Fumbling: A Pilgrimage Tale of Love, Grief, and Spiritual Renewal on the Camino de Santiago

Ms. Egan is a hospice chaplain, but don't let that put you off any of her writing if you're not religious. This book covers her decision to make a pilgrimage on the Camino del Santiago in Spain to try and get some comfort in her grief for her late father. I lost my faith over 20 years ago and my mother less than 2 years ago and this still hit me hard, in the good way. Most of us just muddle through on a metaphorical journey through loss, but this book still something I would highly, highly recommend. If you're grieving or otherwise experiencing a 'dark night of the soul'.

Whether you're reading this on a train or on your back porch during a snow storm, be prepared for an extraodinary journey through northern Spain in the summer. For those of you planning to travel the Camino, Egan describes with vivid detail the scenary(especially the wheat), the people, and everything you'd want to know that they don't tell you in a guide book. It is of course much more than a physical journey, and as you travel with Egan it is as though you are taking a trip through yourself, only this time with a witty, insightful, and adventurous tour guide who doesn't stick to the path.

Egan writes of her struggles with faith in the face of her father's death with a refreshing honesty and insight. Anyone who has lost a loved one will identify with the spiritual questions she faces and find hope in the way she comes to terms with her grief. With a wit and candor reminiscent of Anne Lamott, Egan describes experiences and characters that linger with the reader long after the book is closed, and delivers an engaging book that is part travelogue, part spiritual journey and altogether inspiring. A must read!

At the start, Fumbling reminded me a bit of the travel adventures of Bill Bryson, complete with hilarious situations, interesting factual details, and commentary on the weird and wonderful discovered along the way as Egan travels the Camino trail through Spain. But the travelogue quickly yields to the startlingly honest commentary of a diary as Egan shares with us, bit by bit, the at times shocking events that brought her to her crisis of faith. Egan lightens up the more serious discussions of prayer and faith with humerous anecdotes and a Bridget Jones-esque sense of self-deprivation. This odd combination is tied together by Egan's wonderfully direct and accessible writing style. This soul-baring story will challenge the reader to self-examination while compelling you to keep turning the pages.

An essential read for anyone who is struggling with grief or regrets, examining religion's place in his or her life, or merely fantasizing about running away to shake things up. With compelling historical and theological background to set the stage for her pilgrimage, the author is refreshingly honest about exposing her own flaws and struggles. Her boyfriend/traveling partner provides comic relief and keeps her from taking herself too seriously as he keeps her on track. I'm buying a few extra copies as gifts for friends so they can understand when I say, "That's exactly how I feel sometimes."

A funny, moving memoir that made me laugh but also made me think about my relationship with God. A must read.