A Woman's Journey

Swedish title: En kvinnas resa

 

Maria is a restless soul. She hides her bad self-esteem and anguish behind a happy exterior, and represses experiences that she is unable to confront. She is constantly searching for confirmation and is tempted by love and passion, but she is never able to find happiness. How will she go about breaking the destructive cycle? How will she live to become happy?

 

A wise and famous man advises her to set out on a pilgrimage along the trail to Santiago de Compostela in Spain; only then will she find the answers. Maria walks nearly 800 kilometres in nineteen days. She walks alone but makes many new friends along the way. It is a journey inwards and forwards, where encounters with people with different life experiences and new ways of thinking give her strength to face herself. Finally she dares to release the repressed memories that have tortured her for so long: the assault and the relationship that damaged her soul. The pilgrimage turns into an unforgettable journey and the start of a change. It is a new and stronger Maria that reaches the cathedral in Santiago. 

 

Meet a woman like you and I; happy and energetic, hurt and lonely, stubborn and strong, little and afraid. There is a Maria inside all of us and I hope her journey towards insight and renewed strength reminds us that we can all change our lives.

 

Reviews

"What I like the most about Sjödin's book is the accurate portrait of walking; the loneliness, the strain, how to handle blisters, and how these defined worries liberates bigger and 'spiritual' thoughts." - Anders Paulrud, Aftonbladet

"Sjödin writes well, a rhythmical, well balanced and varied language and refers to a line of philosophical and literary authorities - Hemingway as well as Kirkegaard." - Carina Waern, Helsingborgs Dagblad  

"An unpretentious, honest storyteller". - Maria Rydhagen, Expressen

 

Silver award

Each year the Swedish Publishers' Association honours the best selling Swedish paperback books with awards of different levels (silver, gold and platinum) and categories. 

To be honoured a platinum award a book must sell over 100 000 copies, gold requires over 50 000 copies sold and a silver award would require the book to sell over 30 000. 

A Woman's Journey was honoured a silver award the 9th of March 2009 after having sold over 40 000 copies.