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)

Dang! Great trip through life and the PCT!

OVERVIEW: “Wild” is the memoir of Cheryl Strayed’s remarkable 3-month, 1100-mile journey along the Pacific Crest Trail. (The Pacific Crest Trail or “PCT” is an 1100-mile nature trail that navigates the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges spanning from the border of Mexico to the border Canada). The inspiring and engaging part of Cheryl’s story is that she undertakes this challenging expedition as a 26-year-old single female with very limited trekking experience. This memoir is filled with countless soul-searching experiences and a number of encounters with fascinating people along the way. In the daunting wake of the somewhat sudden death of her mother and the ensuing loss of her marriage, Cheryl, a native of Minnesota comes across a PCT brochure when buying a snow shovel at a national outfitters store. There is a moment of inspiration and the rest is history… or should I say her-story!

WRITTEN BY AND FOR:
This book is written for anyone who likes inspiring stories of people overcoming incredible and daunting circumstances in their lives. “Wild” is a very well written travelogue in which Cheryl takes some time away to make some sense out of some very recent a very significant losses, to fight multiple demons from the past and to find a way forward in her life in spite of everything that has transpired to this point.
NOTE* - This is NOT a book for trekking geeks or purists who may be looking for tips and tricks on what to pack, camping spot reviews or strategies on how many miles to cover in a day on the PCT.

TAKEAWAYS:
Cheryl is a survivor and is an proof positive that so long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other you will get there. Regardless of whether you’re coming to grips with a broken childhood, navigating the 1100 miles of the PCT or becoming a Best-Selling Author the courage is found in the beginning the journey. Congratulations Cheryl!

BUY/READ THIS BOOK:
This book is a best-seller for a reason. Read this book with an open mind and follow Cheryl through all of the Ups and Downs, Twists and Turns and be truly encouraged. Highly recommended.

A Long Journey

I was not a fan of the narrator. She made it clear when there was dialogue but there was not inflexion when the character was excited or scared. I liked how it was easy to follow where she was on the PCT. But I was surprised by the ending.

its like watching a landslide in slow motion

I struggled with this one. I disliked watching her sabotage herself over and over.

Enjoyable trip book

What did you love best about Wild?

If you are looking for a book to take you into someone else's life this is the book for you. Descriptive and real the story will take you not only through Cheryl's trek but also her personal life. It provides an opportunity for the reader to reflect on their own life but also to understand and feel the pain, joys and triumphs of another.

What other book might you compare Wild to and why?

In some ways the book reminds me of Eat Pray Love. The journey of self-discovery.

Love this story. She is real and raw! Emotional

What made the experience of listening to Wild the most enjoyable?

She came thru life turning tragedy into life lessons and authenticity of finding and loving oneself

An Adventure the Inspires

The tail makes me want to go backpacking for week long stints until I can take enough time off work to disappear in the mountains for several months.

Wild and wonderful!

Where does Wild rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my first one and it was great!

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the lessons that Cheryl learned along her journey.

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

She did a great job telling the story. I felt like I was really listening to Cheryl tell it herself.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes!

One of the best books I have listened to in a long time

What s great book. I really felt like I was along for the trip. Excellent story and performance.

Immersive trek ...very enjoyable

I've often daydreamed about the PCT and this book drew me in readily. A well told narrative full of light moments, soul searching and plenty of solid facts. Very enjoyable journey with Cheryl Strayed.

Wow! I didn't want the book to end.

I expected this book to start out on the trail. It didn't. Instead, the book begins by telling about what led the author to her journey on the PCT.

It took me a little bit of time to get into the story. Once I got a bit into the book, I was completely hooked. I couldn't stop listening. I felt like I was on a journey with the author... and I was sad to see the journey end. It was a great escape during my workday.