Customer Reviews

The Walk: A Novel (Walk Series)

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Who hasn't thought of walking away from their life at one point or another? In Richard Paul Evan's new book, Alan, the main character does just that after he looses everything, including his beloved wife. This is the first of 5 installments as he journeys on foot across the country while coming to terms with all he has lost. It is a very capitvating story and moves quickly. Although the book has it's own satisfying ending, you definitely remain very attached to Alan and are left looking forward to hearing about the rest of his journey!

I read the walk about 2 weeks ago, I really enjoyed the story and the characters, however, there were a few things that I found irritating. First there is so much blank space in the book. You read 2, 3, 4 pages and then there are 2 blank pages, which if you cut that out, the book would be about half the size. It was simply for page fillers and a little misleading. I also think he left out a lot and focused too much on what the main character had to eat. I feel like this book is somewhat of a cash cow, and that greed may be the reason for the 5 part series. In all honesty he SHOULD have just put all 5 books in 1. I am really curious for the next one...but am I going to remember it a YEAR from now? Possibly not. It is definately not worth $22 as it's a very short simple story. I also feel it may be a slight rip off of Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist" which is amazing.

I feel I've been had! If I'd know that Alan's trek across America was nothing more than a serial story to be spread across many volumes, I would not have started the journey!

The story is simple, the people Alan encounters traveling across Washington state (Not across America to Key West) are forgettable. It turns out to be a journal of his meals and B&B's. It's not even a good 'feel good' book if that's your cup of tea.

I found it offensive that I'd get to the end of the (Kindle) book to see a "join Alan in April 2011 as he continues his walk". Come on. This is not much more than a Saturday afternoon serial at the movies that never ends.

Nowhere in the promotional material does it indicate this is the beginning of a multi-part story. Bad on the publisher.

Believe me, there was nothing I read here that could possible keep me interested for a year from now.

The publisher is a genius. The problem: How to get people to spend $50 for an e-book? The solution: Take a story. Spread it out over 5 installments and charge $10 for each. Oh, and get them to wait 4 years for the conclusion. If you can read a "book" in a few hours, it's not a book. It's a short story and should be priced accordingly.

Now, if you can get past the fact you've been ripped off, you now have to suffer through a redundant story. The first third of the "book" details how our beloved main character goes from riches to rags. We shed a tear and then we finally get to The Walk. If you like diners, milkshakes, and waitresses named Flo, you'll love the last 2/3 of this "book". Our man walks from Seattle to Spokane enjoying burgers and malts. Boring. Save your cash for a real milkshake. At least the milkshake will stay with you longer than this "book" will.

written for people who love "life instruction books". I'm sure it will be on the "best seller list" until after Christmas. The plot sounded great, but he only got a few hundred miles in his 3,000+ mile trip. We are invited to get Part 2 in April 2011. At that rate, it will probably go on for the next 8 years before we find out if he gets married again. I loved the "Oh by the way, we were in debt over our heads" revelation. Another reason I thank heaven for libraries...I don't have to chide myself for wasting money.

Good book - well written - BUT I had no idea when I bought it that I was, in essence, getting a prologue. No beginning,middle and end, just the first of 5. - Let's see at $22.00 each retail, (much better at Amazon of course)x 5, we're talking real $$'s for 1 complete story. - Good story start, but too expensive a book for me. - Felt cheated that it wasn't more obvious on the cover exactly what I was getting.

That's right. My title says it all. This is the only guy in the world who has a wife with a stupid name, lets a jerk steal his business right out from under him before his wife gets sick and dies, then takes a long walk in his grief. In a nutshell, he's sad, he eats, and meets strangers who are way too nice. After that he's sad, he eats, and meets strangers who are way too nice. Did I also forget to mention he also meets lots of too-good-to-be true people who happen to show up at all the right times and takes credit for other peoples' quotes in his journal? What a journey! It has no story, and it contains every philosophical quote you've ever heard before with no real plot outside of the gang attack. Naturally, he recovers with the help of a woman named Angel, and it morphs into volume two. I just finished that one. People are way too nice and he eats a lot of junk food. If I were you, I'd watch paint peel before reading anything in The Walk series thus far and, with a track record like this, I wouldn't count on the succeeding volumes promising you much else...aside from people who are too nice for their own good and eating lots of junk food. Happy eating--I mean reading!

I typically love Richard Paul Evans' books, but I have to say, this book was so boring that I could barely finish it. I get that this is a journey, and that not all journeys are terribly interesting....but seriously, I got bored with reading about every meal Alan eats, every anti-climatic person that he comes across, etc. I got this book for $9.99 on my Kindle, and I don't think it was worth the money. I will not be wasting my money on the next 4 books in this series.

From the description, I had high hopes for this book. It starts out well enough, but spends about half the book just on events leading up to the walk, then the other half on a relatively short section of the walk (16 days), with the remainder (presumably months) to be doled out in follow-up volumes in the series. The walk itself is riddled with a too high a concentration of Significant Events and too low a concentration of Technical Difficulties to ring realistic to someone who has actually lived out of a backpack for a significant period of time. Finally, there are factual errors/inconsistencies ranging from the number of days between Christmas and Valentines Day (it's 51, not 49) to whether one of the characters had a broken back (in The Walk) or a broken neck (in the excerpt to the next book in the series, Miles to Go). Unfortunately, such annoyances make Suspension of Disbelief less than effortless.

I have enjoyed Richard Paul Evans holiday novels for the last 3-4 years. The stories have always left me with something to think about, and I like the fact that the stories oftentimes demonstrate the power of the human spirit. When I heard Evans had a new five-part series planned, I could not wait to read the first book: The Walk.

The premise of the story is this: Alan Christoffersen once was a young man who had it all: money, power, material possessions, and a wife he loved. He was a successful executive, in love with his wife McKale. His life falls apart when his wife is severely injured and later dies in a horseback riding accident. Bit by bit he loses it all. His business associate undermines him, and slowly he not only loses his wife, but his business, home and most of his money. He decides to "walk" from his home state of Washington to the Florida Keys. A journey that will hopefully, help him to find himself and some purpose in his life once again.

MY THOUGHTS - This is one author who should not read his own audio books. I was unable to feel anything for the main character I'm guessing, the author was trying emotions such as anger, sadness and grief, but it just seem so contrived and forced. If you want to know everything this guy eats on his journey, read this book. You'll be kept informed through regular updates as you read or listen.
Fortunately, this was such a short book (unabridged - just 4 cds), so I was able to make it through. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this new book. Part 2 of the 5 part series is due out in April 2011, but I'll be skipping that one.