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ruthypoo2's review against another edition
5.0
The story begins with Cheryl's back story and the hardships she's experienced over the previous few years of her life. This really allows the reader to get a good idea of who the author is and sets up how she, as a person, will evolve over the course of the book. The book presents a map at the beginning to familiarize the reader with the full length and varied terrain of the PCT. The book is broken up into five parts, with multiple chapters in each part. Each chapter relays the author's most memorable experiences from different sections of the trail. The experiences shared could be about equipment, the hiking experience, people met, camping sites, etc. It's very easy to feel like a hitchhiker on this hike and relate to the various highs and lows that took place, as well as the insights shared.
Alone had always felt like an actual place to me, as if it weren't a state of being but rather a room where I could retreat to be who I really was. The radical aloneness of the PCT had altered that sense. Alone wasn't a room anymore, but the whole wide world. And now, I was alone in that world, occupying it in a way I never had before. Living at large like this, without even a roof over my head, made the world feel both bigger and smaller to me. Until now I hadn't really understood the world's vastness, hadn't even understood how vast a mile could be until each mile was beheld at walking speed.
By the end of the story, the reader feels like a veteran of the PCT and intimately aware of what works and what doesn't work for a first-time long-distance hiker. It's also heartwarming to share in the tales of comradery that occurs between hikers sharing the trail and people who live along the trail, welcoming the hikers into their communities and servicing their needs. Ms. Strayed tells her story with a sense of humor and humility, admitting freely when she realizes her miscalculations and shortcomings as a hiker. But overall, I was impressed with the level of research and preparation completed before she set out on the hike, and how she managed to survive in a very sparing way at times.
This is a well written, informative, and entertaining book. I'd say it's inspiring, and while reading it you wonder if hiking the PCT could be in the cards for you... then reality sets in and you find you're satisfied to have just been given the opportunity to be a voyeur to someone else's bravery in taking on this historical hiking trail. I loved the quotes and song lyrics included at the beginning of each part of the book, and appreciate the extras included in the book: a list of books read and referenced by the author while on her hike and a Reading Group Guide.
I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator, Bernadette Dunne. Ms. Dunne brought an energy and lightness to her reading of the story that it was even more relatable and like listening to the author share difficult memories and special new experiences as her life expands and evolves.
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Infidelity, Alcohol, Animal death, Drug use, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Minor: Grief
annaofjesup's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Grief, Terminal illness, and Animal death
Moderate: Cursing, Infidelity, Abandonment, Gore, Medical content, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Death, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Body horror, Sexism, Abortion, Alcohol, Addiction, Excrement, Sexual harassment, and Pregnancy
sharlapeggy's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Cancer, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Drug use, Misogyny, Grief, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Addiction, and Alcohol
sweetjuly_src's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Mental illness, and Sexism
jasminrain's review
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Drug use, Addiction, Medical content, Sexual content, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Blood, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, and Abandonment
tabear's review
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, Addiction, Infidelity, Blood, Cancer, Cursing, and Death of parent
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexism
feathers4bookmarks's review
3.75
Moderate: Cancer and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Grief, and Drug abuse
florapants84's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, and Cursing
Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Excrement
samchase112's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicide, Blood, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Animal death, Death, and Drug use
Moderate: Rape, Child abuse, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
adorkabledorcas's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Drug abuse, Addiction, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Suicide, and Vomit