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lexibrownie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
read this for required reading, but i ended up really connecting with it. i can see why others might not enjoy it as much, but i found it deeply insightful and heartbreaking. i’ll be thinking about it for a long time
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Alcoholism and Cursing
whatwentwrong1177's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, and Death
serenitypickle3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This is an interesting read. I enjoyed the way Krakauer speculated on McCandless’s thoughts, especially when he started comparing them to his own experiences. It made me emotional whenever I saw the impact McCandless had on people’s lives. In short, if you like reading/watching documentaries and also want to do some soul-searching, this is the book for you. :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
amateureverything04's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
Excellent book; Krakauer’s ability to conjure such specific and powerful emotions in a reader with his writing remains unmatched. The section about his summit of Devil’s Thumb is one of the best passages I’ve ever read. Only knock .75 stars because the first half feels slightly bogged down by lengthy exposition, but that’s nitpicking.
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Eating disorder, and Death
marktwomey5's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
mheiling's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death, Suicide, and Grief
d_t_havarson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
And I could swear
That the ocean sings, and the mountains talk to me
I could swear
That I hear her breath, and her heartbeat in the air
I could swear
I could swear
Reading this book for the second time one can't help but to recognize the apologetic patterns Jon Krakauer adopts while talking wistfully about Chris McCandless' life. In cruel and bitter disregard I chalked this book, once deemed one of my favorites, as just another journalistic attempt at glorifying an absentminded youth's attempt at tempting the wild.
However, one can never forget what Chris has done. It has been immortalized throughout film and media, all thanks to Krakauer's inquisitive work and most importantly of all, through Supertramp's ill-fated journey. The comments on McCandless' journey, weather positive or negative, fueled by this book, will forever remain nothing more than scattered thoughts of strangers of a life lived according to one's ideals. That said, I cannot rate this book in a manner of stars, I cannot rate it in any matter at all, I can only read it, try to comprehend what little we now of someone's travels and enrich my life with a fraction of the reflectiveness woven into this work.
That the ocean sings, and the mountains talk to me
I could swear
That I hear her breath, and her heartbeat in the air
I could swear
I could swear
Reading this book for the second time one can't help but to recognize the apologetic patterns Jon Krakauer adopts while talking wistfully about Chris McCandless' life. In cruel and bitter disregard I chalked this book, once deemed one of my favorites, as just another journalistic attempt at glorifying an absentminded youth's attempt at tempting the wild.
However, one can never forget what Chris has done. It has been immortalized throughout film and media, all thanks to Krakauer's inquisitive work and most importantly of all, through Supertramp's ill-fated journey. The comments on McCandless' journey, weather positive or negative, fueled by this book, will forever remain nothing more than scattered thoughts of strangers of a life lived according to one's ideals. That said, I cannot rate this book in a manner of stars, I cannot rate it in any matter at all, I can only read it, try to comprehend what little we now of someone's travels and enrich my life with a fraction of the reflectiveness woven into this work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, and Eating disorder
sarahbythebook's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
1.0
Warning in advance for a bit of a rant.
This book made me so angry. It's supposed to be the book in the someone-gets-lost-in-the-woods subgenre. However, I can't understand that as this book is irresponsible and self serving, and I my god I have nothing nice to say.
As someone who loves hiking and the outdoors, the author's rose-tinted view of this easily preventable tragedy is, in my opinion, a neglectful recounting of Chris McCandless' death. To dismiss his critics and deny the young man's hubris is dangerous, especially coming from a respected voice in the outdoor industry.
Chris had absolutely no business being in the Alaskan back country. He was ill prepared and ill informed, and the man was too pig-headed to heed the advice of those who knew better than him. Traipsing around near the Gulf of Mexico in no way prepares a person to brave the Alaskan bush off peak season.
Add to that his pseudo-intellectual fascination with Tchaikovsky and Thoreau, and Chris becomes yet another arrogant and disrespectful young man who caused harm to so many people without a thought or care for what he would leave behind in his wake.
The first rule of risky adventure is to have a plan and to have someone who knows your plan. Without that, your demise becomes your own responsibility. The author's apparent worship of what Chris did is negligent and irresponsible. The fact that the best part of this book to me is the criticisms written in by Alaskans following the initial article neatly sums up my feelings on both this tragedy and this book.
I'm not totally heartless, though I feel virtually no sympathy for Chris himself, reading about his family's trip to the bus did make me tear up. I'm sorry for the loss that they suffered because of the hubris of their son. I want to read his sister's book soon to see if that's a less bias account. Even if it isn't it would be more understandable coming from his family rather than some stranger that can see almost no wrong in Chris' actions.
This book made me so angry. It's supposed to be the book in the someone-gets-lost-in-the-woods subgenre. However, I can't understand that as this book is irresponsible and self serving, and I my god I have nothing nice to say.
As someone who loves hiking and the outdoors, the author's rose-tinted view of this easily preventable tragedy is, in my opinion, a neglectful recounting of Chris McCandless' death. To dismiss his critics and deny the young man's hubris is dangerous, especially coming from a respected voice in the outdoor industry.
Chris had absolutely no business being in the Alaskan back country. He was ill prepared and ill informed, and the man was too pig-headed to heed the advice of those who knew better than him. Traipsing around near the Gulf of Mexico in no way prepares a person to brave the Alaskan bush off peak season.
Add to that his pseudo-intellectual fascination with Tchaikovsky and Thoreau, and Chris becomes yet another arrogant and disrespectful young man who caused harm to so many people without a thought or care for what he would leave behind in his wake.
The first rule of risky adventure is to have a plan and to have someone who knows your plan. Without that, your demise becomes your own responsibility. The author's apparent worship of what Chris did is negligent and irresponsible. The fact that the best part of this book to me is the criticisms written in by Alaskans following the initial article neatly sums up my feelings on both this tragedy and this book.
I'm not totally heartless, though I feel virtually no sympathy for Chris himself, reading about his family's trip to the bus did make me tear up. I'm sorry for the loss that they suffered because of the hubris of their son. I want to read his sister's book soon to see if that's a less bias account. Even if it isn't it would be more understandable coming from his family rather than some stranger that can see almost no wrong in Chris' actions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Confinement, Animal death, and Classism
stroop's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Animal death
emilymbrown's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-paced
3.75
read it for ap lang lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Death, and Injury/Injury detail