Customer Reviews

Footprints In The Sand

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Clemmie and Emily, to young cousins in England are as different as night and day. While attending their great aunt Mary's funeral, Aunt Mary's lawyer informs them that Aunt Mary had a dying wish for them that must be attended to. In Aunt Mary's will, her last request was to be cremated, and that her remains were to be carried to North Africa, her ashes are to be sprinkled over the sands of Mali in the Sahara desert.

With all family members totally bewildered why Aunt Mary would request such nonsense, as no one had ever heard her mention traveling to Africa, Clemmie and Emily are told by the lawyer that it is they that Aunt Mary wanted for this adventurous task. Emily, a rather conservative and caustic school teacher thinks that the idea of embarking on such a risky endeavor is a crazy foolish waste of time, but Clemmie, the fanciful head-full-of-dreams blond bombshell convinces Emily it will be the journey of a lifetime and just what they both need to spice up their lives.

What ensues is a sweet and often hilarious trip to the Sahara desert, filled with new friends, new hopes, mystery, madness, and a love for all time as one of the girls finally finds her soul mate. Spiritual awakenings and new loves spring upon Clemmie and Emily as eye-opening experiences, foreign cultures, and the mystery of Aunt Mary's mysterious and scandalous past unfolds as they sway atop the backs of camels in rhythm to the music of the dunes.

Mile after mile, through lands of scrubby wasteland and swirling sand, Emily and Clemmie travel from the famed Timbuktu to the outreaches of Mali meeting many desert tribes including the renowned blue people, the proud and charismatic Tuareg. Assisting the girls as servants and travel guides, the Tuareg believe whole heartedly that the girl's mission is a true one to be followed, and the love and kindness Clemmie and Emily receive along the way is endearing, heartwarming and renews one's faith that embracing other lands and people is still worth being opened minded about.

This delightful fictional travel adventure will have readers smiling, laughing and watching two young women mend broken hearts, do serious soul-searching, and bond as family as they walk the sand dunes of Africa with Aunt Mary ashes slung around Clemmie's neck in a poodle purse that certainly becomes the topic of conversation amongst many. This is a light and easy, feel good book that I found very entertaining and whimsical, yet well written with wonderfully crafted characters you can relate to, and with detailed evocative descriptions of the beauty and wonder of North Africa's land and people. I smiled from page one to the end and finished thinking the book was jolly good fun!

This is the first time I read a book by Sarah Challis. Well, I must say.. Not bad.

The entire book shows whatever has to happen, will happen. No matter what. Destiny plays a crucial part in the events that are a part of our lives.

There were few parts in the book that could have been avoided. However, overall it's a good read.

I really enjoyed this book! If you love to travel or learn about another culture this is the book for you. It was only fitting that I was traveling alone overseas when I finished the book I was reading and happened upon this treasure. Enjoy!