You need to be strong, fit and agile in order to complete the GR20. It comes as no surprise to discover that most trekkers are young adults in tip-top condition. Marianne reminds us that age is no barrier to trekking the GR20, provided that careful planning is followed by careful foot placement. Her determination along the trail is inspiring.

Similar to narratives about trekking, hiking, and walking in such classics as Tracks by Robyn Davidson and Wild by Cheryl Strayed . . . ultimately triumphing in [Bohr’s] own way and on her terms.

Readers will be captivated by Bohr’s fluid transitions between memoir and travelogue as she chronicles the couple’s trek. From their first sighting of the island by boat—“a phantom island rising from the depths”—to their shock, even after months of research, that Corsica is “basically a mountain in the Med that plunges into the sea,” their resolve to keep going is equal parts inspiring and daunting. The author’s willingness to lay bare the couple’s tender moments and doubt-filled reflections paints an intimate and well-rounded portrait, and the bonds they establish with their fellow hikers and the locals will entertain fans of adventure travel…a consummate treat.

In Marianne Bohr’s The Twenty: One Woman’s Trek Across Corsica on the GR20 Trail, the sixty-year-old author shows that—with self-kindness—age need not slam the door on adventure. In this engrossing memoir cum travelogue, Bohr leads the reader on a 13-day trek over Europe’s most rugged trails, crossing Corsica’s mountains. As she inches along dizzying ledges, navigates slippery scree, and clings to cliff-side chains in hailstorms and blistering sun, your muscles clench until she reaches camp each night. It’s a compelling tale of perseverance, of burdens more easily borne when shared, of wisdom gained from loss. As a bonus, Bohr’s charming writing introduces the unique island’s history and culture. Highly recommended as an inspiring joyful read for intrepid trekkers and armchair adventurers alike!

Marianne Bohr takes readers on a physical trek across Corsica and perhaps an even more arduous psychological one that is every bit as challenging as the rugged trail. At 60, she and her husband of 35 years tackle the GR 20, a 124-mile footpath considered to be Europe’s toughest hike. Along the way, Bohr challenges preconceived notions about aging, marriage, and how time can reshape self-image.

The Twenty is well-written and interesting at every turn. But what the author captures so well is the inner trek to life’s third chapter. Just as the author finds new strength and courage physically on her Corsican adventure, she simultaneously discovers a deep well of psychological and spiritual strength that promises to keep life vital, growing, and changing. Bohr joins the ranks of aging women who will not go gently into that good night, and instead seizes every day with passion and purpose. An inspiring must-read for those wishing to enter the noble passage of aging with grace and gratitude.

Nearing sixty and needing adventure, Marianne Bohr and her husband decide to take a long trek across the French island of Corsica on Europe’s most challenging long-distance footpath, the GR20. As a fit, athletic person, this arduous journey forces Bohr to accept her body and its limitations while exploring what it means to be an aging woman today. A blend of humor, inspiration, and love, The Twenty highlights hiking, the intimacy of long-term marriage, and accepting that all life comes to an end. This moving memoir comes out June 6.

Bohr is a talented nature writer, capturing the landscapes she traversed in painterly prose: “Above the steep path, stooped, centuries-old pines look down like old crones gawking from the crest to the east. After an hour and a half in the heat-radiating couloir, alder trees appear and bring longed-for shade.” The overall narrative isn’t quite as dramatic as the mountains through which it weaves, nor is Corsica so wild that there isn’t always a good meal and a picturesque village within a few pages. Still, Bohr shows herself to be a natural storyteller, and her diaristic account is appealingly escapist. It’s a poetic reminder of the trails still left to tread, regardless of one’s age. Like all great travelogues, it will have readers itching to travel somewhere remote and outside their comfort zones.

A poignant and immersive remembrance set on one of Europe’s greatest hiking trails.

Covering a perilous hike on a difficult European trail, The Twenty is the account of a quest to heal childhood wounds and stop striving for perfection.

Marianne Bohr’s magnetic narrative draws readers in and invites them to live vicariously through her vividly painted word pictures. And though I didn’t strip off my socks—pulling white flesh with them—at the end of each day, I journeyed alongside her on treacherous terrain, ascending and descending razor-sharp scree, jagged granite, and sheer, slippery rock slabs. It was as if I, too, felt my cautious way along narrow ledges and lived the leg-trembling reality of the 124-mile trek across Corsica. The Twenty is a story of human resilience that swept me away.

The Twenty is an exhilarating and brave adventure story about Bohr’s trek  with her husband on the GR20. The characters danced off the page and into my heart and I cheered them as they hiked across Corsica. I’m inspired to take on the twenty after reading this exciting and  honest travel memoir.

The Twenty, Bohr’s second travel memoir, is as much a page-turner as her first, Gap Year Girl. She takes you along on the training for and then the thirteen-day journey on the GR20 trail on the French island of Corsica. While daunting at any age, the author and her husband embarked on the trek to celebrate turning 60. The writing is honest and holds nothing back. Just before the journey, the author is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and despite the pain, has the courage and grit to go through with the challenge. Her writing is so descriptive that I felt I was hiking the 20 myself (something I would like to attempt even at the age of 66). I shared the author’s occasional disappointment and was amazed she didn’t give up. A feel-good must-read for all, especially baby boomers who believe that limits exist only in the mind.