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)

A Wild Journey.

This is one of the most emotional books, a roller coaster of tears and smiles so rewarding and a Great adventure.

Soul food

An absolutely phenomenal story — truly, it is nourishment for the soul, and fantastically written. A real escape that also makes you think.

loved this book on multiple levels

terrific story about nature, and a young woman's journey through life. Normally not my favorite genre but I found the author's honesty touching and authentic. By the end of the book I was truly grateful that she had written this. The book also worked very well for me in the audio format.

Great story but hard to get into at first

Although it was hard to get into, the story does pick up, but with lots of detail throughout. Teaches you important lessons, such as enjoying the journey that you are on, having the journey be the reward, and not a path to said reward.

Awesome book....

Can't wait to see the movie! I own land in Kennedy Meadows and feel like trying a day hike on the PCT!

Walking To Awaken

Would you listen to Wild again? Why?

Yes. The trek on this trail is not for beginners. How she did it is an amazing adventure.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the weaving in and out of her pain and past as she fought to take her steps forward toward her goal, with memories fueling her quest.

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

She had a voice that convinced me I was listening to Cheryl.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed a lot from the learning the hard way experiences. Was very moved in suspense and sorrow for the revelations and the situations.

Inspiring but edgy

Inspiring story. I wish I had been warned at how many Times the "F" word was used before hand. Not something I could listen to in the car while carpooling kids around...but overall great story and great narration.

Help, Healing, Hardship And A Bit Of Hilarity

Fantastic! I read this while painting my house. I laughed, actually, cried, actually, and swore. I was so engrossed in the story, I missed a movie date while painting and listening. This may seem trivial in a book review, but my wife recently died and I have been suffering immensely trying to deal with the loss. Laughter has been hard to come by. Understanding of my pain even harder to find. And healing seemed impossible to ask for, yet I found some of all these in this book. There are some parts of the trip that disgusted me, like the almost rape by an archer, but the listen was an escape and inspiration. I loved the closing lines and found some healing. This book works on many levels, but I recommend it to those who are drowning in sadness. It will make you cry, but that will end with the sweetest of tears.

Heart-wrenching

I have waited a few months to write this review as I wanted to reread the book to fully absorb and understand it. I have read a few of the critical reviews and all I can think is these people have never had a devastating loss to their entire world that shook them to the core of their beings. Wild takes that feeling and puts it on paper. The emotion that was emitted throughout the book was very transparent and relayed very easily to the reader. I found I had to put this down a few times because Cheryl's loss and fear was so real, I needed to distance myself. If you are a lover of reincarnation, revival, emotional or outdoor-sy books, this is definitely a read for you.

Wild Is An American Classic

This book isn't really about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. This is a woman peeling off the emotional scabs of hurt, loss and regret. She didn't hike all that much of the trail and perhaps exaggerated parts she did, but the pain is all real. A loving portrait of a loving mother, who made a million mistakes, but lived without regret. Well done.