’s “East Winds” is absolutely breathtaking. She is completely brilliant, and her deep insights, inspiring candor, and gorgeous prose make this an absolute pleasure to read. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
April 8, 2023
It just kept getting better! Blew through it in a week. The Camino chapters were my favorite - and are making me think I should be fool enough to try it, too...
April 18, 2023
Fantastic memoir/travelogue -- one of my favorite types of books. So much of this book is validating and relatable, especially when it comes to the idea of "reckoning with marriage." Thank you to Rachel for writing it. We need more published books by Latter-day Saint women like her.
October 1, 2023
The first two/thirds were 5 stars but I felt it lost steam at the end. I had a harder time investing in the cast of characters on the el Camino hike.
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