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)

Cathartic

Cheryl's story speaks to the soul of a woman on so many levels. Beautiful and cathartic.

Excellent book

I really loved this book. I liked the movie but the book is so much better. I only let myself listen while I'm walking so I walked for 5.5 hours on Saturday.

This is a tremendous memoir !

This was a wonderful book. Cheryl Strayed is an excellent writer. The memoir has prompted me to become interested in hiking. However this book is far more than a book about hiking . It's about life and reflecting upon it and giving life meaning. The audio version is quite good and well read. I was sorry to have it come to an end.

An emotional journey

This book inspires me to explore the wilderness while examining my own emotional turmoil. I enjoyed the story and the honesty of Cheryl Strayed

Excellent

Would you consider the audio edition of Wild to be better than the print version?

Yes, because I could identify with the Cheryl and her challenges as she was "talking" to me about her past struggles and goal.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Cheryl- She took a huge risk and backpacked alone without any experience. Something I would like to do but not sure I have the guts

What does Bernadette Dunne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She has a great voice and really became Cheryl

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

When she had to kill her mother's horse. The story behind why her mother had the horse and how it saved her life. It was very sad the horse did not die right away
I hated Cheryl that she could not be true to her marriage.

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed this story. Glad to see others commented before I bought it.
However, the conclusion was very vague-

Terrific Adventure

Would you listen to Wild again? Why?

I would listen to this book again and recommend to my friends. I've always dreamed of hiking the PCT or the AT and I feel like I've had a taste of it through Cheryl Strayed's experience. I really enjoyed this.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Wild?

I thought the beginning of her hike and her lack of preparedness was a great moment in the book. I felt her pain!

Just what I needed.

The perfect place in my life to find this. Isn't it amazing how that works. Highly recommend. Inspiring, motivating and heartbreak at times.

Amazing

After just coming out of a hike on the John Muir Trail, this story is nothing but delightful and insightful. I loved every second of it!

Amazing Read!

Amazing story! Very compelling!! Author told the story with such grace! Books are always better than movies, but it can't be more true for this book! Must read!!

Better Than Expected

The journey the character takes to conquer her demons is very honest and real. There is no sugar-coating and her epiphanies regarding the impacts of her relationships with her family are revealing and at times scathing and yet forgiving and understanding. Despite all the physical, emotional and psychological pain she endures, her perseverance is very inspiring. The narrator is pleasant to listen to and she is very effective in emoting the sentiments of the character/author.