Tuesday 9 June 2020

Reading Within Tent

Thank you to my friend Jenny for the loan of this one. I had reserved it at the library back at the beginning of the year, but who knows when that will come through!
The Salt Path [pub 2018] is a true story - which is widely known, so I don't think this counts as a spoiler. Raynor Winn had enjoyed the sort of life people write novels about...she'd fallen in love in her teens, married her childhood sweetheart [named Moth - nobody ever explains that] 
They bought a dilapidated Welsh farmhouse, and over the years, they restored it, raised a family, and had an apparently idyllic existence. They worked very hard, but they were happy. Then everything went pear-shaped. Having invested all their savings in a project run by Moth's "friend" which went catastrophically wrong, after a protracted legal case, they lost absolutely everything. The farm was repossessed, they had nothing left. The final judgement came days after Moth was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
So Ray and Moth decided that in his remaining months, now with nowhere to live, they would buy a tent - and walk the South West Coastal Path.630 miles from Minehead in Somerset, round Land's End, and on to Poole in Dorset. The Salt Path is the story of that journey - back in 2013.
Like Libby Purvis in her 1988 book "One Summer's Grace" this story is about discovery - of the British coastline, of relationships, and of self. And the writing is equally readable. There are poignant passages, beautifully descriptive sections, and laugh-out-loud anecdotes.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the people they met, and the way this resilient couple coped with the setbacks. There is much love and laughter here, in amongst the bittersweet moments, when pain overrides everything else. I wanted them to succeed in their adventure. Having had 3 summers touring on the motorbike with a tent and minimal luggage ourselves [and a smaller budget] I could relate to much of what they experienced.
One really challenging part was the way that other people reacted to them. They looked like a pair of scruffy, homeless tramps [which in a sense, they were] Far too many others assumed they were addicts, down-an-outs, deserving of nothing but contempt, because they were literally 'in the gutter' [picking up precious coins they had dropped] 
It doesn't do to be too forensic as you read it. I think there are parts where things may have been slightly adjusted to fit the narrative. I mean, surely, a woman of her age, packing for a long journey by the sea in summer, would remember a hat and some sanpro? And their diet, if it was exactly as described, seems extremely bizarre and unhealthy. Dates are very vague - and there is a hiatus in their walk, when a friend offers accommodation so they can be inside "over the winter". Nine months disappear into one chapter. 
They then return to complete the path - and to work out where their lives will take them next. I won't spoil it for you. But you may wish to read this link to her follow-up book, due out this autumn, if you want to find out more.
I would rate this book at least  *** still dithering a little about giving it more. Bob, and another bloke I spoke to, didn't get on with it at all. I hesitate to suggest it's a "woman's book". Maybe I should revisit it again when times are less strange
However, I would give Ray and Moth themselves *****++
Their determination, endurance, and wonderfully strong marriage are truly inspirational. 


10 comments:

  1. It's one of those books I keep seeing around on bookshop shelves so I think I'll read it at some point. I like the idea of it!

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  2. I enjoyed this too and have the next on order from the library - sometime they'll get back to normal I hope

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    1. I am looking forward to libraries re-opening too!

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    2. Yes one has to act on instinct sometimes in spite of the rules. The parable of the adulterous woman is something we should all remind ourselves of.

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    3. Oh, my comments disappeared. Don't bother publishing the response. Many people have not visited new grandchildren I have read on blogs.

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    4. I've published all the comments which have appeared on my feed, but they've been a bit hit&miss since the Blogger format changes. Apologies if one of yours slipped through the net!

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    5. Oh yes, I was in bed, so probably looked at the wrong post accidentally. The story of the walk through Cornwall has some mixed reviews, it seems to be a book people either love it or hate it.

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  3. Why do you have moderation turned on if you publish everything anyway? You can always delete the odd bit of spam and you can stop anonymous comments by clicking the comments setting "Google accounts only" which means everybody and just excludes anonymous. Moderation is infuriating for the average regular blogger.

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  4. My reply was badly worded - I meant that I thought I had published all YOUR comments. By moderating my comments I can deal with trolls and spam, and it also gives me a chance to respond positively. And some of my good friends comment as "anonymous" occasionally for complicated reasons. Moderating them doesn't infuriate me.

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    1. Moderation never infuriates the blogger concerned.

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