The book was reviewed in Publishers Weekly: "The pilgrims' route to the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain has long been a favorite subject of travel writers, but few have covered it as entertainingly, quirkily and, finally, movingly as Dutch essayist Nooteboom (The Following Story)." The critic continued: "At one point, Nooteboom compares writing history to putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Anyone who hopes to find a compact history of Spain here will find some pieces missing. But what's here is an idiosyncratic, informative, introspective reading adventure."[1]