Sometimes when an of-the-moment book's buzz has died down, I don't bother reading it. In this instance, I was really glad I picked up Wild, even though its heyday was at least a good five years ago.
Reasons I didn't think I'd enjoy it:
- I'm not a nature person.
- I'm not into hiking. Or camping.
- I didn't think I'd be into the story of a woman hiking in nature for months on end.
Reasons I was wrong:
- I'm still not a nature girl, but I really enjoyed following along with Cheryl as she dodged rattlesnakes, bears and mountain lions and her vivid descriptions of the wide variety of landscapes she traversed.
- I'm still not into hiking or camping, but I had such a deep appreciation for her just picking up and going for it. It wasn't as though she was just setting out for a day trip - she was a badass woman who traveled on her own for three months. This very fact made her story stand out.
- Because of the drama both on the trail (the wild animals, the crazy unpredictable weather, the lack of food and potable water) and her own personal demons (drugs, deep relationship issues, coming to terms with her family's dynamics following the death of her mother) there was always something exciting propelling the narrative forward.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, probably more so because I wasn't expecting to. I love personal challenges, so the fact that she went into this extraordinary challenge without really doing adequate research, without feeling the need to be an expert on everything before she set out, and because of the endless trials she endured on the trail yet managing to push through them when most would have given up, I really found this to be a wild adventure of a book.
Judge the cover: 2/5
Reasons I didn't think I'd enjoy it:
- I'm not a nature person.
- I'm not into hiking. Or camping.
- I didn't think I'd be into the story of a woman hiking in nature for months on end.
Reasons I was wrong:
- I'm still not a nature girl, but I really enjoyed following along with Cheryl as she dodged rattlesnakes, bears and mountain lions and her vivid descriptions of the wide variety of landscapes she traversed.
- I'm still not into hiking or camping, but I had such a deep appreciation for her just picking up and going for it. It wasn't as though she was just setting out for a day trip - she was a badass woman who traveled on her own for three months. This very fact made her story stand out.
- Because of the drama both on the trail (the wild animals, the crazy unpredictable weather, the lack of food and potable water) and her own personal demons (drugs, deep relationship issues, coming to terms with her family's dynamics following the death of her mother) there was always something exciting propelling the narrative forward.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, probably more so because I wasn't expecting to. I love personal challenges, so the fact that she went into this extraordinary challenge without really doing adequate research, without feeling the need to be an expert on everything before she set out, and because of the endless trials she endured on the trail yet managing to push through them when most would have given up, I really found this to be a wild adventure of a book.
Judge the cover: 2/5
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