What it’s about (from Goodreads):

At twenty-two, 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 faces 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.

Our thoughts:

While I would find hiking The Pacific Crest Trail to be a wonderful adventure, one that I would take in a heart beat, I do think it was crazy that she made this trip alone. Even the most experienced of hikers doesn't travel such a distance on their own.

I found it quite sad that through this months long trip, her greatest threat was not from any wild animal, but rather from another human being. I also found it a little sad that she burned books along the way. I understand the concept of not wanting to have any extra weight but I think I would have tried to trade more of them with other hikers or simply left them behind in the camp boxes.

When the author divorced her husband she chose a new last name. Rather than return to her maiden name, which is the most common thing to do, she chose to have the name Strayed. To me, that is like advertising that she cheated on her husband. It's like wearing the scarlet letter. I think if she truly wanted to help with her healing process and forgive herself for simply being human, she should get rid of the title that brands her.

Ultimately, I ended up not really enjoying this because I couldn't identify with or appreciate Strayed's choices.

We would recommend this to:


People who big fans of midlife rediscovery stories like Eat, Pray, Love