My initial reaction to Andra Watkins’ book ‘Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace’ was to baulk, absolutely, at the premise. I walk. I run. I cycle. And that’s a truly, gut-clenchingly HUGE distance to go. Alone.
Added to which, who even does that?
Well Andra does – did – and it transpired that not even she was entirely sure why, but that it was all tied up in a historical novel she’d written previously about Merriweather Lewis (an important man in Natchez Trace history), the spirits of the Trace (which had gotten well and truly under her skin) and a determination to prove *something* to herself.
So off she set (and not to give the plot away, but oh BOY did she ever walk that Trace) and the memoir leaped quickly into the realms of the emotional landscape. It was brimming with fascinating internal dialogue, self-doubts, critical thinking, and the gradual untwisting of several tangled threads which had been consistently knotting up the way Andra viewed her past, her life and herself.
There was the visceral, too, with all those miles doing a number on the feet (you won’t believe the palpable relief which can come off a page when you’ve invested yourself in the narrator, whose feet are bleeding stumps of agony, and she finally sinks them into a bath of Epsom salts), the many reasons Andra will never again be without toilet paper, and the sheer GRIT required to keep going, day after day, whatever the weather.
And then, of course, in Best Supporting Character role – Hotshot – her father, whose excesses, failings, enthusiasm and storytelling provide a background of hilarity, heartbreak and agonising frustration to the tale, even as we are brought along with Andra’s viewpoint to see him with compassion, and even adoration.
In the end, though, the thing which was most apparent through the story, other than the magic of the Trace, the beauty of earth-time-not-screen-time, and the delight of accomplishing something she’d set out to do, were Andra’s relationships and the way they changed as she spent time walking and thinking.
Even ordinary families have their snuggles and difficulties, and Andra’s is no exception, but with the flow of unadulterated thoughts from her perspective, tempered by stories and thoughts from her father, we get to see the ways their understandings of themselves as individuals and within the context of familial relationships have had an impact, and gradually the unique context of the journey seems to bring to the fore the things which have been buried, and now, suddenly, matter.
Andra’s consistent message to her readers is to take time to consider what matters, and to focus on the people who are important, and create time to make memories with them – maybe not a 444-mile hike, or five weeks in their company, or even five days – but to ensure that lives don’t fade away without contact, and that those fundamental relationships aren’t left to turn to ash.
In thinking about this book and it’s message, I felt I was given the chance to look at my own family and determine, as Andra did, what matters, and in what ways these people who (for better or worse) have profoundly influenced my life, merit a portion of my thoughts, and possibly more of my presence than I’ve been allowing them.
Because in the end, this book, like so many of the best things, is about love.
Buy ‘Not Without My Father’ in time for Father’s Day – CLICK HERE
Connect with Andra:
Oh, Lizzi, any piece of writing that encourages this is well worth the read in my book:
“In thinking about this book and it’s message, I felt I was given the chance to look at my own family and determine, as Andra did, what matters, and in what ways these people who (for better or worse) have profoundly influenced my life, merit a portion of my thoughts, and possibly more of my presence than I’ve been allowing them.”
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It’s an incredible book – I so very recommend it 🙂
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I’ve been looking forward to this review ever since I read your interview. The book sounds unusual and fascinating, and I am putting it on my list. 🙂
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Awwwwh thanks Leslie. It’s SUCH a good book. Really truly, and unusual is definitely right.
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Thanks, Leslie! I hope you enjoy it.
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Ok, I’m intrigued now! Will read.
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Awesome news, Larry – I think you’ll really enjoy it 😀
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I hope you’ll let me know what you think, Larry.
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I love when you do book reviews LIzzi. It’s like you peeked into the author’s soul…and pulled it out for all of us to see.
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Ohhhhh THANK YOU! Well I can tell you (not just from this, but from personal interaction, too) that Andra’s soul is shinybright with steel edges. She’s one of the most determined people I’ve met, and an encourager who doesn’t brook bullshit. I think she’s marvellous 🙂
Try her book – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll gag, and in the end, you’ll love your real people more with a fresh perspective 🙂
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Liv, Lizzi is the best interviewer. I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to “sit down” with her. 🙂
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Awwwh bless your boots 🙂 Thank you 😀
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What an excellent review. Honestly, your review was as good as a book! So you may not be helping as much as you hoped??? 🙂
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*grins* Heheh but you won’t know until you READ the book, will you? 😉
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I hope you’ll give the book a try. 🙂
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Looks like my comment posted twice….oops.
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It’s all good 🙂
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My fitbit claims that I walked 1393 steps today, so there’s that. Now I shall walk to the bookstore and try these recommended reads!
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GO GO DON! 🙂 (get some Bud on the way back, right? You can burn a few more steps in the grocery store)
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Lizzi, thank you for endorsing NWMF here. It’s a book everyone needs to read, not so much to read about me or my dad, but to see themselves and their struggles and to realize how little of it matters in the face of waning time with people we love.
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Excellent book, Andra. And I just read “To Live Forever”. Loved it!!! How did you ever come up with the concept? So glad that Lizzi introduced me to you.
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Thanks for reading them both, Diana. No comment makes a happier author! 🙂
I’ve always liked to read academic biographies and whatnot. I become intrigued by Meriwether Lewis and his tragic death when I read Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. I wondered what might happen if people with unresolved deaths actually went to their own special place, a sort of purgatory for leaving the whole world wondering what happened to them. The story developed from there. It gave me the ability to indulge in my geeky love of historical books, yet make up a new story seeded in historical conflict. I also enjoy using the history of a place to develop characters. I’m so glad to hear you liked the premise.
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Very much so. I, too, love history and historical novels. I’ll put Undaunted Courage on my reading list.
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Yes – there’s certainly a lot of thought to work through, having read it.
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This! This is the review I wish I’d written! Beautifully done, Lizzi.
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Oh bless your boots! Thank you 🙂
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This is on my list of to-read books, but if you haven’t read her fiction novel that inspired the walk – DO IT.
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Lol I’ll add it to my TBR 🙂 You and I will swap over Andra books at some point 🙂
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Thanks so much for twisting her arm, Chrissy. I’m proud of my memoir and its message, but my novel is my favorite write. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
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I can’t wait to read your memoir, but I can see your heart in the novel. Also can’t wait for the sequel!
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Excellent book, Andra. And I just read “To Live Forever”. Loved it!!! How did you ever come up with the concept? So glad that Lizzi introduced me to you.
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