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Wild
- From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Women
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Into the Wild
- Written by: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.
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Dated reading
- By Marc on 2019-01-28
Written by: Jon Krakauer
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AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
- Written by: David Miller
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to hike 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Trail. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is Miller’s account of this thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. Listeners are treated to rich descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the rewards of taking a less conventional path through life. While this book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it also provides useful passages about hiking gear and planning.
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Redundant
- By Alissa Korberg on 2022-08-05
Written by: David Miller
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Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart
- An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail
- Written by: Carrot Quinn
- Narrated by: Erin Spencer
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Carrot Quinn fears that she's become addicted to the Internet. The city makes her numb, and she's having trouble connecting with others. In a desperate move, she breaks away from everything to walk 2,660 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It will be her first long-distance hike.
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Overall good thru hike book
- By Chelsea on 2021-12-11
Written by: Carrot Quinn
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Girl in the Woods
- A Memoir
- Written by: Aspen Matis
- Narrated by: Stephanie Tucker
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis' exhilarating true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to Canada - a coming of age story, a survival story, and a triumphant story of overcoming emotional devastation. On her second night of college, Aspen was raped by a fellow student. Overprotected by her parents who discouraged her from telling of the attack, Aspen was confused and ashamed.
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Good Roadtrip Book!
- By Anonymous User on 2020-08-24
Written by: Aspen Matis
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Tiny Beautiful Things
- Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar
- Written by: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Cheryl Strayed, Steve Almond (intro)
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills. And it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the best-selling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice. Tiny Beautiful Things gathers the best of "Dear Sugar" in one place and includes never-before-published columns.
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Should be mandatory reading
- By Jennifer on 2021-02-22
Written by: Cheryl Strayed
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Eat, Pray, Love
- One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
- Written by: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned 30, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. She got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world, all alone. This is the absorbing chronicle of that year.
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Amazing listen
- By Ashmo604 on 2022-02-06
Written by: Elizabeth Gilbert
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Into the Wild
- Written by: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.
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Dated reading
- By Marc on 2019-01-28
Written by: Jon Krakauer
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AWOL on the Appalachian Trail
- Written by: David Miller
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 2003, software engineer David Miller left his job, family, and friends to hike 2,172 miles of the Appalachian Trail. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is Miller’s account of this thru-hike from Georgia to Maine. Listeners are treated to rich descriptions of the Appalachian Mountains, the isolation and reverie, the inspiration that fueled his quest, and the rewards of taking a less conventional path through life. While this book abounds with introspection and perseverance, it also provides useful passages about hiking gear and planning.
-
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Redundant
- By Alissa Korberg on 2022-08-05
Written by: David Miller
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Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart
- An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail
- Written by: Carrot Quinn
- Narrated by: Erin Spencer
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Carrot Quinn fears that she's become addicted to the Internet. The city makes her numb, and she's having trouble connecting with others. In a desperate move, she breaks away from everything to walk 2,660 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It will be her first long-distance hike.
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Overall good thru hike book
- By Chelsea on 2021-12-11
Written by: Carrot Quinn
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Girl in the Woods
- A Memoir
- Written by: Aspen Matis
- Narrated by: Stephanie Tucker
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Girl in the Woods is Aspen Matis' exhilarating true-life adventure of hiking from Mexico to Canada - a coming of age story, a survival story, and a triumphant story of overcoming emotional devastation. On her second night of college, Aspen was raped by a fellow student. Overprotected by her parents who discouraged her from telling of the attack, Aspen was confused and ashamed.
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Good Roadtrip Book!
- By Anonymous User on 2020-08-24
Written by: Aspen Matis
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Tiny Beautiful Things
- Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar
- Written by: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Cheryl Strayed, Steve Almond (intro)
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills. And it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar—the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the best-selling memoir Wild—is the person thousands turn to for advice. Tiny Beautiful Things gathers the best of "Dear Sugar" in one place and includes never-before-published columns.
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Should be mandatory reading
- By Jennifer on 2021-02-22
Written by: Cheryl Strayed
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Eat, Pray, Love
- One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
- Written by: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned 30, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. She got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world, all alone. This is the absorbing chronicle of that year.
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Amazing listen
- By Ashmo604 on 2022-02-06
Written by: Elizabeth Gilbert
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Becoming Odyssa
- Adventures on the Appalachian Trail
- Written by: Jennifer Pharr Davis
- Narrated by: Jennifer Pharr Davis
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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After graduating from college, Jennifer isn't sure what she wants to do with her life. She is drawn to the Appalachian Trail, a 2,175-mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine. Though her friends and family think she's crazy, she sets out alone to hike the trail, hoping it will give her time to think about what she wants to do next. The next four months are the most physically and emotionally challenging of her life.
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amazing
- By Alana G. on 2020-04-30
Written by: Jennifer Pharr Davis
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Tiny Beautiful Things
- Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar
- Written by: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Cheryl Strayed, Steve Almond (Intro)
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills. And it can be great: you’ve had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the courage to write your novel. Sugar - the once-anonymous online columnist at The Rumpus, now revealed as Cheryl Strayed, author of the best-selling memoir Wild - is the person thousands turn to for advice. Tiny Beautiful Things gathers the best of "Dear Sugar" in one place and includes never-before-published columns and a new introduction by Steve Almond.
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Do Yourself a Huge Favour and Listen to This Book
- By Emerset Farquharson on 2019-08-16
Written by: Cheryl Strayed
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This Telling
- Out of Line collection
- Written by: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Kristen Bell
- Length: 41 mins
- Unabridged
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A genealogy test sparks a woman’s reflection on the two accounts of her life--the real one and the one she’s always told the world--in this poignant short story by Cheryl Strayed, the bestselling author of Wild. In 1964, teenage Geraldine Waters was sent away by her parents to an unwed mothers’ home, where she gave up her newborn for adoption. Ever since, she’s lived an alternative narrative. Decades later, it’s time for Geraldine to reconcile the telling of her life, to finally grieve, and to discover what happened to that part of her past that slipped away.
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Amazing, heartbreaking, astonishing
- By CKH Vancouver on 2020-10-19
Written by: Cheryl Strayed
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Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Mexico to Canada
- Written by: Bruce Nelson
- Narrated by: Bruce "Buck" Nelson
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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One April morning I left the Mexico border and walked north on the Pacific Crest Trail. For five months I hiked through the California desert, the snows of the Sierra Nevada, and the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. My goal was to succeed in an epic challenge: to hike 2,650 miles and reach Canada before the October snows.
Written by: Bruce Nelson
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North
- Written by: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek
- Narrated by: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners. Renowned for his remarkable endurance and speed, accomplished on a vegan diet, he's finished first in nearly all of ultrarunning's elite events over the course of his career. But after two decades of racing, training, speaking, and touring, Jurek felt an urgent need to discover something new about himself. He embarked on a wholly unique challenge, one that would force him to grow as a person and as an athlete: breaking the speed record for the Appalachian Trail.
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Pure inspiration
- By Rainson on 2019-10-06
Written by: Scott Jurek, and others
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How the Wild Effect Turned Me into a Hiker at 69: An Appalachian Trail Adventure
- Written by: Jane E. Congdon
- Narrated by: Andrea Gappmayer
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a terrific audiobook. It's interesting, well-written, and timely. It's the story of a textbook editor who retires, reads the popular book The Wild Effect and decides to hike the Appalachian Trail - and have an unexpected adventure! The tone is wry humor, tongue in cheek - the author has a great sense of humor, is perky, and as she learns in this adventure, is often in over her head! She is a very likeable character.
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Opinionated - fat shaming
- By Lise Bennett on 2020-10-18
Written by: Jane E. Congdon
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Wild
- Written by: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Ludmila Ruoso
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Lorsque sur un coup de tête, Cheryl Strayed boucle son sac à dos, elle n'a aucune idée de ce qui l'attend. Tout ce qu'elle sait, c'est que sa vie est un désastre. Entre une mère trop aimée, brutalement disparue, un divorce douloureux et un lourd passé de junkie, Cheryl vacille. Pour tenir debout et affronter les fantômes de son passé, elle choisit de s'en remettre à la nature et de marcher. Elle part seule pour une randonnée de mille sept cents kilomètres sur le Chemin des crêtes du Pacifique, un parcours abrupt et sauvage de l'Ouest américain.
Written by: Cheryl Strayed
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Torch
- Written by: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Cheryl Strayed
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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"Work hard. Do good. Be incredible!" is the advice Teresa Rae Wood shares with the listeners of her local radio show, Modern Pioneers, and the advice she strives to live by every day. She has fled a bad marriage and rebuilt a life with her children, Claire and Joshua, and their caring stepfather, Bruce. Their love for each other binds them as a family through the daily struggles of making ends meet. But when they received unexpected news that Teresa, only 38, is dying of cancer, their lives all begin to unravel and drift apart.
Written by: Cheryl Strayed
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Thirst
- 2600 Miles to Home
- Written by: Heather Anderson
- Narrated by: Heather Costa
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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By age 25, Heather Anderson had hiked what is known as the "Triple Crown" of backpacking: the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail - a combined distance of 7,900 miles with a vertical gain of more than one million feet. A few years later, she left her job, her marriage, and a dissatisfied life and walked back into those mountains. In her new memoir, Heather shares her distinct message of courage - her willingness to turn away from the predictability of a more traditional life in an effort to seek out what most fulfills her.
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someone looking for self justification...
- By Bob Webster on 2020-01-28
Written by: Heather Anderson
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Running Man
- A Memoir
- Written by: Charlie Engle
- Narrated by: Charlie Engle
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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After a decade-long addiction to crack cocaine and alcohol, Charlie Engle hit bottom with a near-fatal six-day binge that ended in a hail of bullets. As Engle got sober, he turned to running, which became his lifeline, his pastime, and his salvation. He began with marathons, and when marathons weren't far enough he began to take on ultramarathons, races that went for 35, 50, and sometimes hundreds of miles, traveling to some of the most unforgiving places on earth to race.
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Perfect
- By jason harrison on 2019-12-31
Written by: Charlie Engle
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Bliss(ters)
- How I walked from Mexico to Canada One Summer
- Written by: Gail M. Francis
- Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Just before her 40th birthday, Gail Francis quit her perfectly good job and set out to hike one of the great trails of the world. Carrying everything she needed on her back, Francis spent five months walking from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. Along the way, she lost her pack scrambling over scree in the desert, struggled to navigate high mountain passes, and wore the soles off her boots trekking across lava fields - all within some of the most pristine wilderness in the nation. Though she set out alone, her story includes an eclectic cast of characters.
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middle of the night listen
- By Brenda on 2019-09-24
Written by: Gail M. Francis
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Walking Thru
- A Couple’s Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail
- Written by: Michael Tyler
- Narrated by: William Sarris
- Length: 5 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Bored and fed up with life, staring down a 50th birthday, Mike Tyler was looking for a change. Life had become routinized and unexciting. Maybe it was a mid-life crisis, or maybe just a yearning for one last big adventure. Mike decides to try hiking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail, just to see what happens. Mike convinces his wife, Margo, to join him. Together, they embark on a five-month hike full of anticipation. They hike through some of the most stunning and remote places in the country on a trail full of unique, offbeat characters.
Written by: Michael Tyler
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.
What the critics say
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What listeners say about Wild
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Crystal D.
- 2019-12-31
Great story, but poor choice of narrator
I love Wild, I’ve read the book, but wanted to listen on audible for entertainment while working. In the book, Cheryl is in her 20’s but the narrator has the voice of an older woman, it really takes away from the feeling of the story unfortunately.
4 people found this helpful
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- AmyLee
- 2018-02-13
Loved it!
I LOVED THIS BOOK! I didn’t want it to end. Way better than the movie. Loved it.
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2021-01-27
Great adventure!
Wish this book had been read by the author, but nonetheless a great story about the becoming of a young woman.
1 person found this helpful
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- emily_joan
- 2021-01-19
Best book I read in 2020
Compelling story. Fantastic performance. I couldn’t stop listening. I would get home from work and sit in the car in the driveway just so I could keep listening.
1 person found this helpful
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- Veronique Noiseux
- 2021-01-13
Inspiration to go out there and hike!
I had watched the movie a long time ago. I have been into changes in my life and started hiking more often and thought I would listen to this book through Audible. I absolutely loved it! It inspired me to make new goals in my life and try long solo hiking myself.
1 person found this helpful
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- Gary W
- 2020-11-14
a must read
Cheryl reminds us that we must all find our way back to ourselves somehow.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2017-12-12
Great adventure book!
Loved the movie so I listened to the book which was equally as adventurous and exciting, with many more events and details.
My only small feedback is the readers Swedish accent which sounds very Asian haha, but other than that everything is perfect.
1 person found this helpful
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- Melanie J Pollard
- 2022-01-28
great book
loved it! started it and couldn't stop until it was done in only two days.
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- lancey
- 2022-01-14
Easy listening
Good narration and easy to follow and listen to. It was a good story as well.
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- Jessica Saunders
- 2021-10-22
amazing
I highly recommend this book! i could not..."put it down". It pulls you in, and when its over, your heart may feel lighter.
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- NMwritergal
- 2018-04-20
I Listened right after Tiny Beautiful Things
As I said about Tiny Beautiful Things, also by Strayed, if the whole world loves a book, the chances are that I’ll hate it (e.g., Eat, Pray, Love—which is probably my least favorite memoir of all time). But since I loved TBT, I thought I’d give Wild a try. I enjoyed it just as much, albeit in a different way.
Tons of reviews for this Wild, and FanB14’s review echoes my thoughts about the book. So I’ll say: so far, this is this best memoir I've read this year, albeit long after everyone else read it. I think I read it at the "right" time. I think it's well suited to reading when you're in
hard place, which doesn't have to be anything like the author's dark place. And you don't have to have any interest in "long haul" backpacking--I've got about zero interest in the subject, but nevertheless found all those details about the hike and nature captured my attention and held it. As did the reason for Strayed's hike.
24 people found this helpful
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- John Glaze
- 2015-03-20
Not a big fan.
I didn't really enjoy the writing style. Performance was good. Although the book seemed both immature and pretentious. Cheryl just complains the whole time and doesn't really learn anything worthwhile on her hike. She was strong to make it all the way but she treats the smallest inconvenience like it is mt. Everest. So when real trouble comes along it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. Her mom showed her how to be optimistic and cheerful through tons of hardship and she seems to just love wallowing in her own misery. I didn't hate the book though and it was pretty entertaining at times. I might recommend it to someone else.
23 people found this helpful
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- FanB14
- 2013-04-08
Glad I Took the Trip
I am probably one of the last people to read and review this book because I tend to shy away from most Oprah selections. Yes, Oprah has inspired thousands to pick up a book who otherwise might not have and catapulted authors into super stardom and for that I applaud her and am thankful. I just tend to stray from over-hyped books at first. There, I said it; please don't hate me.
This selection was wonderful and here is why I enjoyed it. At 26, Cheryl was divorced from a man she loved; lost her supportive mother to cancer; abusive father left around age 6; disconnected from siblings; and was pulling out of a previous spiral into the world of heroin. Finding herself in a dark place, she turned to the guide for hiking the Pacific Coast Trail as many people turn to the Bible or any other source of enlightenment to find themselves.
Strayed shares abundant, almost copious details from her 2 months journey, laying out all the ugly and pretty inbetween with a raw, soul-searching style. You embark on the ill-planned journey of her life in addition to the hiking trip and travel not only through the rough terrain and mishaps, but deep into her soul searching. I don't find her self-involved or Godless, merely honest and I enjoyed each and every step.
Some reviewers disliked the narrator and I admit I wasn't crazy about her voice at first. If Cheryl was 26, I was thrown how the narrator's gravely older voice didn't match. However after the first 30 minutes, was hooked. Grew to think of her as the present day Cheryl recounting the past.
If you read and enjoy this title, download or pick up a copy of Mary Karr's, "Lit."
220 people found this helpful
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- Rochelle L.
- 2015-03-03
Whiny, self-absorbed & a painful listen
Whiny, self-absorbed, poorly written & as interesting & relevant as a 13 year old's diary. Narration was painful too but I blame the author for the miserable writing. See the movie instead.
11 people found this helpful
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- Mel
- 2012-04-12
Amazing Undertaking--Good Book
Previous reviews have made it clear, this is not a wilderness/adventure, it's not Into the Wild. The title is an adjective describing the author--the book, a personal journey with the PCT being a backdrop,--the backpack "Monster", probably a metaphor for Strayed's emotional load. Had there been reviews when I picked this book up, I might have made a different choice, but am glad now that I stumbled upon this. It was entertaining, moving, and frank; the writing was well done; the narration interpretted nicely.
Strayed writes about a difficult early life, leading up to the PCT choice, with detailed clarity, providing a more dimensional emotional component to the characters because of her adult recall some 20 years later. In spite of a "wild" personal lifestyle (at the time) she still writes the characters with honesty, even warmth and humor. She describes a pretty rough and amoral young woman, as well as some characters, in the community of trail nomads, that use the F-bomb in every part of speech known--and a few more. She doesn't pander for sympathy, she doesn't shrink from possible judgement--which she could easily do; but her writing style is as brave as her undertaking the PCT.
Only 3 stars?...I thought this a good read, but wouldn't pass it along unless someone was already considering the book. While giving such an honest account of her personal journey was brave, as Strayed described the trail at times--parts of her journey were "tedious". The parallel story of the actual hike? A brave undertaking with equal parts of lunacy involved; or at the very least, based on her lifestyle at the time and drug use, some wreckless disrespect for nature that realistically carries some weight regarding "bravery". I would caution readers: the passage dealing with putting down the mother's horse is brutal to the point of being traumatic, and impacted me immensely, even though I have witnessed such an event. I almost put down my ipod and quit; while a necessary event, I question the necessity of subjecting the reader to the horrible details (but then it is her book). Understanding upfront what this book is about, I think almost every reader will like this one--some more than others.
159 people found this helpful
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- Nado Frog
- 2015-02-21
REALLY...?!! A book about PCT?
If you are reading "Wild" to experience the PCT, be warned. She skips the first 150 miles from the border and rides in a car for most of the trail's path in the Sierra. Doesn't hike a mile in Washington state.
Not a book I would suggest my 16 year old daughter read.
7 people found this helpful
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- Kelly
- 2013-01-03
What am I missing?
I just wasn't blown away by this book. Interesting enough story, but I just couldn't really feel any empathy for Cheryl.
32 people found this helpful
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- M. Sheets
- 2012-04-18
Cheryl Strayed into my heart
Would you consider the audio edition of Wild to be better than the print version?
I listened to the audio edition on a long drive alone. Then I bought the e-print book and read it aloud to my wife. Both were moving experiences.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Cheryl Strayed. I understood her grief for her mother due to similar circumstances in my life. Hiking the PCT was an (un-realized) dream of mine in my youth, and is still something I long to do. Cheryl's honesty is her most amazing trait (or at least equal to her story-telling); she somehow manages to be brutally honest, while never being in the least bit offensive.
Have you listened to any of Bernadette Dunne???s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I listened to Margarette Atwood's "The Year of the Flood." Dunne clearly has range and is very believable in both narrations. I just purchased another of her narrations in Atwood's "The Robber Bride." I am looking forward to it but am saving it for my return drive home in a few weeks' time.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes. But I listened to it in two sittings - it was a two day drive!
Any additional comments?
This is a book which should be read aloud. Listening to the audible version was so satisfying. And then it was amazing to find that reading it to my wife aloud was equally so. I think it has to do with the honesty of voice in the writing. The story begs to be heard.
I bought this at the last minute before a long solo drive as I knew I needed the companion of a book to get me through the miles. Admittedly, I was intrigued by the title and like many commenters here, I assumed it would be more of a travel log. I had no idea what to actually expect with regard to just how interesting (or boring) a reading it might be but took the chance anyway. Unlike many of my disappointed co-commenters, I was struck by my avid joy at having found such a gem which delivered so much more on several levels that I could ever have anticipated. Far from being disappointed to have found out that the book was not a travel log, I simply abandoned that preconception, and associated expectations, and launched with joy (and a lot of tears) into this wonderful story which was about so much more.
Cheryl didn't find lemons and make lemonade. Instead she found rattle snakes where she thought she'd find lemons, and adjusted to their rattle. She found torn feet where she thought she would find deliverance, and worked and worried through the pain of her toes and heels daily. Just as some readers here have done, she found things she hadn't expected. She dealt with the disappointments. And found pain mixed with joy mixed with discovery and fun in the bargain.
67 people found this helpful
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- Dutchie88
- 2012-03-25
Frank, touching and funny - a real page turner
I am an avid mountain hiker, so when browsing Audible.com and spotting a book with a hiking boot on the cover my interest was peaked. Listened to the prologue and actually gasped, then laughed, then listened with mounting interest. I bought the book.
This is not a book about the Pacific Crest Trail and it is. I know, sounds crazy doesn't it? The PCT is the main thread, it gives the story continuity and a goal. The real story is how and why Cheryl Strayed happens to be on (or strayed onto) the trail. She takes us on her life's journey, along many of the lows, a few of the highs and shows us what lessons she took away from them.
In the telling CS is absolutely frank and honest. She tells us things most of us probably wouldn't tell our mothers, perhaps not even our best friends and certainly not total strangers. But it makes the telling even better. And she tells the story well! CS has a smooth writing and storytelling style, that drew me in. At times I found myself laughing out loud, while at others I was moved to tears and at all times I wanted to know what would be/happen next!
Bernadette Dunne does an excellent job. The narrator can add something to a book or absolutely destroy it. I've put probably perfectly good books away, because the narrator annoyed me so much I couldn't go on listening to him/her. Not BD though, she adds to the story!! At no point does she become irritating, annoying or worse. Her pleasant voice and style make reading this book an even better experience.
Sometimes the language is explicit (i.e. when CS writes about a sexual fantasy or her experiences with drugs), but never abusive, always functional and always with a lesson to be learned. Not forced upon us, but the attentive reader can pick it up easily.
Like I said before: the book is not about the »PCT« and it is. The part that is, tells us how best to prepare for a long distance hike .... or not ;-). The hiker in me gasped at her description of her first packing of her backpack, then laughed out loud when the image of her lifting it was conjured up in my head, suffered with her when she talks about her hiking boots and was not a little jealous when thinking about making a similar trip myself.
»Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail« is totally enjoyable. No lessons need to be learned if you don't want to. You can just enjoy a good reading/listening experience. Your money would not be wasted. However, all of us can take something away from this book and take a fresh look at our own lives to see where own particular »PCT« might lead. Then your money definitely won't be wasted.
So, to everyone - hiker and non-hiker alike - I say: buy this book!!
64 people found this helpful
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- Ehdeedee
- 2015-02-13
Like a car accident.
The narration was well done. The story, well, was like coming upon a horrific car accident. As awful as it was, I still couldn't seem to walk away. The story is everything wrong with our western society. Drug addictions, promiscuity, adultery, abortion, divorce, alcohol, insecurity, and spiritual starvation all wrapped into one person. One person who can ponder the meaning of her own life while casually throwing having an abortion amongst the list of things she did to prepare for her hike. She struck me as a very deep thinker in some aspects while in others so incredibly shallow and self absorbed as to make you nauseated. For someone who had always dreamt of being an author, I find it interesting that one of her favourite adjectives is 'f-ing'. Not for anyone under the age of 18, and definitely not for anyone easily offended by someone who can cross nearly every moral boundary and somehow justify it as something she couldn't help but do. The fact that this is a true story makes the entire thing that much worse.
4 people found this helpful