This book is a story about stories. It’s calmly narrated at a walking pace that helps us keep pace with the main character, Aubry. She is wise beyond her years as a child and this wisdom only continues to grow with her.
I was initially confused for a while as to what the point of the story was, until maybe halfway through when I realised it was a tale about life, sacrifice, love and learning to value what’s around us.
There is an air of mystery regarding Aubry’s illness and the secret libraries that appear to her, and I feel this mystery never really gets solved in the end properly which I didn’t love.
But overall it was a pleasant journey to follow and intrigued me enough to keep reading.

1.5/5 Stars

TL;DR - A super interesting premise, and not much else. Long, meandering, and ultimately leading to nowhere. No plot, no vibes, no explanations.

Big thanks to Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing the ARC for this book in exchange for an honest review!

***Trigger Warnings for: illness, a lot of blood, vomiting, seizures, animal abuse, medical gaslighting, sex between a minor and an adult, dubious consent, violence, mentions of suicidal ideation, mentions of infanticide, and mentions of suicide.***

‘A Short Walk Through a Wide World’ by Douglas Westerbeke is a historical magical realism novel following the far-reaching wanderings of Aubrey Tourvel, who at nine years old, contracts a mysterious illness that makes it impossible for her to stay anywhere for more than a few days. We follow her across the world many times over, and into places that aren’t quite earthly at all.

Not a whole lot to say about this one, other than the premise is really interesting, but the book itself is a boring, overdrawn slog.

The prose is average, if a little young, but there is an issue with head-hopping I found annoying. At first, I thought the book was written in 3rd person omniscient, but the instances of hearing other people’s thoughts aren’t consistent across the whole book, so it’s definitely head-hopping. It is an ARC, so maybe this has been cleaned up since I downloaded the file, but it really took away from my enjoyment as-is.

The pacing is slow, the timeline jumps all over the place in a way that adds nothing to the narrative, and there’s very little action or tension. The bits in the library are interesting, the puzzle ball is interesting, her relationship with her illness is interesting, but those parts are so few and far between that they hardly make up for 400+ pages of basically nothing. I can’t even handwave and say this book is more about the message than the plot, because there’s no message. There’s a few little bits and pieces of pseudo-philosophy, and some trite lines that are supposed to be deep, but it’s all so shallow and bland that it might as well not exist.

And then all of the magical realism/fantastical elements are just…never explained. Not even elaborated on, even a little. By the end (which is very underwhelming, by the way), I understood nothing, and I’m left wondering what the point of this book was, because, again, there’s no strong message to be found anywhere. I was promised a ‘spellbinding and inspiring story about discovering meaning in a life that seems otherwise impossible’, but what I got was an overlong travel blog that ate hours of my life I’ll never get back.

Lastly, this book definitely has a vibe of exoticism that I found uncomfortable. I can’t really put my finger on it, but I can say that overall, this book smacks of “a white man wrote this” in terms of depictions of BIPOC characters. It’s not egregious, but it’s definitely there, and it personally gave me the ick.

Final Thoughts:

Boring. Worse than mediocre but better than garbage, and utterly pointless. Will not be buying a physical copy.

Westerbeke has written a book with such beautiful imagery, scenery and setting that could make wanderlust course through the fiercest of homebodies. I really enjoyed reading about small communities throughout the world. Aubry was a complex and strong main character. I enjoyed reading her through the joy and despair of her long, long journey.
All this being said, I think I have more questions after finishing the book that I did at the start. The world-building was excellent, but I am left with almost no answers as to why Aubry had this affliction, what role Qalima played in it, how the sub-terranean library was involved, and more. There were 400 pages of beautiful storytelling, but very little payout for the mystery surrounding her need to travel. I think for folks who don't mind those unanswered questions, this will be an outstanding read.

Likened to the Invisible Life of Addie Larue and Life of Pi, I was intrigued. I like stories that explore the what ifs that fiction with a touch of magic allows: what if you no one remembered you? what if you aged so slowly you lived a long time? what if, as in this novel, you can't stay put? Every few days, if you stay in the same place, you get violently ill? How do you live, survive, thrive? What does it do to you to live like this, and starting as a nine year old? So that's the basic premise. An unknown illness forcing young Aubry from late 1800s France to explore the world throughout her lifetime. Her adventures are a mixture of overall female toughness/persistence/strength and magical underground libraries connecting distant parts of the earth. I flew through this book, eager to see the next adventure. I do wish it was more adventure and less magic, but that is personal taste. If you like these kinds of stories and are okay with the magical elements, I recommend reading this. Can't wait for this to come to my library so I can start getting people reading it.

While a fun premise, this book unfortunately didn’t click with me. It revolves around a mysterious illness that forces the protagonist to constantly travel the earth. It started when she found a strange puzzle ball. This illness and puzzle ball are never really explained and the ending felt unsatisfying. Sections of the book also started to feel repetitive and drag a bit.
Overall I think this book had good potential but fell a little short.

This one had its highs and lows- it was an interesting premise that drew me to it immediately! A young girl has a sickness that doesn’t allow her to stay in one place more than a few days, thus throwing her into the world. I loved reading about her travels, the cultures and the side characters that Aubry meets along her journey.. but what it lacked was an actual journey. I still have no idea what the plot is. The ending was .. mediocre and the story had no direction. There were many insightful quotes scattered throughout, but I am truly at a loss as to what I just read. As someone who LOVES traveling, I was able to push through and find some points incredibly interesting.. but the execution was off for me.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

I had high hopes for this title as it was described as being similar to Addie La Rue but I found it to feel disjointed and was never able to connect with or care about the main character.

This book was a journey (pun intended). While it drew me in as a reader, it lost me towards the end. More consistent pacing would have made a world of difference.

A Short Walk in a Wide World is an enchanting fantasy adventure story with elements of magical realism. Aubry embarks on an involuntary journey of self-discovery filled with a desire and a need to belong and to connect with others. On her journeys she finds wonderments as well as perilous situations, while encountering kindness and also occasional cruelty. Hers is a life in exile from her home and family.

At the start of Aubry’s story, we see how she adjusts (or fails to adjust) to her new circumstances. Then things start to slow down. However, I was vested enough (and determined enough) to finish this novel. I’m glad I did. While the ending at first-read seems rather open-ended, it actually takes Aubry’s story full-circle. Using the search function on my Kindle, I was fascinated to discover connections that weren’t obvious from a straight-forward reading, particularly connections to events and people from earlier in the story.

In A Short Walk in a Wide World, Douglas Westerbeke has crafted an elaborate, detailed world with engaging characters. Aubry’s growth, changes, and self-awareness from age 9 to that of an “old woman” is believably portrayed as she searches for a place she can call home. With its unique blend of fantasy and magical realism, this thought-provoking novel may not be to everyone’s taste. Nonetheless, it is well-worth reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Set in Paris, 1885, this is sure to delight any period reader. This kept me up, and truly entertained. Period readers will delight, but anyone that loves fantasy, or otherwise "magical" types of books where it's not necessarily high fantasy, but it isn't reality-driven either, will still enjoy.

Amazing tale! Page turning
Griping as this magical yet unusual story unfolds . From streets of Paris to many places along the way through the journey .
It makes you think it’s deep it’s meaningful
It’s a read I enjoyed so much
Forsure Addie vibes !!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Okay, I really loved this one. It was fascinating, unlike any other story out there. It gave me Ten Thousand Doors of January vibes, which was one of my favorite reads of last year. It's a very character driven story with a looping plot that follows a woman through time and space and the fascinating life she leads after finding a magical puzzle ball and interacting with a strange well.

I honestly can't think of what else to say about this book....I don't know how to describe it without spoiling and honestly I'm not even sure I could spoil it if I tried. It's just a story you have to experience, because that's what it is - an experience. You'll find yourself getting lost, asking questions, discovering things about yourself you never even thought of before.

This book is magical - unique, captivating, enchanting, and magical.

This was a delightful, page-turning adventure. It was a great amalgamation of world traveler, mysterious magic, and pure library fantasy setting. Following Aubrey through her exploits, almost always in how she related the stories to others she meets along the way, kept the story progressing not quite always linearly but certainly in a way that keeps the reader engaged. This is absolutely a book you’ll stay awake too long reading.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The premise sounds magical: a Parisian girl in the late 1800s finds that she cannot stay in one place for more than a few days, and she can never return to places she’s already been. If Aubry tries, she begins bleeding from her eyes, ears, nose and mouth and experiences extreme pain. The curse means she’s forced to travel the world, constantly exploring places she’s never been. This also means that her relationships are short lived and she can never put down roots. That sounds amazing, and I was really looking forward to A SHORT WALK THROUGH A WIDE WORLD. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me.

Although there are some adult situations in the book, and the character is about 40 when the story is taking place, it reads very YA to me. I got impatient with the plot early on and the story never really clicked for me. I had a hard time relating to any of the characters (Aubry included). There were a lot of loose ends (the puzzle ball, her relationship with Marta, how did this curse/blessing strike Aubry?). And on top of all that, some of the passages are meant to be really meaningful and profound, but they never hit the mark for me. This one didn’t pull any heartstrings, although I do appreciate the concept.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for an advanced digital copy of A SHORT WALK THROUGH A WIDE WORLD in exchange for my honest opinion.

After refusing to toss her puzzle ball into a well, a nine-year-old Aubry Tourvel developes a strange disease that makes her unable to stay in one location for longer than a few day or to go back to a place she has already visited. Driven her from her Parisian home and forced to cross the globe many times to save herself, Aubry develops into a experienced, competent woman who has crossed deserts and navigated jungles. Unable to stay in one place for long, or to revisit old ones, Aubry is unable to have traditional relationships, but she meets fascinating people in all manners of places and situations.

This book is a wonderful example of transportive writing. Aubry's story is deeply affecting and the places and people she meets spring to life from the pages of the book. I've seen many reviews comparing A Short Walk Through a Wild World to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, and while I understand the comparison, this book can rest on its own laurels. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys beautiful writing and a good adventure story.

Absolutely wonderful. I don't hand out 5 stars lightly. I only give 5 stars when I think I will re-read a book (and I WILL re-read this one!)

Aubry is just a little girl of 9 with two older sisters. With the threat of war heavy on their minds, they go to a nearby well to sacrifice their favorite things in order to show they are willing to sacrifice, too. It's a silly, childish idea and Aubry refuses to part with the funny wooden puzzle box she's recently found.

But that night, Aubry is sick. She is sick in a way that she never has been before. She's engulfed in pain, bleeding and crying she just has the urge to RUN. As her family panics, she tumbles out of their arms and flees. And the farther from home she gets, the more her symptoms go away. Aubry learns she can't stop moving, can't stay anywhere long.

I found this to be a beautifully written story about Aubrey's struggle to never stay anywhere long, to be surrounded by people and curious to a fault, but never get to have friends or anyone who knows her. It's told, initially, as small stories she tells others to explain about her way of living. She must learn languages, customs, and how to survive on the fly. She is exiled and alone and, yet, she goes on.

I loved that the story kept me guessing. I never knew where it was going, never had any idea of how Aubry's story would continue and I loved the twists and small moments of both sadness and happiness - little things that I never realized Aubry would experience (or not) by living the life she did. I felt so many emotions reading it, I was completely sucked in. I laughed, I got teary-eyed and I just hung on every word. I absolutely loved this one. I look forward to reading it again!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I'm split right down the middle with loving this one and hating it.
Love: the short chapters and constant adventure
Hate: what is the metaphor or lesson here? It just didn't come together in the end,

This book on paper was exactly what I like in books! I was in when I heard it compared to Addie LaRue which was one i absolutely loved,

I was super intrigued at first and immediately was captivated by the story. However as it continues it started to feel like more of the same and that the story was missing some substance. I found myself getting a little bored about halfway through and it started to feel long. I also wanted a bit more character development to make me care more about the story.

I wasn’t actually sure that I understood the point or metaphor this book was going for. The ending was ok and wrapped up a few things but I ended up not feeling entirely satisfied by it. There were a decent amount of loose endings and I just wanted more information on several things.

Overall, this book was just ok for me. I liked the premise a lot and found the writing good but it just somehow felt lacking.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review

I enjoyed this read and I think Westerbeke captures many elements of this novel beautifully. I thought this followed in much the same vein as the books described in the blurb, but ultimately carved it's own adventerous path which is what drew me to appreciate Aubry's story even deeper. I would definitely recommend this to friends as it has many elements that I know people would enjoy!

This book brings me back to the story of Addie La Rue. the adventure tale was fun to follow , with how the main character developed. But there was no climax or plot twist which is where the story is heavily lacking. It’s not very exciting it’s a slow burn with no big reveal.