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 good read

I enjoyed the telling of the story as a whole and give it 5 stars but think after about the 100th iteration of Pacific Crest Trail and PCT the author could have used I term ‘trail’ more often than not.

Thank you Cheryl

I listened to these memories in two parts, on my drive from San Francisco to Las Vegas and back. I’m having trouble drawing out the words to express all the emotions I felt listening to the story - all I can muster to say, is Thank you Cheryl.

Wow!!

This book was one of the most inspiring!! The mind can truly overcome anything!! This has motivated me on a whole new level!

Loved it

The mourning of her mother really touches me and gave me words to express my own feelings.
I loved the telling of the journey, filled with obstacles but also filled with so much hope.

good read

makes we want to get on my hiking shoes & walk some trails. Glad she found herself even if it was a hard journey.

Excellent

I loved this book and the audio reading was excellent. I was originally looking for a book about the PCT but got much more instead.

The Journey is The Reward

The book did not meet my expectations. It exceeded them. As I journeyed with Cheryl over the Pacific Coast Trail. I felt her growth and self discovery. I loved hiking in the mountains when I lived in Nevada and I miss them even more after reading the book. There is something like a spiritual awaking embedded in the adventure as Cheryl gains a new sense of self as a result of her perseverance.

I loved the Journey of this book

While I had sad feelings for this young woman and the struggles she went thru. I loved this book. Few woman ever venture out in the wilderness like Cheryl; her story moved me. She's a great writer too.

Great read!

The narrator was great and I loved the book even more than the movie. Excellent story!

First Audible

I liked the story. I’ve tried to pick this book up and read it twice, but discovered, listening to it on audible was a great experience. Nothing like a long road trip! Couldn’t wait for the long drives in the car to start listening again!