Walking to the End of the World - by Beth Jusino (Paperback)

About the Book

'Walking to the End of the World' keeps us turning its pages--an elegant story woven in the seasoned voice of writer Beth Jusino, who shares great insight into her own strengths and weaknesses, relationships of all sorts, and a world view we'd all do well to consider. -Steven Watkins, author of Pilgrim Strong: Rewriting My Story on the Way of St. James

Book Synopsis

2020 Silver Independent Publisher Book Award in Travel - Essay

In April 2015, Beth and Eric Jusino, laden with backpacks and nerves, walked out of a cathedral in the historic village of Le Puy, France, down a cobblestone street, and turned west. Seventy-nine days, a thousand miles, two countries, two mountain ranges, and three pairs of shoes later, they reached the Atlantic Ocean.

More than two million pilgrims have walked the Way of Saint James, a long-distance hiking trail familiar to most Americans by its Spanish name, the Camino de Santiago. Each pilgrim has their own reason for undertaking the journey. For the Jusinos, it was about taking a break from the relentless pace of modern life and getting away from all their electronic devices. And how hard could it be, Beth reasoned, to walk twelve to fifteen miles a day, especially with the promise of real beds and local wine every night? Simple.

It turned out to be harder than she thought. Beth is not an athlete, not into extreme adventures, and, she insists, not a risk-taker. She didn't speak a word of French when she set out, and her Spanish was atrocious. But she can tell a story. In Walking to the End of the World, she shares, with wry humor and infectious enthusiasm, the joys and travails of undertaking such a journey. She evocatively describes the terrain and the route's history, her fellow pilgrims, and the villages passed, and the unexpected challenges and charms of the experience.

Beth's story is also about the assurance that an outdoor-based, boundary-stretching adventure is accessible to even the most unlikely of us. In her story, readers will feel that they, too, can get off their comfortable couches and do something unexpected and even spectacular.

Walking to the End of the World is a warm-hearted and engaging story about an average couple going on an adventure together, tracing ancient paths first created in the tenth and eleventh centuries, paths that continue to inspire and reveal surprises to us today in the twenty-first.

Review Quotes

An enchanting tale of faith, friendship, and pushing your own limits. I'm probably never going to hike the Camino (who am I kidding? I'm definitely not), but Jusino's book had me looking up flights. She may be a novice pilgrim, but she is a master storyteller.--Geraldine DeRuiter, author of All Over the Place: Adventures in Travel, True Love, and Petty Theft

Beth Jusino has captured the essence of this ancient pilgrimage which inspires the reader with detail, wit and spot-on accounts of what it's really like to walk the Camino de Santiago.--Gabriel Schirm, author of Sunrises to Santiago: Searching for Purpose on the Camino de Santiago

Jusino makes it clear that long-distance trails aren't just for the extremely fit, and that most people -- regardless of their age or fitness level -- can enjoy adventurous travel on foot.-- "South Sound Magazine"

Sprinkled with self-deprecating humor and life insights, Walking to the End of World recounts a host of colorful characters, drawing readers into the daily trials and triumphs of a challenging yet meaningful journey and break from ordinary life.--Anna Dintaman Landis, author of Camino Frances: Village to Village Guide

This charming tale is infused with wry, self-deprecating humor and vivid descriptions of people and places that carry you along the 1000-mile trek as though you are there too.--Wendy Hinman, author of Sea Trials and Tightwads on the Loose

This wholly fresh story enchanted me with the cultures, people, chapels, and landscape. Despite the rigors of the Way, Jusino invites us to relish the rhythm of walking and delight in convivial evenings with other pilgrims over free-flowing wine and local food. With the depth of hard-won wisdom, she asks at the end Who had I become?--Gail D. Storey, author of I Promise Not to Suffer: A Fool for Love Hikes the Pacific Crest Trail

Walking to the End of the World keeps us turning its pages--an elegant story woven in the seasoned voice of writer Beth Jusino, who shares great insight into her own strengths and weaknesses, relationships of all sorts, and a world view we'd all do well to consider. Among Camino memoirs this book takes its place in the top tier.--Steve Watkins, author of Pilgrim Strong: Rewriting My Story on the Way of St. James

Walking to the End of the World: A Thousand Miles on the Camino De Santiago by Beth Jusino is a story of real struggle, companionship and inspiration and is the perfect Christmas present or stocking filler for those who feel inspired by walking the way of St. James.-- "Hillwalk Tours"

"The unique spin of this particular Camino story is that [Beth and her husband] walk not just the 500-miles of the Camino Frances, but they start in Le Puy and all told, walk 1,000 miles! Since I've walked a little over half of the Le Puy route myself, it was such a joy to hear more about that part of her Camino experience." --Nadine Walks--Nadine Karel "Nadine Walks"

[In Walking to the End of the World by Beth Jusino] you'll learn about her 79-day journey to Camino de Santiago in France and Spain, and you may be less intimidated to try something similar yourself. Jusino makes it clear that long-distance trails aren't just for the extremely fit, and that most people -- regardless of their age or fitness level -- can enjoy adventurous travel on foot.--Luciano Marano "Bainbridge Island Review"

Anyone thinking about thru-hiking could probably use a dose of Beth Jusino's hilarious Walking to the Ends of the World, about her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago.--Heather Hansman "Outside"

At the heart of the book is how slowing down can change your perspective. Instead of rushing around and spending a lot of time staring at screens, walking gives you the time to look around, get to know people--even yourself--and to think.--Suroor Alikhan "Women on the Road"

Beth's story is a testament to the beautiful things that can happen when you stop saying, "I could never do that." And it's a powerful reminder that disentangling ourselves from our responsibilities and compulsions can help us grow and thrive.--Willow Belden "Out There"

For armchair travelers who've wondered if they too can tackle an epic outdoor adventure, writer Beth Jusino shows us that anything is possible.-- "Virtuoso Traveler"

To date, I have read more than 10 Camino narratives but this book is one of the most enjoyable and engaging accounts of the pilgrimage; a story about a courageous woman and her husband who dared to push their physical and psychological endurance to the limits along the sacred Way of Saint James. -EuroTravelogue--Jeff Titelius "EuroTravelogue"

To hear Beth Jusino tell it, if she can walk 1,000 miles, almost anybody can....find out more about how someone who never identified as an athlete learned to swallow their fear and put one foot in front of the other--and another, and another, and another--to find the strength to walk from Le Puy-en-Velay in Southern France to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela, and continuing on to the Atlantic Ocean.--Amy Kepferle "Cascadia Weekly"

With clear and vivid writing, Jusino's motivational book takes us on a historical, cultural and internal journey while sharing the joys (those views!) and pains (those blisters!) of walking.--Kim Dinan "The Dyrt"