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gamma_complexity's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
I was drawn to the book because my mom also passed from cancer when I was young, and I could relate to so much of Strayed’s emotions. But her memoir also inspired me to get out there and go on a big adventure!
mrs_bonaventure's review against another edition
5.0
Saw the film first and I'm impressed by how faithful it turned out to be to the book that preceded it. As for the book - brave, honest, joyous with the miracle of life with all it brings, heartbreak and all. I needed to read this in the summer, under green trees and with lots of fresh air in my lungs. It cleans the soul.
jesslolsen's review
4.0
Before I started reading this book, I thought it would be a pretty standard travel book, someone visits somewhere and writes about what they saw, who they met, and a little complication they have to overcome, such as a lost passport or a tropical illness etc. I guess in essence this book does cover those things, but what surprised me was that there is a deeper story that makes it much more compelling to read.
Straight away the prologue lets you know exactly what it's all about. It finished in such an uplifting and mysterious was that I was hooked straight away, and I couldn't wait to hear more about her story - how she ended up hiking the PCT, things that happened while she was there, and what happened after.
Another thing that surprised me, was hearing her describe her Mum's battle and loss to cancer. I've heard people talk about themselves or a loved one getting sick and then either surviving or dying, but I am lucky to be quite naive about what happens in between the diagnosis and end result, so this was the first time I had actually ever heard or thought about it too much. Strayed spoke about the effects of her Mum's cancer treatment (on both her Mum physically, and for herself emotionally) in detail but still respectfully, so you could tell she really loved her Mother very much.
By the end of this book I was ready to go on an adventure myself, or at least think about what kind of 'great achievement' I could do in the future!
Straight away the prologue lets you know exactly what it's all about. It finished in such an uplifting and mysterious was that I was hooked straight away, and I couldn't wait to hear more about her story - how she ended up hiking the PCT, things that happened while she was there, and what happened after.
Another thing that surprised me, was hearing her describe her Mum's battle and loss to cancer. I've heard people talk about themselves or a loved one getting sick and then either surviving or dying, but I am lucky to be quite naive about what happens in between the diagnosis and end result, so this was the first time I had actually ever heard or thought about it too much. Strayed spoke about the effects of her Mum's cancer treatment (on both her Mum physically, and for herself emotionally) in detail but still respectfully, so you could tell she really loved her Mother very much.
By the end of this book I was ready to go on an adventure myself, or at least think about what kind of 'great achievement' I could do in the future!
abfly212's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0