Amazon Book Description
Publication Date: May 5, 2009

"The women of THE WILDWATER WALKING CLUB are a delightful trio, full of heart and determination. As they - literally - put one foot in front of the other, the three new friends find unlikely paths that point them toward more fulfilling lives. Their journey left me genuinely inspired (and with the curious urge to go out and buy a clothesline)."
-- Jean Reynolds Page, author of The Space Between Before and After

"The Wildwater Walking Club reminds of us what's important in life--the joy of friendship, the power of a brisk walk, and of course the importance of a good book. This exhilarating novel made me want to call my friends and lace up my shoes. I couldn't put it down."
-- Anisha Lakhani, author of Schooled

Just put one foot in front of the other. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But when Noreen Kelly takes a buyout from her job of eighteen years and gets dumped by her boyfriend in one fell swoop, she finds it hard to know what that next step is--never mind take it. At first Noreen thinks maybe her redundancy package could be an opportunity, a chance to figure out what to do with the rest of her life while her company foots the bill. Sure, she may have gotten high to "Witchy Woman" and grooved to "Sweet Baby James" back when James Taylor had hair, but she isn't ready for her AARP card. Not yet.

But it's the first time in a great many years that Noreen has time to herself--and she has no idea what to do with it. When she realizes that she's mistaken her resume for her personality, Noreen knows that she has to get moving, so she puts on a new pair of sneakers and a seriously outdated pair of exercise pants, and walks. She doesn't get very far at first--just to the end of her street, Wildwater Way--but she perseveres, and when she's joined by her neighbors Tess and Rosie, Noreen realizes that walking is not an extreme sport. It can actually be fun.

As the Wildwater women walk and talk, and talk and walk, they tally their steps, share their secrets, and learn what women everywhere are finding out--that time flies and getting fit is actually fun when you're walking with friends. Throw in a road trip to Seattle for a lavender festival, a career-coaching group that looks like a bad sequel to The Breakfast Club, a clothesline controversy that could only happen in the 'burbs, plenty of romantic twists and turns, and a quirky multigenerational cast of supporting characters, and the result is an experience that's heartfelt, exuberant, and above all, real.

On its way to MaryZee via the wishlist-tag game. Enjoy!

Thanks so much for sending this to me, Eponine38! I'd actually seen a post you made about the book and thought it sounded interesting, so added it to my wishlist. Looking forward to reading it soonishly.

I enjoyed this book. I've never read anything by Claire Cook before; I may have to keep an eye out for some of her other titles now. I enjoyed the lavender lore in this book and I think my favorite part was their adventure spending the night at the lighthouse.

My only complaint about this book (and I'm not sure it's really a complaint): I wanted it to go faster. Less than 250 pp. should have flown by in a heartbeat; I don't know why it didn't. Maybe because each chapter was a different day, maybe it was just me, but maybe it was really a good thing cause the book lingered just like the scent of lavender :)

This book will soon be travelling to another reader via the Wishlist RABCK tag game. Thanks again for sharing, Eponine38!

Packed this up to mail off soon (Monday or Tuesday) for the Wishlist Tag thread. Going down south to Georgia.

Thanks for tagging me!!! Arrived today! :)

Adding to JennyC1230's abc bookbox.

Took out of the ABC bookbox. Will replace it with A Thousand Days in Tuscany.

I found it a quick read, kind of realistic, kind of a dream. I am glad of the guy she picked in the end.

Enjoy! RABCK for The "THE" Release Challenge 2013

from a rabck book box. Pulling to hopefully read during the November ultimate challenge

update status

rabck from booklady331; when Noreen gets downsized from her sneaker company and dumped by her boyfriend, she laces up her sneaks and goes outside to walk. She meets up with two neighbors and they set off together, talking, walking and learning to rebound. Lots of factoids about growing lavender and the "livestock" issue with rooster Rod Stewart and the "supremes" chicken are a hoot.

a wishlist book rabck

Another lovely RABCK from NancyNova. The girl is just too generous. Thank you!