Rating: 
Summary: Marvelously Motivating & Fun
Review: I absolutley adored this memoir of Miles & Guislane Moreland's inspiring walk from sea to sea, Mediterrean to Atlantic across France. From the small bed & breakfast type inns to the larger hotels, the changing landscapes, and of course, the dogs(!) they encountered made for a far too quick of a read. I was enjoying their trip so much that I wanted their walk to go on for another 300+ miles! Makes one want to go on a walk as well, to the point of looking forward to blisters, afternoon exhaustion, and picnics of wine and cheese. And the insight gained by living a simpler, but far more satisfying life.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, amusing, and inspiring
Review: I enjoyed the bemused, self-deprecating tone of the narrator in this story. He is a typical Englishman and he knows it, and he plays this as a strength in giving us his impression of life, the Walk he and his half-French wife take across France, and his mid-life crisis. As I read the book, I felt like I was making a friend. The descriptions of the countryside and the sights were a little sparse, and I found it hard to imagine what it all looked like. Also, the snippets of history provided were a little jarring and disconnected, and not terribly interesting. But the thing that makes this book a winner and redeems it is the gentle and wide-eyed optimism of its protagonists, the Morlands, as well as their indomitable spirit in facing the hardships of walking hundreds of miles. I was hoping to learn a little more about France, but still thought this book was a nice read for while I was commuting on the subway to work. Sometimes my journey felt like it was paralleling the Morlands'. I recommend this book if you like travelogues and are interested in France.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, amusing, and inspiring
Review: I enjoyed the bemused, self-deprecating tone of the narrator in this story. He is a typical Englishman and he knows it, and he plays this as a strength in giving us his impression of life, the Walk he and his half-French wife take across France, and his mid-life crisis. As I read the book, I felt like I was making a friend. The descriptions of the countryside and the sights were a little sparse, and I found it hard to imagine what it all looked like. Also, the snippets of history provided were a little jarring and disconnected, and not terribly interesting. But the thing that makes this book a winner and redeems it is the gentle and wide-eyed optimism of its protagonists, the Morlands, as well as their indomitable spirit in facing the hardships of walking hundreds of miles. I was hoping to learn a little more about France, but still thought this book was a nice read for while I was commuting on the subway to work. Sometimes my journey felt like it was paralleling the Morlands'. I recommend this book if you like travelogues and are interested in France.
Rating:
Summary: an inspiration; couldn't put it down
Review: I found this to be a wonderful blend of the physiological challenge of undertaking such a walk and the emotional challenge of doing so with a partner and in a foreign land. Morland slips into recollections of his former life ("Shouting Down the Phone" in stocks and bonds, and pasting together a cracked marriage) just at the right moments, like daydreams that swoop down and fly away with your mind without warning. I was as driven as they were to reach the Atlantic, and I read the book more quickly than any other in recent years. And Morland's introspective look at career vs. heart goals was inspiring. I was ready for an open-ended sabbatical before I read this; now I'm hellbent.
Rating: 
Summary: Title could mislead you
Review: I picked up the 1993 book MILES AWAY (which I guess is much the same book as the 1994 book) because I am planning a trip to southwest France. I stuck with it though I was disappointed that I was not learning anything about the area which would be helpful. In fact, this trip could have been taken in another country and it might have been the same book; they don't seem to have much interest in the locals. I am surprised that they had so many awful meals; I never seem to have that experience in France, and I get off the beaten track often. And why so many arguments with hotel and restaurant workers? Are the Morlands unreasonable or is it half the French population? (At one point Guislaine angrily complains, "So typically French!" I'm still not sure what that means.) Also, I was put off by his long descriptions of his business frustrations; I didn't need to know everyone's name. However, there is something here to keep one reading. I do think that because of all the repetitions (oohh, their aching feet! gets a mention almost everyday--it does seem that better planning would have prevented some of their major gripes), an edited version would make a charming short story or magazine article.
Rating:
Summary: A fragment of an autobiography
Review: If you are looking for a travel-log of things to see and do as you walk across France, then this book is not for you. The content of this book is really a fragment of Miles Morland's biography. It can be considered a daily diary describing the progress of Morland and his wife (Guislaine) as they walk across southern France from the Mediterranean to the French coast. Dispersed among the descriptions of countryside, farm animals (especially dogs and one amusing encounter with a very large bull), hotels and cafes are vignettes of the Morland's troubled marriage, and Morland's career "Shouting Down The Phone" in the financial districts of London and New York. The walk is the Morland's first venture after Miles has "retired" from "Shouting Down The Phone". (I am repeating the phrase just to mimic one aspect of the book.) Undertaking such a walk deserves considerable praise, especially as neither of them had any prior claim to physical fitness. The walk was made less difficult by carrying light packs and walking relatively small distances each day. Extensive planning helped them identify towns and villages with suitably comfortable beds and restaurants which might provide shelter and food at night. Even so they do not find things as idyllic as many readers might expect from the title. The faults of many of the accommodations and cafes they visit are noted in some detail, although without malice - I suspect that the Morland's expectations were higher than is the reality of village France. It's worth noting that although Miles did not miss his old job during and immediately after the walk (he planned on becoming a writer), he does appear to have gone back to it in recent times. Whether his marriage survived remains unanswered!
Rating:
Summary: The meaning of life and Marriage at 45
Review: One of the finest , books on History , The South of France, Relationships and self worth I have ever read. The book is an easy read which captures the reader into the many environments which Morland and his wife encounter. This book is a must for those who are looking at ways to renew their relationships.
Rating:
Summary: More Enjoyable than Bryson's A Walk in the Woods!
Review: Perhaps a bit unfair, I read this first, before I read Bryson's latest. Also, I could relate a little easier to a walk of a more modest length than a 2000 plus mile walk. I'm a bit of a francophile, and I could picture the small towns and hamlets, the tiny bistros and some of the less than pleasant hotels. It was a wonderful way to take a vacation and not have the blisters. Great reading for a cold and rainy November when you could use a vacation, but know there's none in sight!
Rating:
Summary: forget self-help, go for a walk!
Review: READ THIS BOOK! Forget self-help and buy this! If you are in need of a laugh, an inspiring marriage to aspire to, motivation to get off your arse and exercise despite years of misuse and have never been to France or have been but can't be there now... then .....READ THIS BOOK.You might also learn abit too.
Rating:
Summary: forget self-help, go for a walk!
Review: READ THIS BOOK! Forget self-help and buy this! If you are in need of a laugh, an inspiring marriage to aspire to, motivation to get off your arse and exercise despite years of misuse and have never been to France or have been but can't be there now... then .....READ THIS BOOK.You might also learn abit too.
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