At nine years old, young Aubry Torval develops a condition that doesn’t allow her to stay in one place longer than a few days or visit a location twice. This sets in a motion a life of wonder and discovery, exotic locales and people, as Aubry wanders the world. This was beautifully written and the descriptions were vivid and lush. Unfortunately about two-thirds through, the story seemed to stall and become a bit repetitive. All in all, a nice book to lose yourself in. Will absolutely pick up the author’s next book. Thanks to MetGalley for a chance to read and review this one!

3.5 stars
A Short Walk Through a Wide World is an expansive debut novel by Douglas Westerbeke. It touches on the genres of speculative fiction, magical realism, fantasy, time travel, and a rollicking adventure story.
As the publisher’s blurb explains, the protagonist is a nine year-old girl—Aubry Torvel—in 1885 Paris, who unwittingly triggers a curse on herself as she handles a mysterious wooden puzzle ball. For the next 70 years, she is compelled to travel to new locales every 3-4 days, or die! This premise sets up a framework in which various locales and cultures are mined for color, detail, and action, as she astoundingly walks miles and miles to outdistance the curse.
The world is indeed wide as her adventures span continents, oceans, jungles and interactions with quirky residents of all. The cultures and customs are fascinating, although I felt a need to maintain a little dose of skepticism of some of the above, since this is indeed a novel rooted in fantasy.
There is a striking resemblance to elements in “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” as both are young French women dealing with a curse and the necessity to keep moving from place to place. However, Aubry in this novel seems younger and more naïve, more vulnerable, as she travels, grows, and is informed by her experiences. This aspect can be a positive touch point for young adult readers.
I found the story compelling reading for the first quarter, but then it felt more like a long walk through a wide world. I think the many jumps in location and the non-linear timeline contributed to this feeling for me.
The author’s prose is what kept me engaged and is absolutely the strength of this novel. His writing is eloquent, insightful and richly imaginative.
Mr. Westerbeke is a seasoned librarian at the Cleveland Public Library and serves on an international panel for the Dublin Literary Award. He knows literature and has now applied this knowledge to the craft of writing fiction. I very much look forward to his future literary works!!

Thank you to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review

Overall, I really liked this book! By the time I started reading (thank you Netgalley for the ARC), I had forgotten why I requested it. or what it was about. Within the first chapter, I was ready to keep going. Westerbeke places us in the middle of Aubry's story, which makes for a great start to intrigue the reader, but always leaves the possibility that the reader has to catch up so much that they become uninterested. Luckily, that was not the case here. We get a strong start, and then a wonderful transition to a backstory without any awkardness of breaking the story.
I loved the style of this story- we get to follow our main character on her day-to-day journey while also hearing about her past and how she ended up where she is today. The writing was wonderful, and the descriptions of every new place always seemed fresh and never got repetitive (tricky to do when you're describing literally the entire globe). The magical realism bit (spoiler free!) was RIGHT up my alley.
My only real critique was that I thought the 55%-80% mark of the story did not add as much value as the rest of the story. The first half is a build up of learning Aubry's history and how she got to where she is today, and then we begin to veer more toward mostly present tense stories. That progression made total sense, but I think that a lot of the present tense did not have as much weight as the past did. This in no way deterred me from wanting to finish the story, but I think there was just such a precedent set with a strong first half.
The ending was a wonderful wrap up for me personally, and I think it was a way to help answer questions without seeming like the author was just trying to tie the plot into a nice, little bow. Very original take on a worldwide travel story, wonderful charcters, and a solid plot. I will certainly pick up another book by Westerbeke!

This was heartbreaking and adventurous all wrapped up in one. As Audrey looks for a cure to her curse, she desperately wants to find others to share the world with, but she's forced to keep going.

I really enjoyed this unique tale of a girl who develops a mysterious illness that will cause her to bleed to death if she spends longer than a few days in any one place. Thus, her whole life is spent travelling, seeing so much of the world and meeting so many people, but never being able to put down roots or develop long-term relationships.

Aubry's condition and her life fascinated me, but I confess that I wanted more concrete answers. The puzzle ball, her illness, the libraries--I wanted to know more! So not getting those answers left me a little dissatisfied. Other than that--quite enjoyable!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

An interesting read overall but I found the ending lacking. I’m still not entirely sure what was meant by it. Leaving some things to the imagination is great but I felt this book just left a little bit too much to imagination and interpretation some more concrete answers would have been nice.

This novel is a wonderful mix of The Life of Addie LaRue and The Midnight Library. I loved the magical realism that imbued this amazing tale. The characters, though most brief, were defined in their roles and characters making the main character’s journey a little less lonely. A definite must read!

Aubry Tourvel traverses the world on foot, propelled only by the desire to keep moving and escape the dreadful curse that follows her. What she finds is extraordinary.

Aubry is a force to be reckoned with, going from an impudent child to one of world-weariness in the span of an evening once her illness first ravages her nine-year-old body as she comes to an understanding that "home'" as she knows it will never be an option for her again. Moving back and forth through time, with a touch of magical realism, Aubry finds herself in cities, jungles, frozen tundras, whaling boats, and even into the depths of a library that she accesses through doors only available to her. This network of book-lined passages through the earth allow her to travel vast spaces turning what would be weeks or month-long travel into a span of days.

Along her journey, Aubry encounters companions and adversaries alike, each encounter enriching her experience and shaping her outlook. In the company of friends, foes, and lovers, she embraces each fleeting connection, cherishing the depth of human experience found within each "short walk."

Douglas Westerbeke's debut novel is a captivating exploration of life's complexities, enriched by vivid imagery that elicits a sense of wonder; brining beauty, joy, and sorrow into each moment lived; especially one who can never go back.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Douglas Westerbeke and Avid Reader Press | Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for an advanced e-copy of this book. Get your copy early APRIL 2024!

I wanted to like this book. I was so intrigued by the premise and the description, however, the novel itself just fell flat for me. After about a third you really were just reading the same thing over and over. I kept waiting for it to click, ramp up, and have some of the background of Aubry's illness but it never really did. I finished feeling that the book was unresolved. I considered DNFing but was convinced that it would all make since in the next chapter. Unfortunately, it never really did.

It was well researched and I appreciated the travel aspect but can't say I was particularly drawn to anything else.

Thanks to Avid Reader Press, NetGallley, Simon and Schuster and Simon Books for this copy of "A Short Walk Through A Wide World."

Oh my heavens, such an amazing, magical, captivating book! Adding to my list of best books I've ever read.

Aubry finds a puzzle ball when she's 9 and contracts a condition where she has to keep moving or she'll bleed to death.

She cannot retrace her steps and she heals quickly while she's traveling.

Aubry becomes a legend through 70 years of journeys and wandering as her story spreads around the globe.

And I won't give any spoilers about the ending! Just read it for yourself!

This book starts out interesting. The story is descriptive and flows well. I liked Aubry and felt a bit sad for her predicament. However after awhile I became a bit bored with the story and lost interest in it. If you enjoyed The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue you most likely will enjoy this one too.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

The blurb of this story made me eager to read A Short Walk Through A Wide World by Douglass Westerbeke. However, as I was reading it, I quickly became disappointed. The story was an interesting concept, about a young girl who contracts a weird disease that makes her constantly be on the move, but it becomes quite repetitive. The characters are well fleshed out and the world is vast but it just goes on and on without ever feeling like it goes anywhere. I did DNF this about 70% into the story so maybe it all makes sense in the end but unfortunately, I am not interested in what that ending might be. I hope this story works better for you.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avid Reader Press, and Simon & Schuster. The opinions are my own.

The moment I saw the cover of this book, I knew I needed to read it. It is hard to explain what overcame me, but I so desperately desired to read this book and did not want to wait until its release date. This book was beautifully written and it is hard for me to believe that this is Douglas Westerbeke's debut novel. He does an amazing job at immersing the reader into Aubry's world, taking both her and the reader on a never ending journey around the world. This book reminded me of short stories combined to tell one larger tale of a person. I liked feeling as though Aubry was telling her journey directly to the reader. It was hard to follow the timeline of Aubry's life, but I felt like it was on purpose. Aubry constantly remarks how she is unsure of how old she is or how long her journeys have been, just that they have happened and impacted her. My one wish would have been for a greater expansion on the libraries. While there is a sizable section of book with her in the library, there is no in depth discussion of what they really are and where they come from. I kept waiting for answers but none came. This novel touches on family, love, loss, and self-discovery. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and the many messages you read along the way.

This was an interesting journey, basically a real world fantasy. The protagonist suffers a strange illness that forces her to stay on the move and never return to a place she's already been. So she travels the world, meeting people and experiencing life in short bursts. There was a good mix of somewhat ordinary and extraordinary. The characters were well developed, especially considering how briefly some are involved.

I feel like there was so much potential in the premise, but it got lost for me. The constant descriptions of how much blood there was all the time really me out of the story. The timeline of this is also blurry, although I know some of that is on purpose. It felt like the setting didn't know when it was, or how the people in it should be acting. She felt very one dimensional to me, and was way way way too mature for a 9 year old that suddenly spurting blood and then had to run away forever to keep from dying.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Magical Realism, General Fiction, Women's Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Fantasy
Spice Level: Medium (The scenes on the page are not overly detailed.)
Language: A few f-bombs

Stepping into A SHORT WALK THROUGH A WIDE WORD is interesting because so much of it is concrete, but there are elements that supersede reality. I'm not sure about the title since the main character is constantly walking and walking and walking.

Aubry, our main character, finds a puzzle ball, and that's the moment her life changes.
She is swept away with a challenge—she cannot stay still for more than a few days, otherwise, the sickness threatens her.

Decades pass in this book.
I never knew how old Audrey was at any given moment unless specified—though, I'll say when her age changed, the reader is given a heads up. She went so many places, and they blurred within her mind. The story takes place in a combination of flashbacks told to people on her journey and happening in the moment. Sometimes, I felt disconnected to the story, and I think this is why.

Whenever I grew comfortable in a place with Aubry, that was a signal things were about to change. And this is true until the end. Nearing the end of the story, I still felt like I was gathering new information and places.

Here's my question: Is traveling to see the world critical for happiness? Or is building relationships the value of life?
I know what the book indicated, but I'm not sure that I was onboard with the message. It will be interesting to see what others think.

This is an interesting and thought-provoking read, and I recommend it.

Happy reading!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avid Reader Press, and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy of A Short Walk Through a Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke in exchange for an honest review!

This novel follows Audry, a woman with a mysterious illness that forces her to travel at all times, through the course of her life-- the inception of her illness, her world travels, prominent people she meets through the years, mysterious libraries, and through to her final days.

A Short Walk Through a Wide World was all at once beautifully written, bittersweet, and incredibly frustrating. The first third of the novel was slow, following Aubry as she recited her story to a family on a riverboat. The story definitely picked up after that, but I often found myself trying to identify the plot as I read. If you aren't a fan of highly literary books with little conflict, this may not be the book for you. But at the end of the day, the prose that Westerbeke concocts makes this literary novel well worth the read in my opinion.

I unfortunately did not finish this book because it wasn’t for me, not necessarily from a lack of quality. I could tell from the type of story it is, the length would be a challenge for me. Part way through things began to lag.

(3.5⭐️) The premise of this book drew me in immediately (along with it being compared to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which I loved), but I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would.

This book starts off with a bang and jumps right into the story. It held my attention for a while, but as the story progressed, I started enjoying it a little less. A huge chunk of this book is storytelling within the story, which I usually like, but I didn’t always like the execution here. It jumped around a lot, I found it really hard to keep track of the timeline and age of Aubry, and I often just kept reading in the hopes I’d figure it out along the way. I didn’t quite connect to the characters the way I hoped I would, and overall was left wanting more. However, I did really like all the descriptions of the different landscapes and places that Aubry had travelled. There were certain stories that lasted longer than others, and I loved seeing the connections between characters in those moments.

I may just not be the right person for this book; I can see a lot of people liking it!