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)

Incredible, Moving Journey

What a gorgeous memoir! Many reviews criticizing the narrator's intonation and the performance of the book, but the words and writing are so powerful it really transcends everything else. It felt like being on the journey with Cheryl Strayed and so many of her insights reflect my own experiences over the last few years since losing my own father. Highly recommended book!

Not quite what I expected, but very good!

the narrator did a pretty good job changing the tone, etc when Cheryl met the various people on the trail. I thought that made each one interesting. I liked the very end... wrapped everything up nicely.
inspiring - proves a person can do what they set their mind to, even when it is not easy.

Compelling!

Would you listen to Wild again? Why?

Absolutely! I felt like I was there, hiking the trail along with the author. Her descriptions of the scenery was vivid and real. She was not a fitness guru, but a regular ordinary young woman trying to find herself. I loved every minute of the book.I'm sure if I reread it, which I plan to do, I'll pick up things I missed the first time through.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the "realness". This could have been someone I knew. She is a great story teller. I could picture everything as she described it.

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

Oh I've always loved Bernadette Dunn. She is an excellent narrator. I would read almost anything she narrated!

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

Yes. I did not listen in 1 sitting, but I was sad when the book ended!

My favorite book.

i wasn't a fan of the narrator. I was looking forward to a more young sounding woman.

Everything.

Never bored. Always intrigued. Laughed a few times. Cried once or twice too. Our hero Cheryl shares her quarter life coming of age on the hike of her life.

Incredible!

A truly amazing and inspiring story! What beautiful, heart warming and gutting journey felt though her words.

For those who need it.

Cheryl Strayed’s journey on the pct is more than a hiker’s notes and guided on the trek. It is about the whole journey. Strayed tells us about the struggles in her life outside of hiking. The growth in her character we see is so relatable and inspiring. Definitely a good choice for those going through some kind of loss or break up and just want to escape and return to nature.

Just what I needed

Yes a great read with vivid detail and uplifting prose. Just what I needed during this time of distancing !!!? Thanks. Glad to be Wild ........

I didn't want the journey to end.

I have listened to four or five audible books now and this is a favorite. I couldn’t wait to listen to it on my drives to and from work every day.

Listen to it for the movie loved it for itself!

I listen to this book when the movie first came out honestly just because I wanted to see what was different but I truly do love this book it is about a young woman trying to find herself after losing her mother the adventure is her own and the retelling is so beautifully done. I love Bernadette Dunne and she voices Cheryl strayed so beautifully.