I’m a big Outlander fan and therefore, love Sam Heughan on and off-screen. I’ve seen him in person at comic cons three times now, and he’s always lovely on stage. When his memoir, Waypoints was announced, I did not hesitate to pre-order a signed copy. I am so glad I did!
Waypoints has a unique format for a memoir. Sam alternates between stories of his past, from growing up to his early acting days, and his daily hiking journal as he makes a long trek through Scotland. The chapters are broken down more in line with the hike, from day one through six.
I think the thing I love most about Sam’s writing style is how well he captures the senses. He paints a great picture of these moments for you with descriptions beyond just sights and thoughts. He shares about scents and sounds that tie into the memories, and you can kind of feel his misery during the rainy days of the hike. It’s just stunning writing, to say nothing of the content.
I enjoyed reading about his life and the moments that made him who he is, since he’s a pretty private person for an actor. His moments on the trail with random people make me a bit jealous I wasn’t there to witness it too, especially the mushroom selfie session. IYKYK.
I read this one with a mix of physical and audiobook, and I recommend that for others who are interested in Waypoints. The audiobook includes the voice recordings Sam made each day along his journey. You can hear the stress in his voice as rain pounds his tent. It proves how genuine his misery was when he was soaking wet.
On the flip side, the physical book has pictures! There are two photo sections in the book. One features snapshots of his childhood and life, while the second are his personal photos from the hike, including the infamous mushroom shot. That made me laugh so dang hard.
Waypoints was such a great read and it really flew by. I just wish there was a smidge more about behind the scenes of the show, but that’s probably just me. Lol
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Literary HypeWoman 