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)

Crafty way to tell a story.

For me, this book is a story of hope. Proof that we can all change, no matter what we've done. I read this book in print a couple of years ago, but I enjoyed the audio version as well.

Wild is a journey

Loved this book! Cheryl takes the reader on her emotional journey! It was beautifully written so her words are deeply felt by the reader. Worth the read! Great read for summer vacation!
I feel like I need to do some hiking now as well. Oddly enough it has also inspired me to do more camping with my kids like my mom did with me. Life is fragile and sometimes we forget that!!!!!!!!!!! This book was a great










reminder of that!

Moving Story

This book was incredibly complex and full of insight. I want to thank the author for sharing her story. Her journey was wonderful, and the lessons she learned about herself are motivating for others who may never have the opportunity to attempt such a trip. I found that the book offered so much for others who may be working through grief and loss, and I agree with the author that the wilderness provides simplicity and profound meaning both at the same time. The author's honesty and candid realism were inspirational and courageous. Bravo!

Moving story great narration !

The story was truly wonderful. frustrating at first listening to her struggle and wonderful towards the end hoping for her to only have success!
The story was well narrated and was moving. I listened to it 1.5 x faster but loved it none-the-less!

Awesome story. Can't wait to see the movie to compare!

Inspiring, poetically genius writing!

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

I recommend this book. I've been inspired by the story and the beauty of the prose ever since I listened to it. I'm inspired to hike, but not only that. I want to challenge myself like Strayed to achieve the great "thing" in my own life.

What did you like best about this story?

Cheryl Strayed is a gifted writer and storyteller. I love the way she weaved the story together, and how she painted such a vivid picture of the setting and personalities she met along her journey. Truly brilliant was the the way she conveyed her emotions. Genius.

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

No, I have not listened to any of Dunne's other performances.

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

My Mother also died from cancer so it was painful to relive the whole experience.

Any additional comments?

I'm a new Cheryl Strayed fan. I wish her continued success.

Get out of the house and into the great outdoors!

This story made me long for the outdoors more and more as the story unfolded. I have hiked a portion of the Appalachian Trail and it was fantastic! Now I want to return and hike the whole thing!

captivating

What did you like best about this story?

i found myself able to really visualize the trail and i was eager to get back to finding out where her journey would lead next.

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

listening as she recounted the death of her mother was poignant

Any additional comments?

there were times i found myself shaking my head and wondering how she could be so dumb! hahahahaaa and many more times i found myself astounded at her courage and determination. i admire cheryl's tenacity and her honesty in the telling of her tale, warts and all.

Wow! So resonant!

I loved this book so much that after I finished listening to it, I downloaded the Kindle version so I can highlight all the bits that resonate with me. I've never done that before! And I've never been backpacking! But I have started thinking about doing just that because I find myself in almost exactly the same situation as the author did before her hike: lost and very confused. For the first time in a very long time I feel hope that I can find my way out of the confusion.

Tale of a real-life adventure.

Any additional comments?

Author Cheryl Strayed details the walk she took on the Pacific Coast Trail one summer, hiking over 1100 miles in the process. Still grieving over the loss of her mother, her solitary hike gave her the time she needed to learn about herself and accept her mother's death. Along the way, she met a variety of characters, most friendly and helpful to her. Underestimating the amount of cash she would need on her journey and buying boots one size too small were but two of her challenges. I enjoyed the book very much, but would have enjoyed more descriptions of the trail and surrounding landscape and a little less of the author's drug use and sex life. Still, recommended.

what a book!

The narrator was very good and put emphasis in all the right places. Well written.