This book hints at magic, with a puzzle ball that will not quit, a girl who has an illness preventing her from staying anywhere for more than a few days and ways of travelling across the world without ever setting foot on a boat or plane.
The book jumps between timelines as Aubry travels and at times recounts parts of her life to people she meets on her travels.
The details in the descriptions of both landscapes and cultures are wonderful and transport you to Aubrys side, the magical bits are very matter of fact- it is just what happens around Aubry, and the ending is lovely.
If I could change one thing it would be for her to have stayed for maybe a couple of weeks in a place to allow real development of her character through interactions with those she meets, as it is I didn't feel I ever got to know her, although I suppose she maybe never got to know herself!

The way this story takes you around the world with Aubry was incredible. The plot was unique and interesting, with enough mystery to keep you reading but not become too confusing.
Aubry was a clever and compelling main character who inspired with her resilience and resourcefulness. I would have liked a deeper delve into some of her relationships but they still made sense for the context of the book. I’d have also liked to know more about the sickness and where it came from (why that age? Why her? Were there others?) but that just shows how intrigued the story makes you as a reader! I wanted to sit down and interview Aubry myself!
The end had me quite emotional, it’s wrapped up in a moving, if quite unexpected, way.
I’d recommend this book if you liked The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - it was a joyful and emotional adventure through the world, with reminders of the importance of connection and how the journey can be more impactful than the destination.

With the very inviting comparisons drawn to The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue, I had high hopes for this book, and really wanted to love it.

I did enjoy the vivid descriptions of the various far flung places through which Aubry travels - although at times they felt slightly exoticised. Unfortunately due to the nature of Aubry's illness, and the fact she needs to move on every 4 days, it meant that the text felt slightly jumpy - and the leaps across time and space, whilst interesting, meant that it was hard to really connect with any one place or supporting character as you might in a more linear novel.

It was interesting to read a FMC written by a man, and I realised as I read, that I have never read such a novel. I would say Westerbeke did quite a good job in conveying a strong willed, resourceful female main character and the challenges she faces and overcomes.

I would highlight that there were some disturbing parts which some readers might find distressing - myself included - including the hunting of animals, the graphic gore of Aubry's illness - and the sexual relations between a child and an older man, among others.

Overall it was an interesting premise for a book - though unfortunately wasn't really for me.

Many thanks to Random House UK, Douglas Westerbeke and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my review.

Ok what have I just read?

This is the story of Aubry Tourvel, a young 9 year old French girl who on her way home from school discovers a wooden puzzle ball. Struggling to open it, she tosses it away only for it to turn up in her school bag later that day. She and her two sisters discover a wishing well in an alleyway and decided to sacrifice something they love to the well in exchange for a wish - except when it comes to it, Aubry just can't be parted from the puzzle ball. Later that evening, Aubry starts having seizures and nose bleeds, and a visit to a local doctor only deepens the mystery as she recovers by the time she gets to the surgery but falls ill again on her return home. Fleeing across the city, Aubry finds that her illness subsides as long as she doesn't retrace her steps and so she, and initially her mother, set off across the globe in an effort to stay ahead of her illness. It isn't long before Aubry leaves her mother and sets out alone, knowing she can never return to the same place twice she is constantly driven to move ever onwards.

This book takes us on a tour of the world as Aubry visits different people and learns something from them as she goes along her way, always being driven onwards by the threat of her illness returning. She crosses continents with ease, learning to be a formidable spear thrower in efforts to both feed and defend herself. Along her journey she also stumbles into libraries - huge vast libraries that she seems to be able to wander through for huge spells of time with no ill effects, always finding food and water to sustain her. However, these libraries never let her out in the same place as she entered them and she soon realises that her experience of the World is different to everyone else,

I was utterly confused by this book. Some of the description is beautiful but for the most part I was confused about what was happening and why. I kept finding myself skipping back to reread sections to try and work out what was going on - it doesn't help that the timeline shifts about a lot as she recounts her story to the people that she meets along the way.

On the whole, I have no idea what message the book was trying to give me and couldn't wait to get to the end so I could move on and read something different.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful book. Total escapism and wonderfully relaxing to read. As a reader you never know where it is going to take you next thus you empathise totally with the protagonist, Aubrey, and are carried along with her in this adventure .
The ending is perfect and exactly what you would wish for Aubry.
I don’t want to give away anything as I fear this would ruin it for other readers but the concept is imaginative and makes you wish you could travel in such a world.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6484941095

A talented author but I'm afraid this one wasn't for me. The format of the story inevitably makes it deeply repetitive and also brings with it an inability to build meanful relationships with any of the characters except the narrator. And for me, a novel is generally only good when it's character rather than concept driven. Or at least when it's character AND concept driven. So notwithstanding some beautiful writing, for me this was fatally flawed from the start.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. A beautifully written magical realism story that for me was more about the journey rather than the destination. I was pulled into the book right from the start by the intriguing premise and I would have liked a little more of an explanation as to the reasoning behind Aubrey’s predicament. This book took me on such a fascinating journey around the world and had me feeling so many emotions throughout. At times I found myself feeling desperately lonely for Aubrey as she overcame so much but lost much more. A captivating story that I would definitely recommend. 4 stars.

Aubrey keeps travelling to keep the illness at bay. She an't seem to stay in one place for more than 4 days before the illness makes its ugly appearance with no warning. It begins with blood in her mouth, then come the nose bleeds. She knows she has to start moving before she bleeds out and starts convulsing. This is how Aubrey has traveled the world.
This story follows Aubrey's life travelling the world and her survival. She learns how to hunt for food, look for shelter, as well as learning different languages and cultures. She meets so many different people along the way, some have read about her from tabloids where they have found her stories fascinating and have written about them. She has also has relationships where she could have easily fallen in love and have a family, but this illness has prevented her from experiencing what this would have been like.
I thoroughly this story and would highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue as it has similar vibes. I will definitely be on the look out for future books by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK and Douglas Westerbeke for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this story hard work and not greatly enjoyable and very disappointed with an ending that didn't seem to finalise anything.

I did think about giving up on this a few times but stucjk with it to the bitter end and when there's so many excellent stories to read, this IMHO wasn't close to being one of them.

I couldn’t really get into this book, it felt a little hectic and wasn’t my cup of tea. It also wasn’t the genre I expected.

This was not my normal choice of book as it was fantasy, but it had a great deal of realism in it. It was a page turner, I wanted to know what was going to happen next to the main character, Aubry. The story starts when she is a small child, the 3rd sister of a French family. Set in the 1800's, she finds a puzzle ball which she cherishes. Pauline and Sylvia her sisters, want her to throw the treasured possession into a well and make a wish, this Aubry can't do. After which she suddenly develops a condition that makes her bleed and contort, is this something to do with the magic of the puzzle ball, something that is never quite explained. Aubry can stop the symptoms of the condition if she keeps moving away from where she has just been. So at the tender age of 8 (?) she starts at first with her mother and later on her own, to keep moving around the world. Never able to stay more than 4 days before the bleeding and condition starts again. Experiencing all sorts of situations, places etc. She never seems to get into danger. She does meet some men along the way whom she has feeling for, but because she has to keep moving she can't stay with them for long. Doors appear in mountain sides which open into libraries, Aubry becomes extremely well read and these libraries seem to take her to places new. The story ends in her old age, sketching drawings of her past adventures, which she puts into a book and leaves in the library, her story told. Eventually meeting Vincente and a magical part of the jungle.

Exquisite prose and a dreamscape of magical realism and adventure, A Short Walk Through a Wide World is a beautiful book that I'll think of often.

I've just finished A long walk through a wide world and I feel like I need to sit and contemplate what I have just read. The book is incredible, it starts with a girl who can't stay in the same place for more than a few days or she gets very sick and then the story moves with her as she explores the world but also she explores herself and who she is.
I loved this book and highly recommend it. It gives vibes of the midnight library and similar books. I can see it will be one of those books that people will talk about for a long time after reading.

I really wanted to like this book, but while I loved the character of Aubrey, the actual story itself was just too fantastical to engage me. I’m sure fans of magical realism will love it, but it really wasn’t for me. With thanks anyway to the publisher for giving me access to this ARC in return for an honest review.

Firstly I would like to thank Douglas Westerbeke , Random House UK and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of ' A Short Walk Through a Wide World' to read and review.

Recently published this novel follows the story of Aubry Tourvel a stubborn nine year old whom acquires a mysterious wooden puzzle ball . She is later afflicted by an inexplicable illness that baffles her family and doctors alike. She discovers that continuous movement and travel keeps the symptoms from taking her life and this is the start of her lifelong journey around the world over and over again that sees her travelling from the scorching dunes of the Calanshio Sand , to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas.

I was captivated from the very first chapter , as the author grabbed my attention with such a creative description of the hustle and bustle of a vibrant faraway market place. I loved how the book gave an account of Aubrey's life from her childhood and the lengths she went to in order to survive alone in an unforgiving world. Time only measured by her steps and the changing of the seasons.

She can't go back to the places she has been and must forever keep moving having little time to rest and recover. She left her family behind at such a young age and only meets strangers on her path for such a short time before having to leave them behind also to evade the illness that is always trying to catch up with her .
The book is so creative and thought provoking with thoughts like ' Everyone has at least one secret that can break your heart ' which will stay in my mind long after the book has finished. Recommended for those wanting a contemplative read about a monumentally epic journey.

#AShortWalkThroughaWideWorld #NetGalley

When nine-year old Aubry Tourvel is struck down by a mysterious illness she discovers that movement is the only thing that will keep it at bay. So begins a journey that will last a lifetime, crisscrossing the globe and taking in the Calanshio Sand Sea, the snow-capped Himalayas and a mysterious underground library.

Being likened to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue meant that A Short Walk Through A Wide World was always a book that would appeal to me. Does it live up to that comparison? Not quite as there are a few missteps along Aubry's travels, but considering it's Douglas Westerbeke's first novel that's forgivable.

Aubry herself is the book's greatest strength. I found myself compelled to read on as she told her, at times fantastical, life story to the people she all too briefly crossed paths with on her journey. Wondering if she'd escape her strange ailment, or somehow learn to accept it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jonathan Cape, Penguin Random House and the author for an advance copy.

What a journey! Following Audrey, a woman who has to keep moving otherwise a mysterious disease will kill her (how’s that for a premise?), is like watching snippet after snippet of one atmospheric movie after another. It’s a strange, often feverish tale to follow, but I enjoyed the journey.

A lifetime of travelling sometimes appeals to me, wondering from place to place. Meeting new people, exploring new cuisines.

But for Aubrey Tourvel it’s a curse. She can’t stay in one place for more than two or three days, she can’t return to anywhere she’s already been.

Resilient and resourceful, a very skilled linguist. Adept at hunting, communicating and getting herself out of trouble. We meet her as an adult and as she travels she tells her story - or parts of it to the people she meets along the way.

I’m not sure I ended up with a satisfactory as to what the disorder was - illness or curse? - but in the end I didn’t need it as Aubrey found peace and a place for herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review.

Wow, what a stunning and unusual book this was! Aubry and her travels around and through the world will stay with me for quite some time. I loved the concept of this book, and it definitely lived up to its description. Westerbeke cleverly weaves Aubry's story together, jumping through time so you can't keep track of how old she is, or where in the overall story each part comes. I loved the fantastic detail he uses to describe each place Aubry ends up, the way he brings Aubry and her various companions to life. And I particularly loved the ending of the book, which brought so many strands of the story to their perfect conclusion (but I won't spoil it for anyone here). If anything else Westerbeke writes is as good as this, I can't wait to read it!

A poignant and brilliant escape to the human mind and how actions can mend this. This is thought-provokingly intense and I can see why it is billed the way it is.