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Author: Nancy
Brook
ISBN:978-1-60037-827-0
Publisher:Morgan James
Publishing
The story of one woman’s journey to reconnect
with herself. A story told from the heart with a refreshing
honesty. In her early forties, Nancy Brook finds herself
feeling as though something is missing from her life. She
feels certain that finding Mr. Right would be the solution to her
problems, but after a string of unsuccessful dates and broken
relationships, she is disillusioned. Once married, now a
single mother, her daughter away studying, Nancy finds herself
alone. One of her passions is cycling, and she had always
wanted to visit France. Somehow that youthful dream of
visiting the faraway picturesque country had escaped her as she
climbed the career ladder and brought up her daughter. Wanting to
get away from the monotony of her life, she decides to sign up for
a cycling trip across France. We follow Nancy on her journey
through France.
Nancy resolves to make the most of her
trip to the country she has always dreamed of visiting, and along
the way she takes many photographs (some are included in the
book), talks to many of the French people she meets along the way,
and tries to immerse herself in the culture. During her
journey, she begins to become more comfortable being alone, less
judgmental of other people’s life choices, and her own problems
are put into perspective. By the end of the tour she feels
rejuvenated. Her view of life has shifted. She begins
to appreciate her own life so much more.
The tour across France
is over 700 miles by bike, including some of the steepest
mountains, some of which are tackled by professional cyclists
along the route of the Tour de France. Nancy Brook’s story
includes interesting historical detail about each town that is
visited on the tour. Also, there is information on the wines
of France. There are many tips included in the book for
people who would like to follow in her footsteps and undertake
such an adventure, including what type of gear a cyclist should
take, camping and climbing tips.
There are many words of
wisdom scattered throughout the book, things that the author has
learnt from her journey through life. Her French adventure
opened her mind to the world of possibilities waiting for her
outside the everyday mundane matters that she had become used to
focusing on.
This memoir reminds us all that it is good
to stop once in a while and take a look around and appreciate the
gifts we have been given, rather than concentrating on what we
don’t have.
An insightful and inspirational book.