mayday

I do not get why Oliver's always the bad one.

This story is told from Oliver's point of view. We get to know Julien through Oliver's eyes and what Julien himself says and does. He is very blunt. And he does not compromise. I find his way of "teaching" Oliver his language especially harsh. He does not really help. But he waits for others to find the truth themselves, about walking, about French. If he apologised, I would not be able to reconcile that with his character. It would seem almost alien in him to me. I am sure that I could not deal with somebody like him. But I am not Oliver. And I know that trying to change people is futile.

To me, Julien is not arrogant. He says it as he finds it. In some of our western cultures that is considered too blunt and therefore inconsiderate. In others it is seen as simply truthful. Truths can hurt. Easily. Oliver is strong. Stronger than I thought. He knows his own strengths and weaknesses. Very impressive. They both do. Two such strong men together - sparks will fly.

I can't help feeling that a much longer time has passed since Julian arrived at the plantation. All this cannot have happened in only four weeks or so, at least in my opinion. This chapter suggests more like several months.

Of course Oliver is allowed to plan and to prepare. But I remember the walk with his husband in the South West of Britain when Daniel wanted to go further or chose a different route and Oliver had not planned that and therefore did not go with him. On reading that a second time I realized that his planning may lead to mamaging not only a stay but also the other person. I actually never thought about Julian being overbearing and managing Oliver, to be truthful. But during the first days of walking I felt impressed with Olivers toughness in spite of the blisters and muscle aches. He always walked all the distance he had planned before he set out. The one time he took a longer rest during the day than planned as I remember was that muscle cramp, if I am not mistaken. Then he also saw his surroundings for the first time as unrelated to himself. I get the feeling that that is one of the truths Julian has learnt the hard way in all its cruelty: nature does not care about us. Maybe that is why he reacts so strongly. He does not want to be managed because he stll feels guilty about 'managing' his client's experience, which led to Thomas' tragic fall.

It is not about being perfect. It is about being yourself. Being present instead of preparing for an eventuality, planning everything so that you needn't face reality. Truly living in the moment. I remember the scene on the rock in one of the earlier chapters when Oliver really appreciated the surrounding landscape for the first time, because he simply could not go any further just then.

Rehearsal was preparation, and preparation was what he did instead of being present What an insight of Oliver's! I am deeply impressed with his learning curve... And being simply present must be so strange to him.

I am sure that Natasha is just acting in Martin's house. It is a bit far fetched, I admit, but my only explanation for her turning up like that is that she is sent to plant a listening device.

Oliver is not the same man he was when he started out.

Land of milk and honey indeed! What an uplifting chapter!

No greater contrast imaginable than that between both sets of patents.

Sam's strength and enormous capacity to love is a shining light in the darkness of Tom's death.

Ok. I fully agree on every one of the comments above. Such cruelty of parents, a doctor and a priest is in a way worse than the crime itself. And I'll never understand how Christians can reconcile Jesus' teachings of love with viciously punishing children.

How moving that is! Beautifully told!

Nasty sounds quite judgemental to me. We hardly know her, after all. She is probably used to her son being at home, having no friends to distract him from his chores.