Wild

From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

By: Cheryl Strayed

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Wild is a powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an 1100-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe - and built her back up again.

At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State - and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.

Strayed faced down rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and loneliness of the trail. Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

©2012 Cheryl Strayed (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

“No one can write like Cheryl Strayed. Wild is one of the most unflinching and emotionally honest books I've read in a long time. It is about forgiveness and grief, bravery and hope. It is unforgettable.” (Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle)

“While reading Cheryl Strayed’s stunning book about her arduous solo journey along the Pacific Crest Trail, I kept asking myself - what would I do if I were stripped bare of everything - money, job, community, even family and love? Thoreau once said, ‘In wildness is the preservation of the world.’ For Strayed, it is clear that in wildness was the preservation of her soul. She reminds us, in her lyrical and courageous memoir Wild, of what it means to be fully alive, even in the face of catastrophe, physical and psychic hardship, and loss." (Mira Bartók, author of The Memory Palace)

“Cheryl Strayed can sure tell a story. In Wild, she describes her journey from despair to transcendence with honesty, humor, and heart-cracking poignancy. This is a great book.” (Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia and Seeking Peace)

Never too old to relate to the journey

Although this novel is spoken from the voice of a young woman there is much to relate to from any age. The themes are universal- loss, fear, extreme effort as we try to find our way through life, to understand the feelings of hatred for one parent or another finally understanding that they did the best they could given the circumstances. And rivers run, carrying away our sorrows making way for joy. That's how I felt at the end of this book.

WOW! BEST BOOK I'VE HEARD!!!

I LOVE THIS BOOK! MY GIRLFRIEND AND I LISTENED TO THIS TOGETHER AT WORK! WE LAUGHED AND CRIED, THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS WE BOTH RELATED TO. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! BEST BOOK I'VE BOUGHT ON HERE BY FAR. ALSO, THE NARRATOR NAILED IT, VERY TALENTED!!! THANKS!

A Real Story of Adventure

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This adventure story is inspiring: describing one of those people who go on a fantastic journey of the body and soul. Cheryl is honest and vulnerable in her telling. She explains her heartache and uncertainty, the mistakes she made and the pain she endured. I found much of it to be refreshing but there were definitely moments her choices made me crazy with worry or frustration. She seems self-assured that this journey and the choices she made lead her to the happy life she now lives, but I seriously doubt that she is better off for some of them. Some choices she admits she doesn't understand and can't really explain but felt she had to do. If I were her friend I couldn't possibly support some of the decisions she made and if she were my friend she would blow off my help and do whatever she felt anyway. After all the honesty Cheryl shared with her readers, she gave herself a happily ever after ending I found inauthentic, unbelievable, and disappointing.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I enjoyed that the narrator's voice was a bit rough, I felt that her natural voice matched the personality of Cheryl very well.

Wonderful memoir of self discovery and courage.

Many of us can only dream of making such a journey. The emotional growth, lyrical prose and frank honesty of Cheryl Strayed is inspiring. Wild is a metaphor for the difficult trips we must take in our lives. Bernadette Dunne brings Strayed's story to life.

Unexpected page turner!

I found myself cheering Cheryl throughout her courageous journey & scared when I thought she'd be hurt or worse. Her honesty is stark and somehow cleansing, even for the reader in an odd way. So well written & read. And, I was So glad to hear her 'after story'. Unforgettable!

great memoir!

a great read! very well written and what a great story! this was quite a task for anyone to take on, let alone an inexperienced beginner hiker! I don't think a lot if people could have completed this mission! a brave girl and a great story! highly recommended!

Grabbed me right away

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it's very well written and a great story of a woman finding herself

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cheryl is multi-dimensional as she recovers from a difficult time in her early adult life.

What does Bernadette Dunne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved her as narrator. I assumed she was the author until I checked. She conveyed the author's story with passion.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Hiking to a new life

Inspiring

I've been to several of the places the author describes in the book. Listening to her journey and experience made me want to do it all myself as well. such true story and something everyone feels in their life

Trigger warnings, full honesty

I am thankful for the authors honesty and blunt story telling. It made me feel less alone in my trauma and more inspired to do the trail than ever before. However, be aware that there are MANY triggering subjects throughout the book.

PCT we will meet

I didn’t want this book to end! Such a great read/listen. I would highly recommend this book.