I enjoyed this thought provoking book although it wasn't at all what I had expected. I had expected a book about a woman walking, and whilst this was at the heart of the narrative, the strongest message was about the impossibilities / difficulties women face when trying to go for a walk (principally caused by domesticity and motherhood) as well as the potential dangers they face (principally caused by men). It felt unsettlingly man-hating at times - it's not the fault of today's men that women / mothers find it hard to extricate themselves from their home and children - however as a mother of two who definitely fell into the "is this really what my life has become" category when they were small, I could also relate to much of what she was saying. Well written and interesting.
With thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting example of modern British nature writing, where the author takes the reader on a walk not only through nature, but also through history and literature. This one, however, has a strong feminist bent.

"When a man goes for a walk and then writes a book about it, as so many of them do, they rarely present any justification for what they have done. [...] They are not asked why they are doing this, or what their personal journey might be. It’s fine for a man to go out walking. Women, though, must have a reason," writes Susannah Walker. I am not sure if I completely agree, but it is true that this genre is dominated by men. Here, not only is the author herself a woman, but she also focuses on female walkers and other characters from the past.

Thanks to the publisher, Unbound, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

For the last three years or so, I’ve been reading books by women writers, particularly non-fiction, rather than male ones, in order to have a more rounded perspective on the world. Alice Roberts rather than Dan Snow. Olivia Laing rather than Charlie Porter. Bettany Hughes rather than Michael Woods. The Hard Way is the latest in a fresh vein of women in the wild but the first to place it into the rude context that women endure, that a woman’s role in society is private and indoors as opposed to that of a man who can be public and outdoors. As an obvious example, Walker explores how women’s cooking is inside, in the kitchen, but men take charge of the barbecue because it”s outdoors and therefore men’s work.

Walker talks about safety work, how a woman needs to protect herself if she’s about to beard the wild outdoors, the natural world, the unknown, in ways that men (read that as cis, white men) don’t. On her walks along ancient roads, she’s stopped twice by policemen in cars, as if a woman on her own out walking in the countryside in broad daylight is against social norm. She also illustrates what is left behind by male writers who write about their walking, namely their spouses, their children, their humdrum daily cares. Not one male writer whom she discusses acknowledges that they are only free to gallivant across the bucolic English countryside because there is a woman keeping the home fires burning, and most of them unwillingly so.

Walker also includes women who walked and wrote about their walking, and I cannot wait to get to Walker’s spiritual ancestors. Walker herself is a fantastically visceral and honest writer: she sets off on her first walk in an attempt to regain her younger fearlessness, but she hits her own walls and uncertainties. God knows I often don’t want to go out running when the weather turns for the worst, and although I can’t imagine how Walker feels as a woman simply wanting to walk in a world that daunts that desire, she makes it abundantly clear that it’s difficult and complicated and that there are no simple answers.

Except one: from her frustrations she has started Make Space For Girls, and that’s another story to be told.

As for The Hard Way, Walker’s almost alchemical book distils history, feminism, walking, the natural world and her fierce love for the outdoors into a journey of its own, that almost, but not quite, could be an alternative to the real thing.

A thumping good four and a half stars, rounded up to five.

The Hard Way by Susannah Walker is perfect for fans of books such as Windswept by Annabel Abbs and Wanderers by Kerri Andrews and also Wanderlust by Rebecca Solnit.

In this book, Susannah Walker takes us on the walks to nature’s pathways, patriarchy’s gatekeeping, a journey in time, and when doing so, she encourages us to do our own walking.

Walking is political. There is nothing bad about voluntary walking.
If you like books that get across any message or information with a good and genuine narrative, this is lovely.

The writing style is good too. 4/5