Fantasy and Historical Fiction are not my go to genres, but the main character of A Short Walk Through A Wide World, a unforgettable 9 year old, made this very much my book. Aubry Tourvel may very well be the best character I've read in 2024. Read this for her.

This book just wasn't for me. The comparison to Addie Larue and Life of Pi should have tipped me off but it was magical realism. But in my mind magical realism is sweet little turquoise birds or magic apples and not a person bleeding from every orifice. Whereas Addie made a deal with the devil to live forever Aubrey didn't seem to have a choice. At nine years old she is forced leave home to travel the world, never being able to stay in one place for more than three days before she starts bleeding and never being able to go back to a place a second time. Her mother is with her for a time until one night Aubrey sets out on her own. Characters weren't developed. They weren't around long enough. Every place blended into the next, no relationships could be formed. I didn't feel any magic in the places she went, the foods she ate or the people she met. She wasn't there long enough. It was a lather, rinse and repeat kind of thing. She would meet someone, have a few good days, and then have to move on over and over again. By about 40% I got it and was just wishing things would start to wrap up.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avid Reader Press for providing me with a digital copy.

A Short Walk Through A Wide World is a mesmerizing story that will carry you to far flung places all across our vast planet! You will be amazed at all the places you go! Nine year old Aubry Tourvel is a precocious girl who finds a strange puzzle ball she can’t seem to throw away. Soon after her body is wracked with pain and uncontrollable bleeding at her family dinner table. The family finds that Aubry can’t stay in any one place longer than a few days before this terrible illness strikes again. There is no cure for Aubry except to keep moving and so she heads out alone into the world.
Douglas Westerbeke describes Aubry’s adventures as she travels from place to place and I was caught up into the many exotic places she found herself: Paris, Siam, Russia, South America, North Africa, the Calanshio Sand Sea, Western China, Alaska and more! Each place was wonderfully described and yet Westerbeke went beyond even these geographical locations to describe a vast mystical library which was like a world unto itself.
Although Aubry heads out alone and can never stay long in any place she goes she meets some wonderful people along the way. Sometimes she is able to travel with them and spend more time together but her illness eventually drives her away. We see her develop from a young girl to a strong capable woman who is self reliant with tremendous fortitude. Aubry’s disease is both a blessing and a curse in many ways. Aubry feels most alive when she is moving but also longs for permanence and a place to call home.
Although I loved the writing and the adventure I felt that the last third or so of the novel lost its way a bit. It began to feel like Aubry would never reach a final destination and crack the puzzle ball. There were some scenes and characters introduced that felt off track to me and questions that begged answers. The ending brought closure but left me wanting those answers. I am giving 3.5 stars for that reason. I have rounded up to 4.
I definitely think anyone who loves a grand adventure story that includes exotic places, a strong female main character and a some magical realism too will thoroughly enjoy A Short Walk Through A Wide World. I will be watching for more titles from this author!
Thank you Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the chance to read this book! This is my honest review.

I requested this book because I have a fondness for books with portals. Doors that are found in places in places that they shouldn't be. I also chose this book because it gave me Addie Larue vibes (which happens to be one of my favorite books). This book takes you on many wonderful adventures. It is full of friendship and love. But the book also has its fill of heartbreak and loss. This book has a unique storyline with well-developed characters. I greatly enjoyed the story. 3.75 round up to 4 stars. Thank you, netgalley, for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an interesting story and premise! It did remind me a bit initially of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but I enjoyed it much, much more than that one. I very much enjoyed meeting Aubry and observing how she made her way through this world where she is left generally without a home or direct purpose. Westerbeke has a beautiful writing style and tells this story with a very thoughtful and careful prose style. There is a lot of what people would call "telling instead of showing" and I felt that we were merely being told about a lot of things that had occurred in a more passive way than as if we were there with the action. I didn't mind this too much as I personally felt like it added a lot to the atmosphere and worked well with the story's style. I am definitely curious to read more from Douglas Westerbeke in the future after this magical, dazzling story!

A Short Walk Through a Wide World was recommended to me by someone who works for Lit Hub. Douglas Westerbeke is a debut author and has worked in the Cleveland Library system for most of his adult life. He has also judged the Dublin Literary book awards and he says it is this that led him to want to write his own book. However libraries take up a substantial part of this wonderful speculative fiction.

We are introduced to Aubry Tourvel who, at nine years of age, agrees to a game with her older sisters and then renegs on her part. That night she is struck with an awful illness. Her family rushes her to the hospital where she completely recovers. Returning home, she gets sick again and somewhere inside her understands that she will die if she doesn't get away. So, with her mother, she starts her journey, always on the move, never being able to stay in one place more than 2 or 3 days, many times around the world. A couple of years into this journey, she realizes that she cannot make her mother continue to travel with her and she disappears on her own to allow her mother to go home.

Aubry is a smart little girl who becomes a smart grown survivor. She teaches herself everything she needs to know to feed herself and stay alive under all circumstance. She makes mistakes and learns from them. Periodically, she runs into people and families who want to know her story and we, the reader, find out most of her back story through her telling it to new friends.

I'm sure there are many metaphors in this book not the least being the abundance of libraries she discovers, but this first novel stands just fine on its own. This is a fun and fast read. I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Douglas Westerbeke for a copy of this book!

For being Westerbeke's first book, I was stunned. Douglas had the powerful ability of having the reader walk through deserts, mountains, bear infested land, rural France, etc., without us ever leaving our seats. I loved the story and found it very unique. The story follows Aubry Tourvel, a child of nine years in 1885 in Paris. She comes across a mysterious puzzle ball and when she refuses to give it up, she gets cursed. Aubry cannot stay longer than three days in the same place or else she bleeds out (kind of graphic haha). Aubry is condemned to a life on the run, in constant motion. The book is of her life walking the earth and the people she meets. Westerbeke is a masterful storyteller and the story had good pacing I felt. I did wish for a different kind of ending, but felt it was the ending Aubry didn't expect and what she would have wanted.

My favorite part was part of the story she finds a library hidden inside the earth- a library that contradicts time which was SO COOL. There are some awesome plot twists with it, so I will not spoil it.

Felt very The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but dare I saw more deeper? I wouldn't call this book a romance, but rather a romance read of the lives we live with ourselves and the friendships we make along the way.

One of the subtle themes of the book was the idea that things that are lost have a way of returning back to us. I loved it!

If Westerbeke writes it, I will read it.

A solid 3.5
A girl becomes allergic (?) to staying in one place for too long and spends her life traveling the world. Along the way she meets several wonderful people and has many exciting adventures. She also finds that there are secret shortcuts between different parts of the world. (think those corner rooms in Clue except you don't know they are there, you just fall into them) I liked the story and I liked Aubrey but I felt like there were gaps as though the author wasn't quite sure how to explain something so the reader is left with a vague idea of a situation. I wanted more about some parts of the story that we never got and at the same time I felt it dragged a bit in the middle. Regardless, it was an interest premise and made for an enjoyable read.

This book reminded me very much of The Alchemist. The story is well written and the descriptions are clear to see the locations she is at. The places she goes and the people she meets are interesting. The end was a nice closure, but I feel like it doesn't solve the riddle for me. Interesting read.

Amazon has not released the review yet. Unable to provide redirect link. Added personal review page.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. The idea of having to move on after three days is intriguing. Some of the adventures drug on a bit towpaths the end but overall a really good story. Thank you

A Short Walk Through a Wide World is a historical fantasy about a woman afflicted with a mysterious illness that forces her to never stay in the same place for more than a few days. She will circumnavigate the globe trying to stay ahead of her debilitating symptoms before they strike.

Shortly after nine-year-old Parisian Aubrey Tourvel doesn’t join her sisters in throwing their most beloved keepsakes in a well (that they decided was enchanted) she is struck with horrible pain, a twisted body and blood pouring out of her. But, despite her doctor’s best efforts they cannot find a source for her disease. It’s only after they discover that if Aubrey keeps moving to new places every few days that she can stay ahead of the torturous symptoms. Aubrey and her mother travel city to city for years until one day the tween Aubrey strikes out on her own. Over the years Aubrey will grow up, walk across continents and meet people from every walk of life. Her story and adventures will make her famous around the world but a cure will continue to stay out of reach.

The reader will live a million lives in this book as they travel along with Aubrey. I loved the more intimate moments in the book as she got to know people and they shared things they wouldn’t share with anyone else. I thought the concept was original and how the more fantastical elements kept the story from getting bogged down in the details on how a pampered young girl could survive in the elements without permanent shelter and resources. And there is also a magical library to boot! The part that lagged and where the story lost momentum for me was at the halfway point where I just got impatient with the long “road trip” of it all. I was hoping for a conclusion and a purpose to the whole journey sooner rather than later. But overall, this was a unique story with a main character that didn’t quit.

This is an interesting, and sometimes challenging book. It tells the story of Aubry Tourvel who, as a young girl develops an illness (or curse) where she gets very sick if she stays in one place for more than a few days. This leads to a life of movement. It was descried as "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meets Life of Pi". To me it read as a response to Addie LaRue - Aubry is the opposite of Addie. She is visible, memorable, known. There is a lot to like here, as she works out her options and learns to live within her limitations. The book is in three parts, and I won't talk about the particulars of each part, because the surprise for me was refreshing. Each time I got to the "but where is this going?" part of the book it took a turn.
One thing I really appreciated about this book is that Aubry meets many people. Some are indifferent, a few are cruel, but many people are helpful and kind. Westerbeke presents a world where the default is curiosity, kindness and (sometimes) confusion, rather than cruelty.
As for the Life of Pi reference, I may be missing something. Perhaps the whole book is a metaphor for ageing. this is one of those books where I'm looking forward to reading other people's reviews so I can see if there is more to it than I'm understanding.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for the e-arc in echange for an honest review.

I really liked this to start with. It was good! Then it got..... Less good. The story started to drag, and the writing felt really odd. The pacing just seemed off. Aubry was likable but I didn't feel like I knew her well, and the jumping back and forth was a bit jarring.

I think this could be a lovely book for someone looking for a reflective and magical story, and who was more interested in beautiful settings than real development (of both plot and character).

As is, the plot felt mildly unfinished.

A woman walks the world again and again fleeing from an unknown affliction. Along the way she meets an array of fascinating people and explores secret places inaccessible to others.

One day I will finish a NetGalley ARC before it's published.
But today is not that day.
I can totally see where the comparison to Addie LaRue is coming from, but I think that sets expectations REALLY high here, and the emotional impact did not hit for me-- which is the biggest part of Addie in my mind. The idea that our MC is only temporary, that she must lose so many people over and over, just felt detached in this one. I also just didn't quite understand the resolution here, making the ending feel really unsatisfying. But at the same time, the writing was beautiful and there were times that I got really into it. And just speaking realistically I think that the fact that I've been in a reading slump is affecting my attitude about this book; I was not in the mood to pick it up, but the ARC expires in 4 days. So this was all very much a mixed bag for me that was definitely influenced by my mood and it balances out to 3 stars.
Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

“There are things on this earth that only exist because you have beheld them. If you weren’t there, they would never have been.”


At the age of 9, Aubry Tourvel contracts a mysterious illness that causes excessive bleeding and pain. As she moves further and further away from home, in search of a cure, she discovers she can keep the bleeding at bay simply by being on the move. And so begins a lifetime of travel, never staying in the same place longer than three or four days, else the bleeding starts once more.

Told through stories to others she meets on her journey and flashbacks, this is a non-linear tale that has as a circuitous route as the timelines within the story itself. Aubry is young, old, a hunter, a fearless adventurer, a chronicler, always walking. She cannot return to the same place, and therefore her travels take her through cities and remote jungles, from the Greek isles to Russian peninsulas to Middle-Eastern palaces. And as she travels she tells her story.

This book moves from an adventure novel to magic realism when she starts encountering the Libraries that chronicle all of human existence and teleport her between locations. And when her illlness starts talking to her.

This is a fantastic journey across the globe, highlighting the value of connections and of stories, of helping others and what we miss when we move too fast. The relationships Aubry fosters with those she encounters, and the wonder with which she approaches the incredible sights she sees are warm and genuine, and we can feel her sorrows and joys as she leaves those she loved behind again. (Paris brought me to tears!) We can see Aubry evolve from a spoiled kid through a sullen teen to a thoughtful, well rounded adult, both open and guarded.

This was Douglas Westerbeke's debut novel, and it was beautifully written. The scenes were so vivid I could see the roof of stars, the sandstorms, the sleeping elephant, and those magical twisting libraries. Any reader wants a library like that, where we can escape reality and be (literally) transported other places.

I thoroughly enjoyed this!

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

(edited for typos)

3.75

This book truly lived up to its unique synopsis. I had a lovely time reading this and know some readers who will adore this, but I don’t think it’s a book for everyone. I think it also has to come into a reader’s life at the right time for them to enjoy it.

I really enjoiyed the characterization in this book - every single person felt real and lived in. The pacing was also well done, fast paced but not too fast that I couldn't savor the good parts!

“Perhaps her illness is a rejection of the sedentary life, her body rebelling against an inertia that mankind has, over the millennia, eased itself into.”

A SHORT WALK THROUGH A WIDE WORLD follows Aubry Tourvel, a young woman cursed with a mysterious condition that requires her to to travel the world to avoid becoming violently ill. Through each new journey around the earth and the countless people she meets along the way, Aubry uncovers invaluable secrets about the world, humanity, and herself. Aubry’s nomadic life is filled with wonder and loneliness, driving her to become a wise, self-sustaining heroine. The premise of this novel captivated me, drew me in, and carried me away to 19th century France and beyond. The library lovers, philosophers, and armchair travelers are going to gobble this one up. This beautiful book is out now!

A spellbinding, heartbreakingly beautiful triumph.

There are books that, once you finish reading them, you wish you could read again for the first time, and you envy every person who will yet come across them and discover the wonders hidden within. And if you are very lucky, you can sense this about a book before you yourself start reading it, and you can savor that first read, letting yourself be swept away by its magic.

This is one of those books for me - in fact, I kept putting off reading it because I knew once I did, I could never again read it for the first time.

In Paris in 1885, Aubry Tourvel is nine years old when she is overcome with a mysterious illness: she starts bleeding to death if she stays in one place for more than a few days, and she can never return to where she has already been. So begins a life spent wandering the globe, and the ensuing story is both a compassionate love letter to the world and a testament to the inherit kindness of its inhabitants. Breathtakingly beautiful in its writing, vivid in its descriptions, it is a fantastical, spellbinding, heartbreakingly tender examination of one‘s place in a vast, wide world, the meaning of home, the importance of human connection and kindness, and the wonders encountered along the way.

I could not recommend it more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.