A review of There Will Come Soft Rains: A Journey Along the Western Front by Briana Gervat
There Will Come Soft Rains is a contemplative narrative tracing Briana Gervat’s solo journey along the Western Front of World War I. She walks with reverence through a landscape marked by devastation, memory, and nature’s resilience. Her appreciation for art and literature begins with the book’s title, inspired by Sara Teasdale’s poem, “There Will Come Soft Rains.”
The Western Front, an abstraction in my own mind, became tangible through Gervat’s careful tracing of the route she follows. World War I, long confined to world history classes, existed for me as dates, maps, and names to memorize. This book prompted me to reconsider what I had overlooked, or what history instruction often moves past too quickly.
Cozying up with the book and our Schnoodle on a recent winter weekend. Walking the Western Front Way: History Experienced on Foot
In late August of 2022, Gervat, a poet, photographer, and art historian, arrived at the start of the Western Front Way in France. She walked more than 500 miles in 36 days through landscapes still marked by the Great War. She notes that some terrain may take several more centuries to fully recover. On many nights, she camped where day’s end brought her, a layer of tent fabric the only barrier between her and the outdoors, persistent rain included, and the occasional wild boar.
Art, Memory, and Reflection in There Will Come Soft Rains
As she hikes, Gervat’s mind meanders off the trail at times. An Inuit custom for coping with rage, the real bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh, and Pilates are woven into the narrative. These digressions reflect the book’s associative, contemplative structure. She also draws a striking connection between Monet’s Water Lilies and World War I, one I wished I had known years earlier while standing before Monet’s triptych at MoMA.
Gervat’s deep respect for history and landscape is evident throughout. Her attention to cathedrals, forests, cemeteries, and small villages offers readers a reflective lens on how war reshapes place long after the fighting ends. This book will resonate most with readers drawn to contemplative travel writing, pilgrimage narratives, and historically grounded walks. It asks readers to slow down and consider what history reveals when we give it time.
Planning Your Own Western Front Way Walk
If Gervat’s journey sparks your own curiosity about the Western Front Way, here are a few practical notes and places to consider as you begin planning.
When Gervat walked the Western Front Way in 2022, she relied on the WayTrails app for navigation. While the app is no longer active, the WayTrails website remains available and offers downloadable GPX files, route details, and planning guidance. The site also highlights additional long-distance trails across the region. Cyclists will find mapped options as well.
To hear Gervat speak about her walk in her own words, listen to Footsteps of the Fallen: Trench Talk — Walking the Western Front with Briana Gervat.
If you’d like to read Gervat’s account for yourself, you can purchase There Will Come Soft Rains on Amazon (affiliate link, no extra cost to you).
If You Enjoyed This Review
If contemplative journeys rooted in place are your kind of reading, you may also want to explore:
Windswept by Annabel Abbs — on walking as creative and personal liberation.
Brave-ish by Lisa Niver — a candid travel memoir about risk and reinvention.
A Family of Good Women — a multigenerational novel where landscape shapes legacy.
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