The Walk: A Novel

Written by Richard Paul Evans

Narrated by Richard Paul Evans

The first book in the inspiring New York Times bestselling series about an executive who loses everything he holds dear and embarks on a walk across America that changes his life forever.

What would you do if you lost everything—your job, your home, and the love of your life—all at the same time? When it happens to Seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen, he’s tempted by his darkest thoughts. Instead, he decides to take a walk. But not any ordinary walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Alan leaves behind all that he’s known and heads for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life—and inspire yours.

A life-changing journey, both physical and spiritual, The Walk is the first of an unforgettable bestselling series of books about one man’s search for hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Apr 6, 2010
• ISBN: 9781442306035

Richard Paul Evans

Richard Paul Evans is the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than forty novels. There are currently more than thirty-five million copies of his books in print worldwide, translated into more than twenty-four languages. Richard is the recipient of numerous awards, including two first place Storytelling World Awards, the Romantic Times Best Women’s Novel of the Year Award, and five Religion Communicators Council’s Wilbur Awards. Seven of Richard’s books have been produced as television movies. His first feature film, The Noel Diary, starring Justin Hartley (This Is Us) and acclaimed film director, Charles Shyer (Private Benjamin, Father of the Bride), premiered in 2022. In 2011 Richard began writing Michael Vey, a #1 New York Times bestselling young adult series which has won more than a dozen awards. Richard is the founder of The Christmas Box International, an organization devoted to maintaining emergency children’s shelters and providing services and resources for abused, neglected, or homeless children and young adults. To date, more than 125,000 youths have been helped by the charity. For his humanitarian work, Richard has received the Washington Times Humanitarian of the Century Award and the Volunteers of America National Empathy Award. Richard lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children and two grandchildren. You can learn more about Richard on his website RichardPaulEvans.com.

Reviews for The Walk

[kdf_333_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

love, no LOVEEEEEEEED this book. i seriously wrote like every entry from the diary in my quotes book. it was just... no words can describe it . it was great and i cannot wait for the next.

[jntjesussaves · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Writing Style: 4.5; very conversational writing; smooth-sailingTheme: 5.0; Alan Christofferson sets off to Florida (on foot) after his wife (McKale) passes in an unfortunate accident and his business partners ditch him as he recovers from his trialsContent: 4.0; wonderful storyline; powerful writing; two cautions toward the end of book are when the author encourages the NDE phenomenon and on the next to last page when Alan relates his future with his wife he says, "You don't know me. I am no one famous or important. But, like you, I arrived here with a round-trip ticket. Someday I'll go back to that place from whence I came. Back home where McKale waits," of which relays a faulty belief that most if not all will go to heaven someday- which is not the case according to God's WordLanguage: 5.0; I believe one use of vulgarityOverall: 4.5; very inspirational and a great read with the above mentioned cautions; highly recommend***July 18, 2013***

[erika.d · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An easy quick read. Glad it was short since it was pretty depressing. I would recommend this series to anyone struggling with grief.

[Clay Collins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an impactful and well written story. Captivating! Must read!

[pamelasue_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Don't think I've ever read one of Richard Paul Evan's books that I didn't like. I can't wait for Book 2 in The Walk Series to come out in 2011.

[Brenda Shealey Steele · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful story of faith. I cried when the business card….. true life characters. Thank you.

[jinjer-641812 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“Why do we blame God for the bad things but not the good?”

I read this book several years ago so this is a reread for me. I was in a major reading slump and wondered if it would help to read a book I’ve already read. Considering i finished it in 2 or 3 days, I’d say it definitely helped. Onto Book #2!

[Mark Finkin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent read although somber I guess I need a good soul remedy now and then.

[rainpebble_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans; 4 1/2 starsThis is not great literature by any means but it was a very good read.Alan grows up being raised by his father as his mother died of breast cancer. McKale grows up in the house next door being raised by her father as her mother abandoned them.The two become fast friends at an early age and fall in love with each other at 17. They marry young and he goes on to University to become an advertising executive with a very lucrative business of his own. A friend comes in with him to be the go-between with the client and the creative process of the business.One day while in an important meeting with a huge perspective client Alan takes an emergency call from a neighbor. McKale was horseback riding and her horse spooked. She was thrown and it is very bad. He rushes to the hospital where he finds that his wife is indeed in bad shape. Her back is broken and they do not know if she will be paralyzed or not. They will watch & evaluate her and should know more at the 72 hour mark.Alan will not leave his wife's side. When the 72 hours pass the specialists come in to check McKale. She indeed has no feeling from her waist down. The family, her parents, Alan & his father are devastated. The doctors take her back into surgery to repair her spine even though it won't make a difference in her ability to walk they say it must be done. McKale goes through weeks of therapy to gain the upper body strength it will take for her to move in & out of the wheelchair, etc. Alan remains with her, trusting Kyle, his friend & partner in business, to keep things running smoothly at work which he has promised to do.The day comes when Alan can take McKale home. He gets her home and settled and begins to deal with their personal finances which she had always taken care of. The mortgage company calls & tells Alan that they are two months in arrears on the payments of their two million dollar home. Soon he is finding many, many unpaid bills. Upon calling his secretary at work to have money transferred so that he can pay all of these bills she tells him that his partner & friend has left the company taking all of the employees but her, all of the clients and of course all of the company money. Kyle has begun his own ad agency.When it rains it pours. He checks on McKale and questions her as to whether she is okay with him returning to work for a bit. She tells him of course so he goes in to see just how bad it is. Upon getting to his offices he finds out that it is much worse that he had even imagined. He returns home to find McKale half out of her head with fever. Her temperature is 104. So he calls the hospital and they tell him to bring her in immediately. By the time he gets her there her temperature has risen to 105. She has a bad infection and is septic. Alan has a difficult time understanding how this can be but soon realizes that she is in a very bad way. Soon McKale drifts away from Alan. She doesn't want to leave him but her poor tortured body simply cannot fight this.It's hard to want to go on living when your best friend & wife has died, your business has been stolen out from under you, your home is foreclosed upon, your vehicles are repossessed and you have more medical bills than you will ever be able to pay.Alan spends his days in deep depression and finally remembers a man who once told him that things didn't seem so bad when he went out and walked. So he got out a map and an old shoestring and measured out the furthest point on the map from Seattle that he could walk to. Turned out to be the Florida Keys. So he packed up a backpack, dressed in his hiking clothes and thus begins The Walk.This is a quick easy read. Sad but satisfying somehow. Recommended for those in the mood for something of this nature. (it isn't as depressing as it sounds)

[shellyann_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book - inspirational tale of Alan and how deals with his losses. Fictional story but could be anybody's story.Having just dealt with the loss of my Grandmother, I could empathize with Alan. Richard Paul Evans never disappoints me.

[proofreeder · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans - A man who loses everything decides to take a walk, from Washington to Key West. A great idea in itself - I am thinking about Forrest Gump. The folks he meets along the way are interesting and all seem to fit into a greater plan. But I found myself with just a few pages left and realized he was still in Washington. The next page invited me to follow his journey in The Walk part 2 which will be out in 2011. Maybe I should have seen it coming, but didn't, a disappointment.

[yukon92 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quick read!

[robertalea-223265 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really was pretty sure I wouldn't like this read. I knew was going to be all sappy and sad....But I did enjoy it; enough that I'm going to the next book.

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What happens to a man who has lost everything, his business, his home, his wife, he goes walking. What is he looking for, he does not know. A quick read. It was both sad and happy in parts. I am looking forward to the next one in this trilogy.

[soubhikiewiet · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wouldn't have picked this up if I had realized how much of a preachy religious book it was. I guess I need to read blurbs more closely.
I did read the whole thing. I found it predictable and cliche.
I really wanted it to be about walking across the country. It's not. It's about a guy who meets one person after another who all have a religious message for him. Don't let the title fool you.

[christineellei · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alan Christofferson is a self-made, very successful “ad-man”. He has it all; the successful business, the beautiful wife who happens to be the love of his life, the mansion and luckily the happiness to go with it. When fate strikes its nasty blow and he tragically loses it all in a matter of what seems like an instant he almost succumbs to a convenient handful of pills. Only the promise to his wife to “live life” keeps him from swallowing those pills. Instead, he embarks on a walk. But not just any walk. He decides to walk to Key West, Florida - the furthest point he can from his home state of Washington. The reader walks with him and meets the people he meets and sees the places he sees. Its not always an easy walk, but well worth the read. Mr. Evans is the bestselling author of THE CHRISTMAS BOX and this is apparently the first of a 5-book series. I will definitely be making the walk for the second book when it is released.

[anitatally · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I did not find this story inspiring at all. It was full of cliches and absurdities that I found very disappointing, considering the serious nature of the subject matter.

[judithdcollins · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A journey of one man's life - how you can go to having it all - to nothing. How small things in life and people are important with a purpose in your life. Very inspiring! Would like a sequel as he ventures to Key West! "

[fbswss · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Twee & trite. The dust jacket says it all.

[breakingbooks-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I really disliked this book because of the ending. I thought his "walk to contemplate life" would be more soul searching and have gut wrenching human emotion, but if fell short. Way short.

[spiritedtruthseeke-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful read

[lauraodom-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a quick, easy read. I read it in one sitting. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was a bit different than I thought it would be. For one, "the walk" didn't start until half way through the book - so I wasn't expecting all the things that happened before then. Tears, people. Wasn't prepared for that. The book reads more like non-fiction than fiction, as if Alan was a real person and this was a retelling of his true story. I enjoyed the second half of the book better than the first. I liked "meeting" the people he met along the way and hearing their stories. I thought the "walk" part of the book was a bit short. I expected him to get farther along on his journey before the story ended. It seemed a little abrupt to me. Overall, it was a nice, feel-good kind of book. 4 of 5 stars. It was good, but missing the "wow" factor.Would I recommend it to my BFF? Sure.Would I recommend it to my 13 year old daughter? Maybe. It would be fine for her to read, but I don't know that she'd enjoy it much.

[ava0st0claire · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this last night. I just couldn't put it down. It broke my heart and gave me hope. I didn't know I needed this book...it just fell into my hands. Read this book. It will open you up and make you feel things you didn't know you needed to feel.

Ordering the next one today.

[thoughtsofjoylibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alan Christoffersen is a happily married, successful entrepreneur, until one day . . . it all falls apart. Unsure of what life is to bring, Alan gathers his camping gear and heads out the door for a walk.I glanced at this book during lunch, that turned into reading a few pages, and that lead to not wanting to put it down - now that's a sign of a good book. So, in other words, it grabbed me from the start. There is a bit of schmaltz and a smidgeon of unbelievability, but overall I really enjoyed this fast read.The best part? I really, really liked Alan. And, I love how Richard Paul Evans told the story. This is the first of five in the series. I'll definitely be watching for the second.Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy

[hopingforchange · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Maybe I should be ashamed to admit that I generally love Evans' novels. But, I do. This one gets one star because of it's shameless marketing ploys (ironic since the main character is an ad exec). So, Alan loses everything and decides to walk across the country. Fine. The book is fairly interesting. We see Alan dealing with grief, learning from people, meeting people who are kind to him, tenuously reaching out to others. I could do with far less narration of Alan's food choices, though, just for the record. Anyway, I start to notice that Alan is still in Washington state when he is supposed to be walking to Florida. I am 3/4 of the way through the novel. My suspicions are raised, and I finish only to find that this is part of a series. Moreover, the novel just cuts off. There is zero sense of finality or closure, very little emotional resolution. It's like Evans just decided, hmmm... that's long enough for a book. I'll stop there and use the rest of the story to write another one. Then, I make twice as much money. Um... you are breaking the rules! You are intentionally chunking up your already stretched-thin story into a money-making series. I have no problem with series that also function as individual books or functional cliff-hangers (Narnia, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings). I have a major problem with essentially chopping a novel in half and selling it in two parts. Not to mention, half of this novel is blank pages...chapter headings take up a whole page. There is a page with each chapter that contains one quote and nothing more. Most chapters are engineered to end in such a way that there is at least a page and a half of blank space before the chapter heading. I have taught college students, and Evans has essentially turned in a ten page paper in a size sixteen font with two inch margins. There is no reason, other than money, that Evans couldn't have cut all that crap and written a single self-respecting novel rather than an ode to publishing and the sheep who will buy this crap. Had I paid for this novel, I would be seriously aggravated...oh wait, I already am.

[karen3collins · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another good book by RPE - my favorite author. Whenever I just want a good, easy, relaxing, enjoyable read I can always count on him! Thankfully I can move right on into Miles to Go!

[jlwllm12 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Losing everything at one time is devastating. Reading about it is more real than you can imagine. Evans starts a 5 book journey through Alan's life. I feel like I know Alan and love how realistic his reactions are! You must read!

[sueo_24 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

read it in about 2 hours--easy read and interesting enough to start a family conversation or two about what one might want to accomplish in life. Sappy, predictable...but a decent read!

[livelylady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think the blip on the inside jacket drew me in. For some reason, this author never appealed to me....before this story.When Alan's perfect life falls apart, he decides to walk away. Literally! After his beautiful wife is killed as the result of an accident, after his successful ad agency is "hi-jacked" by those he left in charge, after his cars and home are repossessed, all in the same month, he reacts by leaving it all. He decides to walk from Washington state to Key West, FL. This book is the first in a series about his walk. It kept me captivated with the writing and description and the story. You can feel Alan's emotions in this book.One interesting thing.....he eats like a trucker because he is backpacking through the mountains at the beginning. I loved the descriptions of the food and the diners. EXCELLENT!

[kdshepsus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book. I happened to live in Leavenworth, Cashmere, and Wenatchee, WA, which is the path Alan takes on his walk through Washington State. I live in Rapid City, SD and his second book, Miles To Go, will be Alan's journal as he crosses through South Dakota. Although it is unlikely anyone else has happened to grow up and live in the first part of Alan's journey, it is an opportunity for the reader to see America from his point of view. My understanding is that the author will be writing five novels documenting Alan's travels to Key West Florida. I read the first book in about 4 hours and will likely blaze through the rest of them as they hit the book stores. A must read!