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)

Amazing adventure!

Great book - an amazing adventure. The narrator was an interesting choice and at first I wasn't sure but it ended up being a perfect fit!

Great book

I love all the adventure in it along with the personal story in it she shares.

Not what I expected

This book was interesting. I’ve heard of the book, but hadn’t read it nor seen the movie. I was expecting an interesting story’s out backpacking, but had no idea of the drug use, death, and other additions. It was a good listen.

Entertaining with some tears, laughs & eye rolls

Some things the author does absolutely make you roll your eyes and wonder how anyone could be quite that naive or stupid, but overall, I found the book to be entertaining with some moments of very raw emotion, and it definitely brought me to tears more than once.

Not sure it's something I would listen to over and over again, but I don't regret the time and money spent with the 'starved' writer on her journey.

Much Deeper Than Expected

After the death of her mother, Cheryl is left floundering emotionally and turns to a number of self destructive behaviors which ultimately lead to the collapse of her marriage and the beginning of her journey along the PCT. I admit that initially I was not impressed with the early chapter. I found the author's younger self to be unappealing and I was just about to turn it off when I found myself on a longer drive. I gave into the story and came away glad that I did. Once the journey began in earnest, I forgot the early discomfort and began to appreciate the growth in the character and the often wry and self deprecating humor Cheryl Strayed weaves into her tale. This is an adventure that unfolds like the trail; slowly, sometimes faltering along the rocky slopes and treacherous terrain of the human condition. I came away feeling like a better person for having read this book. I particularly enjoyed reading about all of the people she met along the way and how kind everyone was to her. This is a beautiful, thoughtful book!

Honest and totally capitvating

Would you listen to Wild again? Why?

yes... it's a compelling from start to end

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the intimate candor expressed about the thoughts rolling through mind of the author throughout the trip

Which scene was your favorite?

the meeting with the three guys hiking the trail... and the interaction

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

1) putting down of the horse2) candid thoughts about her mother... end of book

Any additional comments?

this story stands on its own without Oprah's endorsement... in fact, I had to overlook the endorsement.

Great symbolism throughout the entire book!

I had to read this book for an English class and wasn't able to put it down once I started. Amazing!

Good read!

The story kept me interested through it's entirety. It's a story of letting go and growing up.

A touching story

great narrator. Listened to it every time in the car. A moving piece that will inspire a transformation in you

loved this

Great book for audio performance. Magical and inspiring story. take your time listening to it and enjoy the journey