A Short Walk Through a Wide World is a historical fantasy about a woman afflicted with a mysterious illness that forces her to never stay in the same place for more than a few days. She will circumnavigate the globe trying to stay ahead of her debilitating symptoms before they strike. 

Shortly after nine-year-old Parisian Aubrey Tourvel doesn’t join her sisters in throwing their most beloved keepsakes in a well (that they decided was enchanted) she is struck with horrible pain, a twisted body and blood pouring out of her. But, despite her doctor’s best efforts they cannot find a source for her disease. It’s only after they discover that if Aubrey keeps moving to new places every few days that she can stay ahead of the torturous symptoms. Aubrey and her mother travel city to city for years until one day the tween Aubrey strikes out on her own. Over the years Aubrey will grow up, walk across continents and meet people from every walk of life. Her story and adventures will make her famous around the world but a cure will continue to stay out of reach. 

The reader will live a million lives in this book as they travel along with Aubrey. I loved the more intimate moments in the book as she got to know people and they shared things they wouldn’t share with anyone else. I thought the concept was original and how the more fantastical elements kept the story from getting bogged down in the details on how a pampered young girl could survive in the elements without permanent shelter and resources. And there is also a magical library to boot! The part that lagged and where the story lost momentum for me was at the halfway point where I just got impatient with the long “road trip” of it all. I was hoping for a conclusion and a purpose to the whole journey sooner rather than later. But overall, this was a unique story with a main character that didn’t quit.