Andrew McCarthy's new book, Walking With Sam

[David Fletcher]

Andrew McCarthy (actor, travel writer) has just released his book on the Frances, Walking with Sam. I'm about half-way through and enjoying his perspective, and even more, his son's, with whom he walked. I am reliving my own walk. Here's a link to his CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) interview. Andrew McCarthy interview

David in Nova Scotia

 

[PrayerPose25]

I'm about 1/3 of the way through and I agree. It's salty, sweet, real, and it feels like I'm walking all over again.

 

[wanderingvirg]

I have read quite a few of his travel articles, he writes beautifully.

 

[David61]

He was also in a film called The Way ( no not that one!)

 

[dbier]

I've not read any of his work before.
I can't say that I liked the man or agreed with some of his thoughts, but he wrote well, and i wanted to finish it. Then, at the very end, I felt empathy with him, because he captured what it felt like to look up at the Cathedral.

Thank you, indeed. I'm glad he shared.

 

[Mercutio]

I recently finished Walking with Sam. It's impressive and disappointing. He does write very well and offers interesting analyses of difficult thoughts and emotions. However, he appears to have never heard of online Camino resources or modern Camino apps. His preparation for his second Camino is negligible. He and his son often begin walking at 11:00 am in mid-August, on 100+ degree days. His attitude toward hospitaleros is poor. And he mistakes hiking poles for "ski poles". Nonetheless, I'm glad to have read his book and recommend it to you. It brought back nice memories of my Caminos.

 

[WalkinRon]

I really enjoyed reliving my Camino and reading about the places that I walked through last year. However, Walking with Sam also made me appreciate walking solo even more!

His attitude toward hospitaleros is poor.

When he had a run it with a nun I realized it was not the hospitaleros, it was him.

 

[simply B]

Here is a guilty secret of mine...

I generally do not read "Camino lit" and, no, I cannot explain that personal policy.

(I did make an exception for Rebekah Scott's "Furnace Full of God" and was not disappointed!) Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Furnace-Full-God-Camino-Santiago/dp/098550322X?tag=casaivar02-20

That said, my Dearest brought home Walking with Sam from the library. By agreement, that only obligates me (lightly) to get through 50 pages before returning it. I did read the whole thing, though.

I found the writing quite good and the narrative of daily life very honest.

Though I did not love the book, probably for personal biases, I thought it was a worthwhile read.

 

[annmte]

I am loving it! Have not walked the Frances, nor with one of my children, but this book is nonetheless bringing back tons of memories - and just great ‘vibes’ - for me. I don’t want it to end, which for me is the sign of a really good book,

 

[C clearly]

I recently listened to Walking With Sam as an audiobook and would recommend it. I have long since become bored with most accounts of walking the Camino Frances, but this one was different. The audiobook version had the advantage of the author and his son both reading their parts, which they did very effectively, so the dynamics were very obvious. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed reading a print version as much.

His preparation for his second Camino is negligible. He and his son often begin walking at 11:00 am in mid-August, on 100+ degree days. His attitude toward hospitaleros is poor. And he mistakes hiking poles for "ski poles".

I don't see these as "flaws" in the book. The author was definitely not recommending anything about his approach, as a guide to others! The reason why they started so late was a key element in the story. I thought that the honest exposure of their own mistakes, prejudices, bad moods at times, etc., was a strength of the story and it was done with wry humour.

[As I've mentioned before, I have become a big fan of audiobooks and podcasts - something I never would have expected. Bone conduction headphones are the game changer for me, and I happily spend hours doing gardening or walking while listening. I also just finished the audiobook version of Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene. I enjoyed wandering in Spain with the characters, to places that I've been on Caminos, and I marveled at how brilliant a writer Greene was.]

 

[MickMac]

This is a interview with Actor, Author, Andrew McCarthy walking the Camino with his 19 year old son

 

[Darby]

FANTASTIC book! If you like Audible, McCarthy and his narrate.

 

[annmte]

This is a interview with Actor, Author, Andrew McCarthy walking the Camino with his 19 year old son

Thank you so much for sharing this! I really enjoyed it - and I also LOVED his book. He is a gifted writer.

 

[Jarrad]

I read Walking With Sam and much enjoyed it. Mr. McCarthy is an excellent writer.

He is candid about aspects of his life and his Camino that are less than flattering. An example are his accounts of a couple of interactions with hospitaleros who did not always provide the answers he wanted to hear. He doesn't shy away from the fact that on a bad day, he could be 'that guy.' Mr. McCarthy doesn't let himself off the hook and there's a connection between his father's personality disorder, his own behaviors, and their impact on his relationship with his son.

Sam makes for an interesting character and it's not until towards the end of the book that you get a better picture of his background (entitled yet certainly not idyllic) and, particularly, his personal challenges. His romantic troubles, academic challenges, love of sleeping in, digital media use and abuse, and teenage willfulness are all familiar (at least to me -- Sam's twin lives down the hall from me whenever he's "taking a semester off from college"). The extent to which Sam can get under his father's skin is pretty amusing. The dialogue between Sam and his father is priceless -- I look forward to listening to the audio version.

I was intrigued by the few short accounts he gives of his first Camino and how he was inspired to walk by reading Jack Hitt's Off the Road. His experience as a travel writer shows. I would love to read more about his thoughts and experiences on the Way before it reached its current popularity.