Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Two Steps Forward  By  cover art

Two Steps Forward

By: Graeme Simsion, Anne Buist
Narrated by: Simon Slater, Penelope Rawlins
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.19

Buy for $25.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Rosie Project comes a story of taking chances and learning to love again as two people, one mourning her husband and the other recovering from divorce, cross paths on the centuries-old Camino pilgrimage from France to Spain.

“The Chemin will change you. It changes everyone....”

The Chemin, also known as the Camino de Santiago, is a centuries-old pilgrim route that ends in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Every year, thousands of walkers - some devout, many not - follow the route that wends through quaint small villages and along busy highways alike, a journey unlike any other.

Zoe, an artist from California who’s still reeling from her husband’s sudden death, has impulsively decided to walk the Camino, hoping to find solace and direction. Martin, an engineer from England, is road-testing a cart of his own design...and recovering from a messy divorce. They begin in the same French town, each uncertain of what the future holds. Zoe has anticipated the physical difficulties of her trek, but she is less prepared for other challenges, as strangers and circumstances force her to confront not just recent loss but long-held beliefs. For Martin, the pilgrimage is a test of his skills and endurance but also, as he and Zoe grow closer, of his willingness to trust others - and himself - again.

Smart and funny, insightful and romantic, Two Steps Forward reveals that the most important journeys we make aren’t measured in miles but in the strength, wisdom, and love found along the way. Fans of The Rosie Project will recognize Graeme Simsion’s uniquely quirky and charming writing style.

©2018 Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Two Steps Forward

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    121
  • 4 Stars
    84
  • 3 Stars
    38
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    62
  • 3 Stars
    47
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    10
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    115
  • 4 Stars
    73
  • 3 Stars
    33
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The narrators destroy a good book

I have never before noticed the power of poor narration to destroy a perfectly good book. I've appreciated great narration, but could terrible narrators actually destroy a good book? Unfortunately, yes. Pick up the book and read it. You will enjoy it. Don't even give the Audible version a try. You don't want those over-acted phony voices in your head.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Save Your Credit

Poor narration...both the female and male narrator had a terrible time with accents. I am surprised that this title was released with such poor narrators. The story had potential, but the two main characters were not fully developed. I am sorry to say I had to give up about half way through the audio book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

So boring! Performers had trouble with accents

This book is about an emotional journey over the course of a long long trek. I would have appreciated much more insight into the evolution of the two main characters, but instead the authors focused so much more on the day to day meals and lodging requirements for such a journey. Also, the will they/won't they plot was annoying because it went on for so much of the book. And their emotional connection didn't really click for me. it seemed like they could always take or leave each other.
As for the narration, I was satisfied with how the narrators portrayed the actual characters they were narrating, but when the male actor, Simon, covered "Zoe's" dialogue in an American accent, it was terrible, and very distracting. And the same was true for the female actress. When she came to the make dialogue in her chapters, her British accent was also terrible. Man, that was hard to listen through. I wish they had just inserted the other actor reading for their own dialogue.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Made me happy

There’s something about this book that is just satisfying. I was engaged from the beginning. I loved Zoe’s and Martin’s journeys. No, it wasn’t especially deep or earth shaking, but it made me happy. Sometimes that’s enough. I’d read a sequel in a heartbeat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful adventure/relationship story

I was not sure if a story like this would hold my attention. There was no issue except that I do not want it to be over! I loved Zoe and Martin and all of the other pilgrims. A contemporary love story in an historical setting with an underlying theme of redemption. I intend to order the hardcopy of this book.

I really liked how deeply Zoe examined her past and the baggage she carried. The changes the Martin goes through surprised me. I did not expect these characters to grow as much as they did. Even the minor characters had big moments. This story was a pure joy to listen to. The narrators were very good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Flawed but enjoyable

It’s a good story with interesting characters. Being Christian, I resented negativity about Christianity. I understand that is the opinion of many but it felt heavy handed to me. The other flaw was the female narrator. She sounded 20 yrs old, not 50. This was enough of a problem to pull me out of the story over and over again. I finished it, enjoyed it, but probably won’t listen again as I do with many books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Inspiring and Fun

I've learned a few things from their experience, as you would expect from reading a book, but it makes me want to take on what problems and opportunities life brings on ahead. The travelers set themselves up on a physical, mental, and spiritual journey from France to Spain while meeting many others. The readers did a great job at performing the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Simsion’s tales are really unusual,

I didn’t like this one as much as his Rosie books, but I had never heard of these pilgrimages. I love his flawed human characters who muddle through challenges and life’s hardships. The inventive ways they actually come out of despair is heartwarming. The narration wasn’t the best I’ve listened to either, but stuck with it and overall found it a decent listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • LC
  • 05-22-21

Stick with the Rosie books!

I listened to this because I loved the Rosie series by Mr Simsion, but this was a disappointment. The story was as plodding as the walkers journey, but what really ruined it for me were the performances. The woman reader mispronounced so many standard English words (karma? modern?) it was grating. And both readers imitated the other characters voices in horrendous accents. Not all Americans sound like they are from Long Island! What was supposed to be a Brazilian accent was oddly German at times. Skip this and read - or reread - the Rosie series which are all well written and performed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So entertaining

Graeme Simsion writes the best books! All so different, each one just as good as the last. The performance was excellent as well. Worth a read or a listen,

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful