Best Foot Forward

by Susie Kelly

Why would an unfit, 50-something Englishwoman embark on a solo walk across France from La Rochelle on the west coast to Lake Geneva over the Swiss border? And why would a total stranger from San Antonio, Texas come to live in her crumbling French farmhouse to house-sit for a multitude of boisterous and unpredictable animals? With no experience of hiking or camping, not to mention using a compass, Susie Kelly found out the hard way that it is possible to be overloaded and ill-prepared at the same time. Scorching days, glacial nights, perpetual blisters, inaccurate maps, a leaking tent and an inappropriate sleeping bag were daily vexations, but as she hobbled eastwards, the glory of the French landscape revealed its magic and the kindness of strangers repaid her discomfort in spades. This is a tale of English eccentricity, the American pioneering spirit, and of two women old enough to know better.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, France, Memoir, Biography, Biography Memoir, Humor

189 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
While I don't regret listening to this book, I don't think I'd actually recommend it. I actually found the protagonist more than a little unsympathetic and the writing style a little unprofessional.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?
Is the narrator of this book, Anne Day-Jones, the woman who does the voice for Siri on Apple products? If not, she sounds a lot like her. In fact, it was a bit like having a book read to you by Siri... pleasant enough but a tad lifeless.

Could you see Best Foot Forward being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?
I could see it as a t.v. mini-series, possibly. Some great comedic actors, like Jennifer Saunders or Sally Phillips for example, could actually give this the injection of life it needs.

Any additional comments?
If it helps, my wife listened to this book with me and she absolutely loved it.

Taken from my original review on Audible.co.uk

Buddy read with Sunshine Seaspray

[Pat Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this Memoir - 'joining' Susie Kelly on her 51/52 day trek from her part of France to Lake Geneva - couldn't actually feel the blisters but almost - well written & witty with great descriptions of the different villages, camp-sites, wildlife & vegetation. - The folks she met along the way - very kind and welcoming - thank goodness she found Jennifer - who looked after her home & animals so that the Author could take this trip. Really enjoyed it & have no problem recommending it. If you like travel memoirs then you'll like this.

[David King · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Best Foot Forward” is a personal account written by Susie Kelly that charts a walk she undertakes across France from La Rochelle to Geneva. Susie, a middle aged English woman domiciled in France had never really embarked upon a journey as long as that before but as she was getting bored of her shorter regular walks she decided she wanted to undertake the challenge. And so, after finding a woman on the internet to come all the way from the USA and look after her home and animals she sets out of her 550 mile journey which would take around 6 weeks to complete.

As someone who isn’t much a walker, I found that Susie does a good job in detailing the various problems and issues she encounters on her hike. This ensured that I could relate and understand the problems she was facing without having personally experienced some of them. In addition, she ensures that some of her narrative focuses on the people, places and animals she encounters during her journey which really helps bring the areas of France she visited alive.

I find that I am almost in awe of Susie for what she accomplishes as her determination and humour enable her to succeed in overcoming some quite severe difficulties. Terrible blisters, an eyesight issue, unsuitable tent and a fair amount of rainfall would have ensured that I would have returned home long rather quickly. Although, I have to admit that I found it rather perplexing that she seemed to do so little to try and remedy many of these problems. Even if she personally didn’t pass anywhere that could have provided a new tent etc. then surely a friend could have dropped off some better equipment if she asked.

In a way the problems she faced due to inadequate equipment and planning actually limited the story a little. This is because it ensured that a lot of the novel was focussed on these issues so that at times the entire account felt rather joyless. It came across like she was more interested in struggling to reach her final destination than actually enjoying the journey itself.

Overall, I did find this to be an interesting book that did keep me entertained as it explored both Susie’s struggles and the places she was visiting. If you are interested in reading true stories highlighting determination, strength and faith then I think Susie’s adventure will appeal.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating book, especially her descriptions of the charming French villages she walks through, the people she meets along the way, and the natural world of she experiences as she walks. And parts of her personality that she chooses to reveal are appealing, such as the love he has for all living things, even slugs. But she's infuriating too! She's completely unprepared for her walk, with inadequate equipment (like a lightweight sleeping bag that leaves her freezing & sleepless night after night but which she won't replace) and a stubborn refusal to see a doctor for a painful, constantly watering eye, until she just can't stand it anymore. She's a little self-centered - her overwhelming emotion when she finds out that the father of the woman watching her house and feeding her animals has died is that of relief that the woman doesn't want her to cut her walk short so she can return to the U.S. Near the end of her walk, she's joined by a friend and a friend of a friend, with whom she doesn't get along. Instead of addressing the issues opening with the two women, she's passive-aggressive; for instance, she doesn't tell the friend of a friend where she can get a hot shower. Still, I appreciate Susie's honesty (that's what a memoir is all about) and her careful descriptions make me feel as though I'm walking through the French countryside alongside her.

[Roughseasinthemed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book if you like camping, backpacking and long-distance walking. Otherwise, it would be like giving me a chick lit book all about make-up, high heels, frilly frocks and dreams of obnoxious fat squawking babies and expecting me to enjoy that.

But let’s assume you are an outdoorsy type who understands the lure of sleeping in leaking tents, waking up floating on water, walking ten or twenty miles with blisters, and carrying far too much weight.

Susie Kelly does all of this and more. What fascinated me was that she was 52 when she embarked on her 400 mile solo hike across France, from La Rochelle on the west coast to Lake Geneva across the border in Switzerland. That’s the sort of walk I *might* have contemplated in my thirties.

The anecdotes, however, are as familiar as a well worn boot. People inviting you into their caravan for a drink when it’s raining because they feel sorry for the poor campers. People sharing lunch with you on a picnic rug. The snooty caravanners/campervanners who try and avoid speaking to camping riff-raff. The delights of hot water. Arriving at the end of a long day to a permanently closed campsite. The list is endless but common to campers the world over.

Susie splits her walk into sections by chapter. There are maps but it means linking to google docs so I missed out on that.

Towards the end, Susie is joined by a friend to cross the Jura range. And hanger-on of the friend. After six weeks walking on her own though, travelling with two others is not easy and the inevitable happens.

I really enjoyed this book. Susie’s anecdotes were well told, her love of nature came across, and the whole story had that spark of genuine reality.

A deserved four stars.

[Julie Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice mix of fun, travel and history.

Susie Kelly is an English woman living in France. At the start of this book it is her intention to make a six week trip walking across France. Now; don’t feel this book isn’t for you if you’re not into walking/hiking-that’s the whole point of it: The author has never done anything like this before-about a three mile radius of her home is the sum total of her previous experience of hiking. Nor had she ever pitched a tent. She just decides to give it a go. As I could see brewing, there are a few giggles at what she thinks is meticulous planning but she was actually far from prepared! She places an ad for someone to house sit and animal sit while she is off on her travels. I loved the comic tone to this. As well as the humour, there is some great description and historical detailing of the area and the nature so you really learn something as well. This is a great fun book. A nice light read, so funny, I found it hard to put down. A nice mix of fun, travel and history, such a lovely read.

[James Penhaligon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary book, a wonderful, chatty, engaging journey on foot by a stalwart lady adventurer on the footpaths and roads of rural France. To say it is well-written would be an understatement, just as to say it isn't side-burstingly funny would be a lie. Susie Kelly engages with you, the reader, in a remarkable and very enjoyable way. Best foot forward is the kind of book which you want to curl up, nice and warm, in bed with, to know that when you go to sleep it will be with the most pleasant of thoughts and images to take to dreamland. I unreservedly LOVE this book, and say to those who haven't read it 'You don't know what you are missing!'

James Penhaligon
Author of 'Speak Swahili, Dammit!', and 'Trevellas Goes Forth'.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful read. Once I started it I couldn't put it down. Loved the descriptions of the places and people that she saw along the way. I love Susie Kelly's writing style and felt like I was doing the journey with her. Looking forward to reading her other books now.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing to bear in mind when reading this is, this is a walk the author did in 1998, and the book itself was published in 2003, so a lot has changed and it's interesting reading that and knowing it.

It's a good book, and if anything lets it down it's that, oftentimes, one French village is the same as another. As she says herself, the central part of France is sparsely populated so she often goes a long time without bumping into anyone. However, there are some real characters, real generosity, and beautiful little nuggets that make the story shine.

Also of interest is all the things the author does wrong: has the wrong equipment for the climate, gets lost a lot (it's 1998 and she is reliant on actual paper maps and pretty much zero telecommunications), etc etc. This to me told me she was human, and they're things I could see myself doing!

It's an interesting story for sure, but lacks excitement however I wouldn't want the author to lie about her experiences just to make it more exciting!

[Vic Heaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very pleased to find this book and really looked forward to reading it because I did a similar, longer journey, across France and then across much of England, on foot. I walked to raise funds for research into finding a cure for pancreatic cancer, the appalling illness from which my first wife died. It would be interesting to compare my walk with Susie's, and my book - Vic's Big Walk - with Susie's. I was not disappointed.

Soon after starting Susie’s book I was in touch with Susie and found a certain symmetry in finding that she was reading my book as I read hers.

Susie’s walk was quite a lot shorter than mine but she was a lot less well prepared physically and clearly found the effort very taxing. She was also afflicted, from day one with an enormous number of blisters. If only I could go back in time and tell her about the wonders of Vaseline – a light smearing of this over the whole foot works wonders.

There were many parallels. Like Susie, I know the difficulty of a vegetarian eating in France. And what is this – she also has a serious eye problem, although luckily hers can be treated although not, obviously, during the walk.

The first 44 days of my 70-day walk were in France. During this time, only 5 days were rain-free. Susie seems to have been much luckier in that regard – at least during the day. But she had more than her fair share of torrential rain during the nights, most of which she spent cowering in a tiny, cold, non-waterproof tent.

More than once Susie decided she could go no further. But she seems to be blessed with a disposition which lets the next little high cancel out the last few horrid lows. She pressed on to her triumphant arrival at her goal, arriving at Geneva after having walked all the way from La Rochelle. She delights in meeting many characters, not all of them French, and not all of them human, on the way – and in telling us about them.

She had survived her foot problems, a navigational ability which seems to be about equal to my own (fortunately my wife planned an excellent route for me each day or I might still be wandering in the wilderness), an attempt by a well-meaning friend’s friend to take over the walk, cold, lack of food, and worry about what was happening back home, which she had left in the hands of an incredible American who insisted on holding the fort – despite the death back in Texas of her own father – until Susie had finished the job.

Susie writes well. Her descriptions of the terrain, the flowers, the birds, the small creatures she frequently rescues from the middle of the road, are very evocative. You may not wish you were there, but you feel that you are. She is not given to clichés, but to the minting of sentences like this:

“I felt like a human waterfall, with sweat running down my body and legs in a rapid stream”.

I obviously had a particular interest in reading this book but I highly recommend it to any reader.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and was hooked from the start. It’s laugh out loud funny at times and had me gasping in amazement at her adventures. Susie Kelly decides that she will walk across France from La Rochelle to Geneva. She advertises online for someone to look after her house and animals and at this point I thought ‘who would actually do this? ‘She did, and was very fortunate to find another equally adventurous lady from Texas, who was willing to travel to France and house sit! However off she sets with her rucksack on her back and map in hand. Her feet are very soon blistered and bleeding but onward she hobbles enduring freezing cold nights in her woefully inadequate tent and too thin sleeping bag. Her map reading skills not being the best she frequently finds herself lost and having to trudge for hours to find a campsite. In spite of her obvious discomfort and doubts about whether she could do it, onward and definitely upwards she goes. I loved her descriptions of the French countryside and her sharp observations about the surrounding nature. Her love of her adopted country is palpable and you can see why as she meets with a great deal of kindness from the people she encounters on the journey. I had to admire her courage and tenacity as she did eventually make it to Geneva. One night in a wet tent and I would have been back home in a hot bath. Susie is certainly a woman of determination and strength of character. For those who love France and like a bit of history flung in this is the book for you. Highly recommended.

[Joan Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books recounting a long hike I've read.

As a fellow hiker/walker/adventurer many of the situations Kelly faced are familiar, however, in a much different setting, which is rural France.

Kelly decides to hike across France to Lake Geneva, Switzerland although she has never before done a long hike. Her preparations seem adequate, until, of course, she's out there on her own. She'll take you on her journey, day by day.

However, that's where this becomes a much different book from most hiking journals. It's not a blow-by-blow account of the weather or the meals, but she puts the reader right there as she interacts with people and events. You'll feel her blisters (which never really get better), you'll empathize with her dilemma when two friends want to join her. You'll feel the French countryside, and the unique people she meets.

Best of all, you will laugh. Susie Kelly has the ability to not only laugh at herself, but to find humor in the odd juxtaposition of events or objects. And she has the ability to show it to the reader.

Frankly, I don't have much tolerance for hiking journals that don't make you feel the locale or the person who is hiking, but this is one I'll definitely recommend.

The eBook edition has some typo editing that should be done, especially near the end, but this is a small issue.

[Teddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a favorite

A bit flat/bland. It also drive me a bit nuts in that the author is continually complaining about various hardships ie. Blistered feet, cold wet tent, too light a sleeping bag yetdoes nothing to make things easier. I felt like yelling at her to call a friend to bring new boots/a better tent, yadda yadda yadda!

[LindyLouMac · Rating 2 out of 5]

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/4...

Susie Kelly, a fifty plus English woman domiciled in France decided to take time out from a busy smallholding lifestyle and walk miles across France.

The idea came to her while walking in the lanes around her home one cold January day and becoming bored with repitiveness of her walks. Incidentally an idea I find strange as I always find there is something different to look at with the ever changing seasons.
So Susie decides to embark on a walk from La Rochelle to Lake Geneva. A journey of some 550 miles that would take her approx six weeks to complete. Four months of planning and training followed before she set off, leaving her smallholding in the capable hands of an American she had found via the internet!

This was a decent average read but I do not rate it highly enough to give it 4 or 5 stars on Amazon as all the other reviewers appear to have done. I felt that Susie must be an exceptionally determined woman with a good sense of humour to have succeeded in overcoming the difficulties she encountered en route. A leaking tent and almost constant pain with my feet would have had me going mad.

[Iben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Kelly's style of writing, she's so much fun to read. I laughed and cried along with her and it's just so easy to be caught up in her journey. She's so easy to relate to as she suffers but keeps on going. I love the travel descriptions and though it's not as heavy on the information about the areas she passes through as The Valley of Heaven and Hell book, I still feel like I've learned a lot about rural France and am once again inspired to want to go there myself.

My only beef with this book, are the parts where we hear from Jennifer. It feels like she wrote them rather than Susie Kelly, and it is jarringly different. Much of it feels like she's basically just reciting what happened, whereas Kelly has much more of a natural flow to hers. Thankfully those passages were very short and did not disrupt my overall feelings for the book.

Again I highly recommend this book (like the other) to everyone who, well likes to read. It's such a positive experience and for me it was also a much needed break from all things fantasy and over the top YA.

[Karenbike Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another woman, like Cheryl Strayed, who sets out on a journey. This is a 52 year old English woman who has lived in France for 4 years. She walks, in 6 weeks, from the west to Geneva Switzerland. Despite some training, she still has horrible foot problems and starts out carrying too much. Along the way she meets the usual characters and helpful people and Kelly describes the meals she eats. Most often she is lost and has to back track and she also kept her tiny and leaking tent. Most of us couldn't stick it out with all the rain, heat, and lack of food. She remains cheerful and describes the animals, history and geography she encounters. I read this on my Kindle and, once again, ebooks don't show maps or pictures which is a downside for me.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an account by a middle-aged English woman who walked from one point in France to Lake Geneva. It is well written and entertaining, if also more than a bit perplexing. She had continual trouble with her tent for the entire trip, yet never seemed to consider replacing it. More horrific were the graphic details about the suffering from her feet, which were in such terrible shape I really didn't understand how she continued on; since she never got any medical attention it's amazing she didn't wind up with serious infection. She was mostly cheerful and upbeat despite bad weather and getting lost more often than not, clearly a stronger character than myself.

[Delyse Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable interesting book about Susie Kelly's very brave solo undertaking to walk across France from La Rochelle on the West coast to Lake Geneva on the border of Switzerland. This journey of about 550 miles took her 52 very footsore days, and brought her into contact with an assortment of people who on the whole couldn't have been kinder and more helpful. She never lost her sense of humour, appreciation of the countryside and compassion for all forms of nature she encountered en route. She is an inspiration for anyone wanting to follow their heart regardless of discretion!

[Julie O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, humorous and inspiring true story of a 52 year old vegetarian Englishwoman who one day decides she is going to walk West to east across rural frame from La Rochelle, France across the lovely Jura mountains to Lake Geneva, Switzerland by herself with limited resources & less than adequate equipment armed only with humor, a pocketknife and am indomitable human spirit and determination! It also gave a fascinating lol at the characters and places in rural France! A real enjoyable and inspirational read!

[Tracy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book so much

This us a very well written and fun to read travel account of an awesome journey. I am so envious of Susie for what she decided to do and for getting to actually do it. She writes so well and is very funny at times. She definitely sold me on a trip like this. I may just have to plot my own amazing solo journey now. If you like book about personal travel, do not pass this one by. It's a great read and I'm planning visits to more than one place in France just based off of Susies great descriptions.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed reading this account of a fifty-something year old woman walking across France. Susie Kelly writes delightful descriptions of scenery, meetings with people (and animals) and food. I read with interest the historical asides and conversations with her house-sitter. I admired Susie's tenacity in completing such a journey when she was so underprepared. I was irritated by the glaring grammatical errors and wondered what on earth editors do these days as they certainly don't seem to edit.

[Audrey Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read for me. One problem I had was with the links in my digital book - they did not work, so I was unable to follow her walk through France by looking at the maps chapter by chapter. I did enjoy hearing about the adventure and the people. A number of words were new to me such as 'sanitary block' at the camping sites she stayed at, but thanks for Google where I could find out what they looked like.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

At some times this book felt challenging to get through and I almost abandoned it about 60% of the way in but ultimately it was worth reading, I guess. The narrator is unsympathetic at times and charming at others but I enjoyed her honesty so no tea there. Ultimately she was frustratingly unprepared and unwilling to address the mistakes she made (her equipment was sub-par for the task). A heck of a journey though--props to her for that.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published before "Two Steps Backward," I would recommend reading that first before this one. The walk featured in "Best Foot" happened about 2/3 into "Two Steps."

I enjoyed this book but liked "Two Steps" a bit better. I would probably give "Best Foot Forward" three and a half stars. This story was a bit repetitive but otherwise an enjoyable read.

[Barbara Landers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! Three books in one, really. One is her personal, introspective and emotional journey. Another is what happens to her on her walk across France, from the people she meets, the campgrounds, the food, and all her adventures. The last and also very interesting journey is the history of the places she visits, and fascinating stories about them all.
Loved it!

[Myra L Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking across France

I enjoyed this account of walking across France very much! I didn't want it to end! I wish I had had a map of the route while I was reading so I could have followed along! I kept searching for the towns on the internet so I could see where she was. Delightful!

[Sandy McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If it was possible, I would have given this book more that 5*.
Susie Kelly is one very gutsy and determined lady.
She sets off on her own, to walk from La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast of France to Lake Geneva on the French / Swiss border, only equipped with the bare essentials.
The locations she passes through, the scenery and the people she meets along the way are all described so vividly.

[Patti St · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step by step, inch by inch

Amusing yet educational walk in the shoes of Susie Kelly as she hikes her way across France. With only a thin tent that leaks and an old map, Susie takes us on her day by day journey across beautiful regions of France meeting locals and enduring a variety of weather conditions. This book is intriguing and enjoyable.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a charming account of a woman's trek across France. It's not 'hilarious' as stated in the back cover blurb but it's full of French history (which I skipped because I have zero interest) but it is pleasantly told.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I most liked about this book was how normal Kelly was. She undertook a journey, walking across France, without being a super athlete (and to be honest, fairly poorly prepared). It makes her very easy to identify with, and has got me thinking about walking holidays in the future.