A very personal memoir of a non-believer walking Camino de Santiago as a burdener of sins of others.

Being both a Catholic and a Camino walker myself, I can and can not relate to this work at the same time. And I do not think it is neither needed nor doable, as every person is unique, thus their way of thinking, feeling, percepting and describing their experiences is their own and should stay that way.
So how can Catholic relate into the way of a nonbelieving person trying to do a medieval practice of walking the sins of others on the also medieval journey? Honestly, I find it a strange idea- in the modern times this practice had been abandoned a long time ago; and also I think that doing that practice purely as psychological/sociological experiment somehow diminishes this tradition. That tradition (and the Catholic denomination) is also not part of authoress' spiritual self-expressing (so it is strange for me to do the aforementioned practice, too - as if I was doing the Buddhist practice and aspiring to understanding its depth). Yet, saying all that, I was also curious. So, how did you do that, how it was for you, how did it change you? Are the (burning, at least some of them) questions I have been wanting to ask the authoress.
I can say that the authoress obviously feels things quite deeply and is a person who can create deep relationships quickly (a precious gift). And camino has its own way to influence a person, and I can not recommend it enough to anyone who hears it gentle calling - you are never old enough, unprepared, weak or tired at heart to do it! It will change you for (your) good.
And camino did its work on the authoress and she did her homework of thinking, healing, pondering, meeting, creating and giving, too. While I do not believe in “taking” the sins of others for them, I do think that maybe the people who had “offered” their sins for the authoress’s way experienced some healing just because of opening about them (and any healing is good. I just hope their processes were completed, as some things need serious, deep healing and forgiving and changing).
So while I can not recommend this work as a spiritual practice of any sorts, I can say that it is an interesting memoir of very interesting journey.
And as for the camino friendships - oh yes, this is completely true. One goes as she/he is and receives this gift from the others, too.

Go and try for yourself - and I am serious here. If the camino call you, just go.

This was a captivating read. Alisa Piper masters a perfect balance between portraying her. spiritual journey and an entertaining travel memoir. The Camino trek is of course quite famous and has been the subject of many a book. Even so, Ms. Piper writes so well that it is certainly one of the best books I have read on the subject. A definite recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a outstanding read and a book that will sooth your soul.
I love books about the Pilgrimage of the Camino and this was one of the best I have read.
Camino Mozárabe which runs from Granada, Spain to Santiago de Compostela, has been a walking pilgrimage of over 1000 years and made popular in medieval time. . It is walked by people seeking any manner of insight and improvement in their life. It is one of the most spiritual quest that a person can do. Many walk the Camino for religious reasons, to take their sins to a holy place and begin again with a new relationship with God. Some who are starting over in life and many who walk who are in grief . It is known to be a healing experience . it is a beautiful and healing walk and everyone that walks this path has a different experience.
So I was thrilled to read this book and learn of the authors experience on the Camino.
The author has beautifully outlined her personal journey here . It is both touching and exciting to read about her experiences. Her journey came from immense grief of the loss of her husband which she shares with her readers. As many before her the walk was healing and brought her comfort in her grief. A wonderful read and a book I highly recommend to all who are armchair travelers and enjoy learning more about the Camino,
Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my personal review.

I’m not a great lover of ‘memoirs’ as such but I do love a book that allows a bit of arm chair travel.
I found Alisa Piper’s story so easy to read. I loved her musings, stories, reflections and most of all her descriptions of the countryside and people she met on the trail, which brought it all to life. I’m not sure it really entices me to walk the Camino like a pilgrim but it as a lover of bushwalking, I certainly agree with the feeling of becoming in tune with one’s self.
This book is a revised edition of the original 2012 version, with the inclusion of two chapters of the time around of her husband passing, which I found quite poignant.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy to read.

I love books about adventures and journeys and this book is right up my alley. The author tells a soulful, meditative, and reflective story without being overbearing, it made me think a lot about my own journeys. Plenty of history, culture, literature, and food talk to feed my wanderlust.

The book starts off:
I WILL WALK OFF YOUR SINS
Pilgrim seeks sinners for mutually beneficial arrangement.
Proven track record.
Tireless. Result-Oriented. Reliable.
Seven Deadlies a specialty.
And the seven are:
Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed and Sloth.
The author sends this message to friends, colleagues, and sponsors just before starting her walk on the Camino Mozárabe which runs from Granada, Spain to Santiago de Compostela, and then she goes on to Finisterre on the coast.
This was a tradition of medieval walkers who were paid by others to carry their sins to holy places.
The premise of this walk was fascinating to me, and I was very interested to see how she carried out the task of carrying peoples sins, and how she thought that she could help them through her journey. She also had to face how these sins played out in her own life. Her thought process as to how she felt about religion and spirituality were similar to what I think as well.
This book has so many great friendships,interesting people and great interactions. I think that is one reason I love hiking books as people, find out a lot about themselves and what they find important. It is full of wonderful quotes, parts of poems, etc. which is something that I love.
The author has done many walks, some in her native Australia, parts of France and the Camino Frances, or the French way, also to Santiago de Compostela. This Version is an updated one, from her 2012 release.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Melbourne University Publishing for the ARC of this book

I'm a fan of long hike memoirs and was excited to read about this pilgrimage Camino in Spain. I am overwhelmed by how much more I enjoyed it than I could have expected. The author father's the sins of friends and strangers to carry on her pilgrimage, in essence to walk them off as was done in more distant times. By doing so, she reflects on her own past sins and is more acutely aware of her shortcomings or struggles along the way. Her thoughtful discussions of ethical and moral questions are interwoven with stories or her experiences on the walk and her interactions with other pilgrims. I learned at the end that the book was a reissue and this new 2017 release adds details of her life since the book's release. This chapter was powerful and emotional, as was the original story.

As a walker myself, this spoke to me, putting into words why walking soothes my soul: "The great relief of walking, for me, is the silence in my mind. It is my meditation. When my feet achieve a regular rhythm, or when I am climbing hard with my pumping heart bursting from my chest, hours can pass without a thought."