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.

I received an electronic ARC from Avid Reader Press through NetGalley.
This reads like a debut novel as there are portions that don't flow together smoothly and plot points that just aren't fleshed out enough to fit. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it is.
The story begins in the middle with readers seeing what happens when Aubry Tourvel remains still too long. We meet a family who helps her and in exchange, she shares portions of her story. She returns to the beginning when she was a rather spoiled nine-year old. We see her decide not to place a loved item in an old well when her sisters do. Readers then learn about the mysterious puzzle ball she found that will play a role throughout the book. Life is fairly straightforward for this Parisian family until the two events come into play.
Aubry has a mysterious illness that causes tremendous bodily harm if she remains in one location too long. Her entire life is spent moving around the globe from one location to another. She has to constantly find new places as she cannot return anywhere. The entire story revolves around her travels and people she met along the way. Readers are given headings for each chapter to follow where she is in her life as she relates each event.
It's an interesting premise and a bit different as she has to constantly move to avoid dying. She is wracked with pain when staying too long but continues to interact with people as she journeys from place to place. She has times of respite in a nebulous underground library system that only opens for her at certain times. She wanders these rooms and reads books and scrolls to learn about other lives. The time travel through the libraries is a bit gimmicky but does offer further information for the plot line.
I did enjoy the story and let go of the disjointed moments. She is not the deepest main character but she is a pleasant and complicated one.

This is one of those fantasy books that transcends the genre classification. The book is a historical adventure tale that has a few fantasy elements but who are we, the reader, to say that magic doesn’t exist in the world? The story centers on Aubry Tourvel’s life. The story begins, well, not at the beginning but probably somewhere in the middle. Aubry has a mysterious illness of unknown origins that may or may not be tied to a puzzle ball she found on her way home from school one day. She is nine years old when she finds that staying in one place, and returning to places she has already been, causes her to fall gravely ill. Her sickness forces her to live her life alone and perpetually in motion. This book is the story of her journey and the people she meets along the way. I enjoyed following Aubry on her journey and was delighted by all the amazing humans she gets a chance to meet. You would think that having to travel the world alone would be an isolating experience, instead the story is laid out in the momentary connections she makes along the way. This book is a reminder that each person we meet is a chance at something amazing. That while a language barrier may seem like an impediment to forming a bond, connections can be made without communication. Human experience is not something that can be measured in how many places you’ve been or how big your house is. A human life boils down to the impact you have left in your wake and the people you have met along the way. While this book is beautiful it also has a bit of an underlying darkness or sadness that makes the whole experience of reading it stick with you. I love how the fantastical elements were handled in this book. It makes the reader believe that maybe there is magic in the world it just hasn’t happened to us. If you’re looking for a deep book that also gives you the “warm and fuzzies”, then this is the book for you.

"..the incredible, adventurous life of one woman as she journeys the globe trying to outrun a mysterious curse that will destroy her if she stops moving.

Paris, 1885: Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her backpack that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she starts to bleed to death... Realizing that it is "... the act of movement that keeps her alive, [Aubry] begins her lifelong journey on the run from her condition, which won’t allow her to stay anywhere for longer than a few days nor return to a place where she’s already been." Aubry travels the world -- deserts, jungles, etc., {not the usual touristy places!] and finds that the "world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s."

Aubrey leaves home at nine years old {?!--at first with her mother] and the novel ends with her as an old woman woth long, white hair [mentioned numerous times]

Aubry is resourceful, resilient, strong-willed, determined, and without a cure to her mysterious disease. Her spear, mind and senses are her greatest weapons.

Lots of libraries and books in this tome and the author is a librarian!
Many, many adventures and characters and settings.

Question: Where did Aubry learn her fighting skills?

A unique and original book. Magic realism, fantasy, fiction.

Well-written, but to be honest, I was not entranced--though I wanted to be! Can't quite put my finger on why it didn't do it for me.

A few phrases I liked:
"the wind gentles"
"the morning light..slowly lifting the night"

Very little humor. Easy enough to read, but never really captivated [sigh]. And at about 3/4+ through, it somewhat derailed. And, I did not necessarily care for the ending although I saw it coming and don't know what I would have done differently.

3.5, not rounding up.

Aubry was a willful nine-year-old French child when she encountered a wooden puzzle ball and an obviously cursed well in rapid succession. When she failed to throw the former into the later, she developed a confounding condition: whenever she remained in one place too long, she started bleeding to death. If she ever retraced her steps, agony followed. So begins a life in exile. Aubry encounters wonder and peril, kindness and cruelty, and an infinite wordless library that would put Borges to shame. A lovely, melancholy piece of magical realism that's more invested in vibes than logic.

Aubry is suffering from a mysterious disease which forces to be on constant move and never stay at a place for long. This discovery sets her off on a never ending journey around the whole world multiple times. It is unlike anything that I have ever read and was interesting storytelling as well. I enjoyed the descriptions of different places but it was overdone at some places that it felt dragged, My issue was with the ending that it again felt a bit too neatly tied up and didn't feel it did justice to this amazing premise.

Thanks so much for the review copy. I enjoyed traveling around the world with Aubry Tourvel. I look forward to reading more books by Westerbeke.

Since Aubrey Trovel was 9 years old she has been on the run from a mysterious disease that forces her to keep moving. She has traveled around the world a few times already.

I don’t think I’ve read a book like this before but I don’t read a lot of magical realism/fantasy. I really enjoyed her travel diaries, her loneliness and the relationships she made with different people around the world.

The first half of the book was quite interesting. Then it starts getting slow. Also there is so much left unexplained in the book. The reason behind her illness, the mysterious libraries and the puzzle ball. It’s an interesting read if you are a fan of magical realism.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an advance readers copy in exchange for my review.

To be honest, I wasn't sure about this one when I got the ARC, but it really surprised me. It was billed as The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Life of Pi. I have never read either of those, so I still didn't have much to go. The premise got me to request the book. A Parisian nine year old, Aubrey, finds a strange puzzle ball on the road one day. Thinking nothing she tries to get rid of it, but it keeps coming back. Then one night, Aubry begins to bleed, painfully bleed. Nothing can be done for her and she discovers that unless she goes somewhere she has never been before, the bleeding will continue until she dies. So she travels, on and one, never to the same place twice.

We follow her on all of her adventures and see all of the sights she sees along the way. Often, where she has been and where she is makes no sense. I enjoyed the novel, but I can't say I always understood it. The stories were often out of order, or maybe she was out of order, it was at times hard to follow. If you can handle leaving with a little confusion, this is an adventurous read.

I admire the author for a wonderful concept and for making the effort to bring this novel to life.

Unfortunately, this one fell short of my expectations. I believe aligning this to the invisible life of Audie Laurie has brought this down a star as I had expected similarities in the flow of the story.

For me, it was a bit 'finicky' it the time jumps and how one event tries to trigger another. I found the descriptions for places were overdone. I do feel this would have worked better if it was classified for YA.

In saying that, I appreciate the story that was written and look forward to seeing more works from the author, great concept.

Thank you for the ARC.

It’s 1885 and while Aubry is the stubborn of her siblings, she is also the one that befalls a very strange illness. As long as she is on the move she is fine, but stay in one place for too long and she is struck down with tremendous pain, including bleeding from everywhere. At just 9 years old, she is now on her own traveling the world, unable to go back to anywhere she has been and certainly unable to go back home.

Whew. I don’t even know how to begin reviewing this book. It’s a little bit Addie LaRue but different at the same time. I could 1,000,000% see this book as movie, and a fantastic one at that. This debut will take you on wild ride with it’s unique premise and phenomenal storytelling. I recommend taking your time with this read, as there is so much to it and I wanted to savor every moment! It left me with a lot of questions and I think it would make an excellent book club pick!

An enjoyable read with hints of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. My favorite aspect was the changing landscapes. I loved the various locales and it really made the book feel refreshing. The plot dragged a bit a times, but I was invested enough to keep going and I think the author has a ton of potential.

In "A Short Walk Through A Wide World" by Douglas Westerbeke, readers are introduced to Aubry Tourvel, a young girl plagued by a mysterious condition that compels her to keep moving. As Aubry embarks on a journey spanning from the streets of Paris to the remote corners of the world, Westerbeke's narrative style invites readers to ponder and infer, leaving questions unanswered and open to interpretation. While this approach fosters engagement, some may find the non-linear structure disorienting, as the story jumps between different periods of Aubry's life, occasionally disrupting the flow.

One challenge lies in the portrayal of Aubry by a male author, which may not resonate with all readers. While Aubry is depicted as fiercely independent and hopeful, there are instances where her characterization feels influenced by gender stereotypes, potentially limiting the depth of her portrayal. Despite this, Aubry remains a compelling protagonist whose journey serves as a poignant exploration of resilience, hope, and the quest for belonging.

In conclusion, "A Short Walk Through A Wide World" offers a captivating narrative that lingers in the mind, despite its occasional shortcomings. Aubry's journey of self-discovery and survival serves as a reminder of the transformative power of perseverance, making this novel a thought-provoking read for those who enjoy immersive storytelling and nuanced character exploration.

Thank you NetGalley and Douglas Westerbeke for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded down.

I loved this one! It was delightfully realistic fantasy and I was hooked right away. Once we learn about Aubry, I couldn’t wait to read about her next adventure. About half way through the book I became increasingly more interested in the ending.

I thought the whole story was just fantastic until the ending which really felt like it wrapped it up neatly but I definitely didn’t feel remotely satisfied.

Thanks to NetGalley + Avid Reader Press for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.