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Dear friends,<BR>
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Certainly Maria and my hope in writing <I>My Father, My Daughter, Pilgrims on the Road to Santiago</I> was to offer something of spiritual value. As a middle-aged, sometimes skeptical Episcopal priest and a recent college graduate finding her way back to regular Christian practice, our voices are pretty down-to-earth, I think, and the Camino spirituality that emerges for us textured with the ordinariness of walking, repetition, conversation, and quiet. Yes, I think the book may belong in this conversation about spirituality.<BR>
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love,<BR>
donalld<BR>
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Since other people here are recommending books they have found and we are hearing critical voice, rather than putting my own recommendation of the book too much forward, may I offer these reader reviews from Amazon.com (including two from regulars on this list): <BR>
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</FONT></FONT><FONT FACE="Verdana"><H2>My Father, My Daughter : Pilgrims on the Road to Santiago<BR>
</H2><FONT SIZE="4">by <FONT COLOR="#003399"><U>Donald Schell</U></FONT>, <FONT COLOR="#003399"><U>Maria Schell<BR>
</U></FONT><B>List Price:</B> $12.95<BR>
<B>Our Price: <FONT COLOR="#990000">$12.95<BR>
</FONT>Availability:</B> Usually ships within 4 to 5 weeks<BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="2"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><B>Paperback</B> - (February 2001) <BR>
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</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Verdana"> <B>Walking on different levels to Santiago</B>, December 9, 2001 <BR>
Reviewer: <B>pieter pannevis </B>from nijkerk, the netherlands <BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">This certainly one-read book about a pilgrimage to Santiago, reveals not only part of the daily pleasures and horrors to a pilgrim (very recognisable for pilgrims) and gives an occasional sight at the history of the Camino for more than 1300 years; it also gives a good account of the interchange between a blister stricken father and a daugher scared for a shortage of beds to sleep at night. This all set in an entertaining "dialog of chapters" written by Dad and Daughter and the questions they carry with them to Santiago. <BR>
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</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Verdana"> <B>A Journey on Many Levels</B>, November 21, 2001 <BR>
Reviewer: <B>Mary Wagner </B>from California <BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">My Father, My Daughter is a delightful read. I happily went through it in a single sitting. The authors strike a lovely balance between glimpses of what happens on the walk itself, their companions and surroundings--what happens between them as this adult daughter and father grow in their knowledge and love of each other--and what happens within them as they live and reflect on their hopes for this walking experience. It is a pilgrim journey on several levels and I am grateful they have shared it with us. Thanks to the Schells! <BR>
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</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="4"><FONT FACE="Verdana"> <B>A realistic view of the Camino pilgimage</B>, November 4, 2001 <BR>
Reviewer: <B>A reader </B>from Montana - United States <BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">The idea of a book about the camino by a father and daughter was intriguing. I actually ordered the book directly from them and received it promptly and personally autographed.<BR>
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<B>Bravo, brava</B>, July 23, 2001 <BR>
Reviewer: <FONT COLOR="#003399"><B><U>Kathy Gower (see more about me)</U></B></FONT><B> </B>from San Francisco, CA USA <BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman">I really liked this book--its honest, short and to the point...a Camino book where recognizing the outer landmarks is secondary to the witnessing of a profound inner journey, told by both father and daughter in a believable, poignant conversation. Not a boots and socks book, but a profound metaphor for both a spiritual and a familial pilgrimage together. <BR>
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<B>A Transformative Trek</B>, July 7, 2001 <BR>
Reviewer: <B>A reader </B>from Colfax, CA United States <BR>
</FONT></FONT><FONT SIZE="5"><FONT FACE="Times New Roman"> I found this book a fascinating expoloration of a father-daughter relationship that matured and transformed while the two were walking an arduous trek together. The writing is clear and lovely. The book is never pious or sentimental;it feels very honest, acknowledging rifts, difficulties, and a unifying commitment to completing this journey together.<BR>
The form works very well; father and daughter each wrote separate small chapters that sit side by side. The contrasting voices complement each other, creating a layered texture that is part of the interest of the book. Additionally, the journey itself is very interesting-- through the Spanish landscape and with fascinating encounters in the pilgrim refugios along the way. I felt like a vicarious traveller as I read, and the book made me want to go on a long trek myself with my parents or husband or one of my children-- such a powerful and transformative experience! <BR>
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[My Father, My Daughter is also reviewed in the December 2001 Bulletin of the Confraternity of St. James.]<BR>
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