To Travel Hopefully

I'm only about a third of the way through this book but admit that it is one of the finest most moving things I have read in a long time. Perhaps it's because my wife has been recently diagnosed with cancer. Perhaps it is because I am in love with her. Maybe it's both of those things. A little, anyway. Or perhaps it's because the writing is spectacularly moving and real. I don't specifically know what it is but I recommend it without reservation.

I am a big fan of Robert Louis Stevenson and in particular Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes (1878) so I was very excited to discover this memoir by Scottish novelist Christopher Rush (who is new to me). I was expecting an "in the footsteps" re-enactment with literary history, and of course 'Hopefully' has these elements, but it turns out to be an original and beautiful work in its own right. The first 100 pages are about the life of Rush and how he suffers a series of terrible losses in his family. Desperate with grief and anger he sets off to re-trace Stevenson's journey, both physically and spiritually, and along the way he re-connects with himself and ultimately finds hope to continue living. Rush writes with honesty and humor, intelligence and learning. Very powerful, uplifting, full of wisdom and truth that is rare and beautiful. Although a memoir it really has the elements of a novel, specifically a character who encounters adversity, travels and finds answers and changes to become a better person. This is the sort of travel memoir that is the most satisfying. It is also a story of finding hope and anyone facing depression from personal loss, bad health, etc,, would benefit from this powerful story.

Written by the author of A Twelvemonth and a Day, and named as one of the "100 Greatest Scottish Books of All Time", To Travel Hopefully: Footsteps In The French Cevennes is a powerful work of travel writing about the journey through Southern France, from Le Monastier-Sur-Gazeille to St. Jean-Du-Gard. Accompanied only by a donkey named Anatole, Rush contended with territorial hunters, massive downpours, hunger, and the hazard of getting lost. Yet with help from his friends, he gradually transformed the perils of his trek into a spiritual quest and a singularly unforgettable travel memoir. Very highly recommended, To Travel Hopefully is a thoroughly "reader friendly", armchair travelogue.