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Summary: Beautiful, triumphant, serene; dances like MacLaine's heart
Review: "Can I prove...Of course not. But if I can imagine... in such detail, then where does that come from? Of one thing I am sure- I have a soul, and it knows more than I can presently comprehend with my mind... And again, the absence of evidence does not mean the evidence of absence." (From the final chapter)This is a beautiful book. Shirley Maclaine is a person and personality who both embodies and transcends most of the adjectives put on her regarding her career and her spiritual quest- some humbling, some life-affirming, and some (if I were her) downright insulting when it comes to the revealing of her soul's journey. Perhaps it is in that spirit that such a book, coming from such a learned and powerful spirit of a woman attaining even greater wisdom and polish in her sixties, could not help but be a wonderful read. Maclaine talks about her pilgrimage through Northern Spain on this famous spiritual path walked by queens, mystics, warriors and prophets in such a way as to have you practically walking with her. She brings so much of the physical reality of the path to your senses through her writing style, and gives dimensions of character, emotion and life to the many people she came to know along the way. The beauty of this book however, is not in actuality how she seems to walk the fine line between fiction and reality when talking of her mystical and metaphysical experiences. (Her biggest fans/erstwhile disciples AND her most orthodox skeptics and detractors will have a field day with Lemuria and Atlantis alone.) She does tell in great and wonderfully novelistic detail the gradual revelation of how reincarnation has seemed to assert itself in the shape and rhythm of her life, and drew her to the Camino in the first place. She does paint and superimpose grand visions of the Spain of the ancient Moors and the Crusaders on top of the modern Spain of the Camino in the mid 1990's with beautiful and vivid detail. And the unexpected connections she makes among her many experiences and people, covering many places- even many lifetimes- propel the story and your interest as a whole. What makes this book so enjoyable, however, is Shirley MacLaine's heart. MacLaine gives you the feeling that this entire book is a chapter in her diary, where there is no need to lie or impress anyone but the spirit of truth that inspires one to write. And then she makes you feel as if you are her best friend, and trust you enough to share the secrets of her soul. If the jury is still out for you on many of the spiritual concepts she all but took for granted before starting this journey, you will without a doubt feel, at times, virtually overwhelmed by her dream state visions. You will wonder at times who she thinks she is kidding. You will feel as if you will become exhausted by the degree of disbelief she asks you to suspend in following her through a looking glass unlike any you may have ever heard, real or fictional. But you probably won't throw up your hands and put the book down, because of the purity and innocence with which she delivers what is immediately picked up as the treasured experiences of her soul. At times while reading, I felt as if I were listening to the imagination of a gifted child. At other times I felt as if I were being told a fable by a modern day Aesop, with something to learn from it all that would enrich me. At other times, I felt like I was hearing a blow by blow true story of a woman's experiences with inspirational events that went misinterpreted. I felt all kinds of things while reading, but I never stopped reading, because I never stopped feeling this sense of outpouring love, giving it a stamp of truth that needed to not be ignored. That is what drives this wonderful, enchanting, even perplexing tale, and has you getting more out of it than you would expect. My respect and unconditional positive regard for Shirley MacLaine has, through this book, grown tremendously beyond my mind's ability to fully explain why- which is what love is all about isn't it? You will enjoy this very much.
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Summary: Read also Paulo Coelho's pilgrimage and hit the road
Review: An interesting book, that will be criticized by pilgrims who believe that El Camino belong to the choosen ones. I suggest to complement the reading with "The Pilgrimage", by Paulo Coelho, and then go and do it yourself.
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Summary: Querida Shirley, How do we love thee?
Review: Four old geezers, average age 61, just completed walking 170 kilometers, a fifth of the 31 stages. We read La Querida Shirley, and lots of other books, along the way. We also asked a dozen or so Basques, Navarrarenses, and Gallegos if they had seen her, lo these six years past, Jun-Jul 1994, when she did it. Regrettably, the paparazzi convinced locals that she flew in a helicopter and really never walked at all. Some thought she encourages false hopes of visions that few can expect to experience. Our (more or less) composite view was this. She walked the walked almost certainly. Us guys might have been able to do it all (we only had 12 days and had to skip the dull parts), but it's no walk on the beach even with a support van. There is a 16th c. [?] Spanish book, La Vida es Sueno, Life is a Dream. And one of remembered a phrase, 'Life is a dream, and a dream a dream is.' Querida Shirley gives us lots of that in her book. It's her dream and no science can test it. But for sure, it was fun to have her along. Her mysticism gets a bad rap just because she's famous. The press here was totally unfair and uncivil to her, just for the money a nude picture of her might have got for the lucky photographer. I'm glad I bought the book (from Amazon.com, by the way), though I wish the price then had been the twelve dollar bargain it is now. Don't leave home (for El Camino de Santiago) without it.
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Summary: Truth or Fiction?
Review: Shirley! You go all the way to Spain and I never really felt I could actually picture it in my mind. I never really FELT the refugios or tasted the oily soup or felt those blisters. It seemed more like fiction to me. The visions and revelations you experienced seemed like fantasy. I feel like you just scratched the surface and embellished a lot of this amazing journey. I am glad to hear however, that you've still "got it" - with all the guys still after you! I'm sorry but I was disappointed. I guess I wanted to learn more of the REALITY of this adventure than some of the same stuff from your last books. You don't have to preach to the converted. I admire and love you very much and I am glad your back safe.
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Summary: SOUNDS OF A RAINBOW
Review: Ms. McLaine has once again through her simplistic writing style, so easy to read, so right to the heart of matters, has given us all a glimpse of ourselves reflected in the colors of her unique rainbow arrows guiding each of us on a journey through the universe just as the yellow arrows guided her on the rocky path of the Camino. In this latest of her insightful, important and waited for writings, she takes us with her on a physical journey not many of us would ever have the courage to undertake, let alone finish. And she takes us on a spiritual journey some of us take with her, some of us long to take with her and some of us long to take with her but don't yet know it. Anyone who longs for his/her own vision quest in the inner and outer worlds we have currently created for ourselves will want to read this courageous woman's words. She knows what she's up against and shares her heart anyway.
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Summary: Incredible Insight!
Review: If you even think about reading this book (and obviously you already have) you should by all means get a copy somehow (you can buy it here). I was amazed by Shirley MacLaine's story and I think that anyone who has ever pondered the question "Why are we here?" (and you probably have) will benefit in some way from reading "The Camino".
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Summary: The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit
Review: If you are a believer and in spiritual growth you will not put this book down! One of Shirley MacLaine's best written pieces. This book is enlightening, informative, and makes you realize that each of us have a personal journey, a spiritual walk where we dig into our souls for the answers to our lives worth. Follow the Camino with Shirley and learn about yourself as well. Her writing comes from the heart and will make you smile and chuckle at times when you feel the moment as she did. It is well worth reading! Don't pass this one up! She is truely an amazing person and writer.
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Summary: 10 stars for this book .....
Review: Dear Reader (yes, I learnt that from Shirley MacLaine, it means sincerety and urging): Yes, a 10-star book. I just finished reading this beautiful book this morning at 5 a.m. and I did not want the book to end. It is now 7:30 p.m. the same day, and have been dwelling on this book all day ... so sweetly. All day it seemed as if I, my spiritual self (my physical self will follow, a smile), have changed overnight (that is strange, how could it be so fast, as if I have taken a miracular medicine) - especially about forgiveness. What is there not to forgive! In the subway going to work today, I thought of several old friends whom I could not or did not even think of forgiving in the last ten years or so, all of the sudden, after reading this book, I felt forgiveness is not only a must, it is a natural! At work today, I thought how could anyone not to love and sincerely care about his/her co-workers, while before reading this book I did not feel that way at all, not because I did not want to, it was because I did not realize in such a way. A book so gentle, yet so powerful. Many times while reading it, I stopped because the words were so clear and moving, as if I was there with Shirley. Then, many times, I stopped again, because I did not want the book to end. Yet I wanted to quickly read on because I wanted to know more ..... It was quite a struggle, trying to read quickly yet wishing not to finish it at the same time. Thank you Ms. MacLaine for sharing, so I am capable to be a better person, joyfully too. Thank you again, Shirley, because you are a God-sent.
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Summary: THE CAMINO: A JOURNEY OF THE SPIRIT
Review: INSPIRING! VERY EXCITING AND INTERESTING! I FELT I WAS ON THE ROAD WITH HER.
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Summary: Book & Tape Set 5 STARS Up for Shirley!
Review: I'd just like to tell anyone and everyone that I have the book and the audio tapes and they are both absolute GEMS! Shirley has outdone herself this time and in reading/listening to "Camino", we each embark on our own personal "Camino" as we take each step through our lives. Thank you Shirley and to all the readers/listeners I have only one thing to say... "ULTREYA!" Love, Light & Laughter, JimmiRae
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