Paris to the Pyrenees Audiobook By David Downie cover art

Paris to the Pyrenees

A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James

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Paris to the Pyrenees

By: David Downie
Narrated by: P. J. Ochlan
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About this listen

Driven by curiosity, wanderlust, and health crises, David Downie and his wife set out from Paris to walk across France to the Pyrenees. Starting on the Rue Saint-Jacques then trekking 750 miles south to Roncesvalles, Spain, their eccentric route takes 72 days on Roman roads and pilgrimage paths - a 1,100-year-old network of trails leading to the sanctuary of Saint James the Greater. It is best known as El Camino de Santiago de Compostela - "The Way" for short. The object of any pilgrimage is an inward journey manifested in a long, reflective walk. For Downie, the inward journey met the outer one: a combination of self-discovery and physical regeneration. More than 200,000 pilgrims take the highly commercialized Spanish route annually, but few cross France. Downie had a goal: to go from Paris to the Pyrenees on age-old trails, making the pilgrimage in his own maverick way.

©2013 David Downie (P)2013 AudioGO Adventure Travel Europe Western Europe Adventure
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David Downie is someone I generally enjoy reading and I’ve heard him speak about this adventure so I was really looking forward to cracking through this book, unfortunately the narrator sounds like text to speech technology of the last century filtered through an autotuner. I strongly recommend anyone considering buying this to listen to a sample of it first as I couldn’t even make it through the first chapter.

Narrators voice is robotic and grating

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What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Content: Well researched and knowledgeable on French history and politics, but this material overwhelms much of the other reasons that people might want to read the book. Kept hanging on for some form of personal breakthrough/ epiphany that I could take away with me, but alas, there was none.

Enthusiasm: The audiobook (through no fault of the narrator) conveys the passion of an automobile operating manual.

Optimism: Lighten up on the portrayal of everyone/everything (residents, politics, religion). You need to keep on walking if you're still this detached and cynical. Life lessons are still in front of you.

Would you ever listen to anything by David Downie again?

Sincerely doubt so.

What three words best describe P. J. Ochlan’s performance?

Best delivery possible (given the material).

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment, Irritation

Any additional comments?

Remove from the Camino section. VERY MISLEADING.

Keep Walking,,,There's nothing to hear here...

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