THE WILDWATER WALKING CLUB by Claire Cook

The Wildwater Walking Club moved me for many reasons.  I am proud to say that several of my female friends and I are walking the half marathon in September.  We are not doing it to win the race, but rather to do something collectively as women that is spectacular.  We are starting together and ending together.  We will chat and laugh through those 13.1 miles.  When we cross the finish line as a group we will be more bonded and proud than we were at the start of that day.  The Wildwater Walking Club focuses on a group of ladies who start to walk together daily and with each step they learn about themselves and what it means to be a friend.   My book club read this book for the month of July and I hope a few of my fellow half marathon walking pals in the book club are as inspired as me.  Wellness comes in all forms and I cannot wait to start that walk with my friends at my side.  I am one lucky girl to have the friends I do!  Thanks ladies!!!!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The lives of a suddenly jobless corporate executive, a teacher navigating a difficult relationship with her daughter and a young lavender farmer intertwine in Cook's straightforward novel. When a generous compensation package gives Noreen "Nora" Kelly-whose career defined her identity-18 months salary to forge a new path, she realizes she has little in common with her former work companions and strikes up a friendship with next-door neighbor Tess Tabares, who's struggling to connect with her college-bound daughter. The women begin taking daily walks and soon Rosemary "Rosie" Stockton, who owns her family's lavender farm, joins in. Despite their very different-yet all very prickly-personalities, the three women soon form a tight bond. With her easygoing style, Cook (Must Love Dogs) engages readers, drawing them into the daily lives of these new friends. Geographical inconsistencies-the novel is set in Massachusetts but has a distinctive Southern flair-may bother some readers but most will be satisfied with this breezy beach read.
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From Booklist

The rest of your life starts with one step. Noreen Kelly learns this the hard way when she takes a buyout offer at her small shoe company and wakes up the day after—jobless, dumped by her slick co-worker, and wondering who she is and what she wants. She becomes tentative friends with Tess and Rosie, and together the women form a walking club, each step bringing them closer together and closer to the life solutions they all seek. Cook creates likable female characters with realistic flaws. The plots are marked with Gilmore Girls–type dialogue and settings, utterly charming from beginning to end. There’s plenty of laughs, anger, sorrow, and rage to keep the story moving along at a breezy pace; and all the subplots involving the multigenerational characters and their kooky suburban antics are tied up nicely. There’s a little more edge here than in a typical “gentle” novel, but more softness than in an edgy “hen-lit” novel. Miss Julia would be proud to be friends with these women. --Stover Kaite Mediatore