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)

Beautifully Riveting!

This is certain to be a classic, capturing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the integrity and resilience of the human spirit all at once. A MUST read/listen!

how motivating!!

I listened to this book anytime I had the opportunity. As a Backpacker myself I was able to identify with everything and this has motivated me to do my own thru-hiking.

Wonderful story

Wonderful story. Very thought provoking and enlightening. I loved the narrator as well she has a way of portraying emotuons in the story very well. Would and have highly recommended!

Great Adventure

Idiotic, adorable, funny an sad. Best book I've listened to in a long time.. A delightful listen! now I want to walk the trail!

Excellent book!

What did you love best about Wild?

Great story line! Honest and funny!

What other book might you compare Wild to and why?

Into the Wild

Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Never heard any of Bernadette Dunne's performances before, but I definitely enjoyed it.

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

Yes definitely!

Any additional comments?

As a 26 year old, I really connected with this book. It was a great movie as well, but I definitely enjoyed the book more. Went into more detail then the movie did.

Entertaining story, but unfair spiritual criticism

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, because the story is well written and the adventure is somewhat reasonable. I gained knowledge of backpack trips and the great strength of character needed to undertake one.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrative and its two main characters, Cheryl and Gregg.

What about Bernadette Dunne’s performance did you like?

I liked the even tone, which fluctuated only when called for.

Did Wild inspire you to do anything?

Yes, to write this review and let the author know that criticism of the Catholic Church was gratuitous. My belief is that the author has a problem with the Church and slams it unnecessarily.

Any additional comments?

The author could have woven the lack of belief in God into the story, beginning with lack of belief, while slowly gaining understanding of the supernatural and its importance in healing.
The character, Cheryl, is desperately seeking 'something' besides healing and belief in the Almighty as an ending would have been ideal.

Great story!

I really enjoyed her hike! What a great journey and one I would love to take myself one day.

Interesting story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Got a little slow at points but overall a good story.

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

No extreme reactions to this.

Strength to move on!

I could relate on so many levels with her and truly feel the empty lostness in search of something more. Like going in my own head at times. Thank you for this gift of thought in writing. I am just looking into backpacking as well and this encounter of it has interested me even more. I too could find myself out there and have a great adventure :)

Good story

Is there anything you would change about this book?

What a dumb question.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bernadette Dunne?

Maybe Cheryl Strayed herself? I found Dunne's voice irritating, and her attempts to replicate male voices by going "gravelly" were really distracting.PS---the "who" in the question should be "whom"

Do you think Wild needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Any additional comments?

I've been a fan of Strayed's for a while. Having backpacked portions of the trail she describes, I had to laugh at her naivete about how to prepare (I've been there!).