This was a lovely book. I listened to the audiobook and I think the narrator did a fantastic job of moving through this story and this world. I was very excited to find out a librarian wrote this.

I really liked the concept and story, and especially enjoyed reading about Aubry traveling the world. Aubry’s relationships throughout the years were interesting to read about as well. I struggled with the pacing in the middle of the book. I’m still trying to process the ending and all the symbolism, but I do like the concept of libraries and books being another way to travel the world and gain knowledge.

BEST DEBUT NOVEL OF 2024! Such a beautiful story, I can't wait for the next journey Westerbeke takes us on! Definitely an author to watch!

This started off with much potential. It drew me in and the initial stories of travels were truly interesting but ultimately, it felt endless, similar to Aubrey’s life. I wanted to give up but at the same time wanted to know the reasons behind this journey. After I was through 60% of the book it just became work to get through it and I started skimming the stories just to finish the book. The conclusion was just okay, but if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t. Beautiful writing but other than that, I can’t recommend.

At age 9, Audry Tourvel learns she has an unusual disease which requires her to keep moving every three days and not go back to a place that’s she’s been to. Or she will bleed to death. So she travels the world mostly on foot or by boat many times during her lifetime, starting in Paris in 1885. Of course she meets all kinds of interesting people, sees beautiful places, learns how to survive, misses her family. It’s an odyssey

This is a well-written, immersive story that I really enjoyed! It has a very unique premise and I was invested in how it was going to end. I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Douglas Westerbeke, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for a honest review!

Thanks to the publisher for the eARC.
This was overall a fun and interesting read. I enjoyed being on the journey with Aubry even if I didn't understand it completely. I did like the storytelling here. I didn't mind the jumping around because it gave a great tone to this story. The frustration was palpable, and I wanted to know what was next for her. Towards the end, I did feel like I wanted more insight into the magical realism aspects because I started to find myself getting lost. I am not sure I understood the ending at all, even with reading it multiple times to try and figure out what I missed. I almost wish it had ended a bit earlier with the (minor spoiler ahead) dust part. IYKYK. Overall, not a bad book and I was impressed with how this woman was written. I would try this author again in the future.

I've really gotten into magical realism in the last few years, so I was super excited to read this one! It reminded me a lot of Addie LaRue and Midnight Library, and I was here for it! I loved Aubry as a character and was fascinated with her adventures. Despite the book comparisons, this story was still completely unique and interesting. I look forward to future books from this author!


"Scholars may study, historians may research, readers may read, but nobody knows mroe about today, this very day, than the person who lives it."

"A Short Walk Through a Wide World" was advertised as a cross between "Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" and "Life of Pi." And yes, I totally see it. But, if I had to pick two books to compare it to I'd probably choose "Addie LaRue" and "The Starless Sea." (Life of Pi is a lot about permanence while A Short Walk is a lot about transience, ok?). "A Short Walk" follows Aubry across her life as she travels from place to place across the globe, never able to stay in one place for more than several days. And while it reminds me of these other wonderful books, it's also entirely its own.

I loved the lush and evocative descriptions of everywhere Aubrey traveled. If you like travelogue style books, you'll be a fan of this one. I also loved the depth and complexity of the characters Aubry meets in her travels, albeit briefly. This book really drives home the point that everyone you meet has a story, and even the seemingly minute can be extraordinary.

I enjoyed the non-linear storytelling for the most part. While this was certainly a book that was meant to feel windy in its plotting, towards the end it felt a little too drawn out. There were several points where I thought we were in an end sequence and then the book kinda just kept going. I found the (actual) end sequence a little confusing, but this may have been intentional. However, it felt like the book was trying to clue readers into something the entire book with bits and pieces of lore that was never fully explained.

Overall, this was a great read and I'm looking forward to what else Westerbeke writes!

3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a fairy tale for adults. A bewitching fantasy for the reader that keeps seeking out the answers. Once I started, it didn't let go of me. I read it in bursts because the path was a little slow at times. That's the reason for the three stars, rather than four. I received a complimentary digital ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Avid Reader, Simon & Schuster. This review is my own words.

When I first started this book, I thought it was just a version of THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE that just didn't live up to its predecessor. However, as I look back on it, I'm enjoying it more for its own merits.

I really enjoyed the fantasy aspects of this book, and I'm okay with the fact that we didn't really get an explanation for any of it. I really enjoyed the role that books and libraries played in the plot as well. I thought the premise was unique despite what it's being compared to. I thought the stories that were told and the characters we met were well-executed and interesting to read about. There were a couple of things that weren't my favorite that I'll list real quick:
Even if it was purposeful, the jumping timeline was very confusing to place and organize mentally
Pacing was a little slow at times and plot points felt repetitive
Because of the nature of the plot, we don't get a lot of relationship building or depth to the characters we met.
Most of the plot points covered during Aubrey's journey were based around male love interests, and I find that a little disappointing given that she's travelled the whole world and met countless people.

Overall, I did enjoy the book, and I'd recommend it to people who find the synopsis interesting. I don't know if I'd recommend it over THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE, but it was still a fun read.

I was so excited for this story. The premise is a girl forced to wander the earth to outrun her mysterious illness. She meets interesting people and tells her story. She experiences grief and joy and passion, but all in bits and pieces. But about 2/3 through the book, the story changes and her illness becomes personified. It felt like the author couldn’t decide which story to tell and as a reader it felt a bit like bait and switch. I was disappointed and really struggled to finish reading.

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.