The Girl Touched by the Wild

By: Karen Farley

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Rette was born on a small dairy farm in southern Wisconsin—land with wide pastures bordering on forest and a cold, clear trout stream rimming its edge.

From the beginning her parents could see that she was odd, different from other children in the way that she was always listening, often with her ear pressed to a tree or flat to the ground, hearing the sounds of roots at work in the earth, listening to the thoughts of the animals. Slow to speak, she showed scant interest in the rest of the world or in school or her classmates or the townsfolk, and little interest in the farm itself, despite her love of the woods and the stream that lay out beyond the pasture.

Although she listened to the litany of the cows’ complaints and grew vegetables that fruited abundantly, she was little help with the herd or household chores, preferring to watch the birds building their nests or the deer nosing through the browse. But mainly Rette walked and drew and fished, and, as she grew toward adulthood, tried to ask the world why it was that she alone could hear all of its conversations—and what she was to do with all she heard, where she was to fit in the world.

©2023 Karen Farley (P)2023 Karen Farley

Evocative and thoughtful

This is not my usual type of book, but I heard that the narrator believed that it deserved attention. I figured she ought to be a good judge of that, so I started listening. I enjoyed Xe Sands narration and found it soothing and compelling. Her style matches the narrative very well.
The story and writing reminded me of Ivan Doig's work but with a focus on nature. It strongly evokes Rette's time and place. I liked the other characters around Rette because they were kind and thoughtful. I liked that we get lots of time with Rette to see her unique view of the world and that we also get to see Rette from others' POV to help round out the picture. The only thing I didn't like was the way Jules's character was handled after she finished high school. The conclusions drawn didn't make a lot of sense in the context of the book and seemed shoved in at the last minute. I would rather have stayed with Rette and finished her life.
However, I can tell that this is the kind of story that will always stay with me and come to mind at times, even if that is just to argue with parts. I agree that it deserves attention from more readers.

A Unique Story & Characters! Great Narration🎧

Karen Farley pens an original novel, one that held my interest from start to end. I enjoyed her writing style and how her descriptive details brought me right alongside the characters, allowing you to see everything they saw and to know what was going thru their minds. The story focuses on Rette, starting when she was a young girl and takes you on her life’s journey, from a young girl to coming-of-age to adulthood. Rette is a unique individual and sees the world differently than most. She connects with the land and the wildlife like no other and it was interesting to hear her perspective on that and life in general. She did not have many friends, but she clicked with Paul, and their friendship morphs into more and they build their own life together, staying on the land that Rette loves. Paul works at his father’s store and also gives fishing tours and lessons. The two are resourceful, and I enjoyed watching their relationship grow. Rette’s story includes her family life and we also get a glimpse in to her brother Luke’s life and his heartbreak. I loved how Rette connected with his daughter, Jules, because she saw herself in her. That ending took me by surprise, I was not expecting it, but it was beautifully done. 

🎧📚🎧 And for wonderful narration, Xe Sands is an entertaining storyteller, and she did an amazing job bringing the characters and story to life. She set the perfect tone for the story and captured all the characters’ emotions and had you feeling them all. Sands is a versatile voice artist and a pleasure to listen to.

Touching story of life.

There are some books that while a little different from my usual listen, grab my attention and pull me in. That is what Karen Farley has done with The Girl Touched by the Wild. The story of Rette's life from beginning through generations is quite an eye opener. Seeing life through the lens of her perspective is not only interesting, but at times inspirational. From the time she was small, she had a connection to nature, hearing the whispers for the plants and trees and from that she has a true admiration for the world around her. Living a simple life, without the new ways that technology was bringing at the time, she kept to herself and loved her family. Always willing to help, she loved with her whole heart, helped those in need and even found traits of herself in the birth of Jules. Through good times and bad, it is a a rocky and lovely time. This is a story that will stick with me.

The narration by Xe Sands truly brought out the beauty of this book. Her delve into Rette's mind and creation of her voice made the story flow, and added the feelings to her soul. I loved her style of narration, as she grabs a hold of each part of Rette's world and brings out all the feelings. I loved her performance.

Family Saga

This was my first Karen Farley's book. This story is different than what I have read before. Rette is an interesting character. This family saga is inspirational. Xe Sands did a great job bringing this story to life. #HomeCookedBooks

Enjoyed this one

The Girl Touched By The Wild is my first book by the author. Retta is a farm girl who can hear the whispers of nature. This story covers her life and that of her family. It is heartwarming as well as heartbreaking. The imagery of nature the author gives us is just breathtaking. The ending is a little abrupt, but the narration was good. I'm not sure if I would have read this book or not, but the audiobook was enjoyable.

Beautiful story with excellent narration!

Beautiful story with excellent narration! Karen Farley is a new author to me, so I went into this story not knowing what to expect other than a beautiful performance by Xe Sands, a favorite narrator. It’s difficult to really categorize this book about a family through time and how they grow and change with the land itself. Xe Sands’ wonderfully gentle performance is the perfect way to experience Karen Farley’s words. Rette is very obviously different from the very beginning. She listens to the world and hears something completely different from the rest of us. She sees the world through the lens of nature, as it speaks to her. When you learn how she listens to nature and what it tells her it becomes a whole new story. Her parents nurture and support her differences, enabling her to learn in a different way and find her place in the world. The balance of nature and growth of a family through time was a comforting listen. No big mysteries, suspense, or great excitement, but real life through the beautiful lens of nature with an exquisite performance by Xe Sands.

I recommend it!

If you love the natural world, this book is for you. Rette, the fascinating main character, can hear and feel what is going in the lives of the many creatures living in the forests and streams around her. Her family doesn’t understand but gives her the space she needs to investigate her unusual abilities. When her niece is born with the same gift, Rette is the only one able to relate. The author has created a vivid world with a myriad of details about Rette’s life on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin. Her descriptive prose draws you into the story and you can’t wait to see what’s next. Most fascinating of all to this reviewer are the accounts of what Rette hears from the animals, the trees, the bees, even the roots moving up through the soil. I highly recommend this book. The audiobook is as intriguing and well done as the printed version.

Mesmerizing Story

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook as much as reading this amazing book.

The narrator does a wonderful job transporting the listener into a story filled with the beauty and power of the natural world swirling all around us in our everyday lives . And those who truly hear her call and chose to live in harmony with the earth.

I would recommend as a great audiobook experience.

A Different Perspective

This was my first experience with Karen Farley's work, and there were times I was fascinated and moments where I was moved by the mysticism that flowed throughout the tale; however, it also left me with the question as to where was the story going? Rette was a child who was born with a unique connection with nature. She had trouble fitting in with the rest of her community, and yet, as her story unfolded, her life was very similar to most peoples' lives. Xe Sands' narration was fine, but there were times when the words were muddled, and I had to listen carefully to understand what was being said. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.

A unique story!

This was a fascinating story that was different from my usual listen. Rette was an interesting character and I like that we not only saw the world through her unique perspective, but also learn how others see her as she grew up.

I really enjoyed the author’s writing and her captivating storytelling ability. One of my favorite things was the way Rette’s family gave her space to be herself which lead to her being able to live the life she chose to live.

I really enjoyed the narration by Xe Sands. There were moments that I felt it was a bit hard to understand the narrator, but overall it was an amazing listen.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️