Alstair Humphreys

Absolutely breathtaking.

I’ve read many and many adventure books and anthologies, but this book instantly became my most favorite one.

Alstair Humhreys brings the reader along on his walk across Spain and shares the journey in the most beautiful, true and vulnerable way. Together with Laurie Lee who wrote the book that inspired this journey, he ventures across the land to live only off what he earns by busking, playing a violin. The catch is; he isn’t the best at playing the violin, to say the least.

Alstair doesn’t talk about his playing skills in the most positive way and the fact that he chose to go for it and rely on busking as his only way of obtaining money for food adds very interesting and sometimes hilarious moments to his journey.

At the same time, he shares his concerns, realizations and griefs in the most sincere way and gives the reader a look into the life of an adventurer trying to juggle his need for exploring places unknown – either the places on the surface of Earth or the places in one’s heart – and desire to have a happy family.

Reading the book, I felt as if I was right there, not even in the place but in the heart of the place itself as Alstair saw or felt and found it. I felt as if the realizations he came to suddenly made it through the pages and lent me their/his wisdom. I felt that I had to highlight some of the words and sentences that spoke to me, and there were many. I don’t highlight in books, I don’t write in books, unless they make such an impact that I know I want to be able to come back to the passages that left my heart fluttering and mind wondering for a long time. Before My Midsummer Morning, this happened only with one book. My My Midsummer Morning is now full of underlined sentences and highlighted words, just waiting for me to come back to them for their little pieces of wisdom or pure beauty when I need them.