What does it mean to live a full life? There’s no definitive answer. There’s no single lifestyle, profession, or age that a person can attain to earn the title. It’s ultimately about personal satisfaction, but for those of us looking in from the outside, there are certain people you can point to and say, “They lived a full life.”
Katharine Prescott Wormeley is one of those people. This historical woman lived through nearly eight decades and lived an independent existence, particularly for a woman of her time, though not a lonely one. From her nursing days during the Civil War to her writing career as an author of several translated works, Wormeley’s life experiences are highlighted in Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip, a historical fiction novel by Gail Ward Olmsted.
Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip plot summary
In October 1907, Katharine, a 77-year-old woman, loads up her car and embarks on a week-long trip between her home in Newport, RI to her second home in Jackson, NH where she plans to retire and live out her days, however long that may be. Despite her determination to make the trip on her own, Katharine does feel that this is her last adventure.
On the way, Katharine stops to visit old friends and makes new ones along the way. A warm and approachable woman, she attracts warm and approachable people, and they often barter services, easing the strain of traveling in what would now be considered a primitive form of transpiration at her advanced age. In return, she is able to dole out advice, provide amusement, and even save the life of a colorful collection of characters.
The story
Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip is a short but full story with an enthusiastic narrator, an interesting time period, and a fast-moving journey populated with fascinating characters and situations. Good natured, poignant, and even suspenseful, Katharine’s trip has the classic road trip feel of a great life experience while also reflective of a life well lived.
The characters
Katharine brings her English charm, worldly viewpoint, and unorthodox lifestyle for a woman of her age. Having never married, she is used to going through the world alone and treating the people she meets along the way like family.
Born into an affluent family, she uses her resources to improve the lives of others, whether it’s through her nursing experience, translated books, charity work, or even someone to listen to. Her family money allowed her to remain single without settling for a marriage that was more about comfort and stability than love. And she takes full advantage of those opportunities to work, travel, and live life her way.
Katharine’s peers are not as accepting of her lifestyle. They frequently underestimate her or offer safe, alternative choices rather than her chosen adventurous ones. Her sister still requires her to check in to confirm she is okay. Her late friend’s widowed husband proposes a marriage of convenience to keep them both from dying alone. And her other friends’ husbands’ attitudes towards women remind her how much she values her independence.
The people Katharine meets on the road tend to be a lot younger than Katharine. Some are eager to listen to her stories. Others feel stuck in a rut and are looking for a solution to their problems. And a few even need Katharine to save their lives with her invaluable nursing skills.
The message
Throughout her journey, Katharine is constantly questioning her fate. She feels like her time is coming to an end. However, any time she is sidetracked, she finds that it is for good reason as she ends up into somebody who needs her help. This makes her feel like she is still useful in the world and has a lot to contribute on many levels.
A lot of people tend to live their lives with the burdens of their regrets weighing down on them. Katharine appears to be free of that burden. She is content with her choices and the good it has brought to both herself and to others. That’s a rare and admirable trait to possess, and it’s what makes this story such a pleasant read.
My recommendation
I recommend Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip to anyone looking for a feel good road trip story that sends a message to its reader without weighing it down in sadness and drama. Olmsted writes in her afterward that this story is a work of fiction. However, it is about a real person, and she brings her protagonist back to life with a strong voice and an even stronger message about living life to the fullest.
My rating
An interview with Gail Ward Olmsted
Gail Ward Olmsted was a marketing executive and a college professor before she began writing fiction on a full-time basis. A trip to Sedona, AZ inspired her first novel Jeep Tour. Three more novels followed before she began Landscape of a Marriage, a biographical work of fiction featuring landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a distant cousin of her husband’s, and his wife Mary.
After penning a pair of contemporary novels featuring a disgraced attorney seeking a career comeback (Miranda Writes, Miranda Nights) she is back to writing historical fiction featuring an incredible woman with an amazing story. Watch for Katharine’s Remarkable Road Trip on June 13th. For more information, please visit her on Facebook and at her website.
You wrote in your author’s notes that you actually made the road trip that Katharine makes in the book. What tips do you have for traveling through New England (time of year to visit, road conditions, places to stop, etc.)?
New England has it all. History, mountains, lakes, oceans, quaint towns and wonderful cities and most everything is close by.
Fall is glorious. The autumn colors never fail to amaze me even after all these years. I adore Newport, Rhode Island, especially off-season. It’s historic and the beaches are sensational.
Boston is a great city and very walkable. The Freedom Trail, The Emerald Necklace (the Olmsted-designed public parks) Faneuil Hall, and the Seaport are wonderful places to visit.
Heading north, I love Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Kate didn’t get there on her road trip, but it is highly recommended. The outlet shopping in nearby Kittery, Maine is awesome.
Final stop- Jackson, New Hampshire. In the heart of the White Mountains, the area is a must-visit all 12 months of the year. Except maybe March. I don’t recommend going anywhere in New England in March, but that’s me.
Wherever you go, enjoy a lobster roll and a cup of clam chowder and be sure to get fried clams at Flo’s Clam Shack in Middletown, RI!!
What other research did you do to prepare to write the book? Is there a piece of information that you wished you could have included in the book but were unable to?
I visited the historical societies in Newport, RI and Jackson, NH and learned so much. I read Kate’s books and many of the letters she had written to get a sense of her personality. I found her to be playful, witty, and generous.
I also read the books she wrote, including The Other Side of War– an eye-opening account of her time as a volunteer nurse on a hospital ship. I would have like to include more of those types of experiences in my novel, but chose to focus on what she took from the experiences rather than the experiences themselves.
Do you have a favorite scene?
I loved when Kate had lunch with the three career girls at the café in Lawrence, MA. The food was good, and the lively conversation included meeting the Queen of England, the women’s suffrage movement and the importance of not letting yourself be labeled as simply “the smart one” or “the pretty one.”
In Kate’s words:
“My younger sister, Ariana, well, she was considered the true beauty of the family, took after our dear mother. She had men falling at her feet while she was still a girl in school. But I came to realize fairly early on that she was as clever as they come. Smart as a whip and a noted playwright to boot. She met and married a wonderful man named Daniel Curtis, and they are very happy together to this day. They have two grown sons and spend most of their time at their villa in Venice. So you see, no one of us is just the one thing.”
The cover is so well done. Who made it, and did you have any input in the design?
Thank you!! David King, the head of the design team at my publisher, Black Rose Writing, is the designer. I provided a very rough idea of the scene I had in mind and he took it from there. He’s a genius!
The new acquaintances that Katharine meets along the way are all very friendly and helpful. Did you consider creating any shady characters or situations that would throw a bigger wrench into Katharine’s plans?
I did have issues like that in my mind when the story started to develop. I considered serious car problems, bad weather and totally unscrupulous individuals and how she might react. But I didn’t want to see her hurt or seriously inconvenienced in any way because those who doubted her abilities would be able to say “I told you so!” I could not let that happen!
The only times things don’t seem to go according to plan for Katharine turn out to be fortunate for someone else as Katharine usually ends up assisting them in some way, even saving their life. She then questions whether this was fate or coincidence. What are your thoughts about this?
I am not a big believer in coincidences or fate, for that matter. I think if we are open to people and new experiences, things will happen, both good and bad. It’s how we choose to deal with things, that’s what shapes our lives and our future.
Katharine often remarks that she doesn’t think she has much time left, and she does end up passing away the following year. Are her suspicions a type of premonition or just practicality due to her age and declining health?
Maybe a little of both. She acknowledged that whatever time remained was precious and maintained a ‘seize the day’ mindset, but a solo road trip is a perfect time to reflect on your life- past, present, and future and I wanted her to have few, if any, regrets.
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I was born on the road & lived my first 10 years on one long road trip. I would like to spend more time roadtripping near Canada.
Interesting! Thanks for reading!
My ideal road trip would be somewhere like an amusement park or mountain.
Great choices! One is high energy and the other is more calm and secluded.
My ideal road trip now would be easy, like glamping. Spend my more adventurous spirit submerging myself into the local scene.
Very interesting. I’ve been taking very intense and busy vacations in recent years, and a quieter, more secluded trip sounds good. Thanks for the comment!