Book Review: A Journey Between Heaven and Earth

A Journey Between Heaven and Earth (Un Viaje Entre el Cielo y la Tierra)

by Jesús Tejel and Reyes Lambea
Prames S.A, 2024
216 pages
on Goodreads

Reviewed by Carol Guttery | Redwood City, CA

I met Jesús Tejel in that serendipitous way the Camino magically creates, which is to say, on the top of a mountain in Chile. He and I were both exploring high altitude geysers in the Atacama Desert when I noticed the Camino patch on his day pack. I then showed him mine in return. The connection made us fast friends and we immediately began sharing our experiences of the Camino with one another.

He told me about this book, which is his passion project and collaboration with Reyes Lambea. The book is compiled from their experiences on the Caminos Francés and Aragonés. The result is a lovely coffee table book that features lyrical musings from Lambea’s Camino diaries and Tejel’s stunning photography. 

“My walk is the prayer of calm, I don’t feel any danger, only the desire to be on the Way. To be part of the same landscape that so many people have crossed over the centuries. I am calm and I focus on listening to the trees, the stones, the footprints of the centuries in a moving, changing landscape, as life changes at every moment. My path isn’t epic, but poetic.”

When Tejel began describing the book to me, he had me at “drone images.” I knew that a drone had strong potential to capture the vast landscapes and graceful stone architecture of the Camino. His drone photography definitely delivers. And the book also features some intimate portraits of fellow pilgrims and down-to-earth pathways of the Way.

I also was delighted by Lambea’s prose. Her descriptions of the scenery, historic sites, sunrises, and pilgrim stories had a romantic, breathy quality. It made me wish that, like her, I’d cultivated a habit of journaling my Camino experiences. Both the images and the (bilingual) text set off a strong pang of Camino nostalgia in my heart. 

And that is their intention. They’ve conceived this book as a souvenir for those who have done the Camino and it’s a heartfelt reminder of the beauty of the Camino journey.

More Book & Film Reviews

• Book Reviews: A Handful of Camino Guides
• Book Review: A Journey Between Heaven and Earth
• Film Review: Camino
• Book Review: The Camigas Scarf

Got a book or film to review? Let La Concha know!
Have you published a Camino- or pilgrimage-related book that La Concha has not yet reviewed? Did you produce a film on the subject that you want fellow pilgrims to know about? Drop an email to laconcha@americanpilgrims.org with the title and a brief synopsis of your creative work, and we will connect you with one of our reviewers for consideration.