Review: WILD by Cheryl Strayed

WILD From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed was published in 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York and also in Canada by Random House Canada Limited, Toronto.

This adventure is true and based on the life of Cheryl Strayed after a death, adultery, divorce and heroine fascination. It is a true finding oneself while traveling on a trail that is not heard about hear on the East Coast as much. Over here on this side of the USA we tend to think about the AT or Appalachian Trail which runs from Georgia to Maine. So I was intrigued by the fact that there was a PCT or Pacific Crest Trail.

If you are going to do this type of hiking I think this would be a good book to read. As a woman I do not know if I would have attempted this by myself. I have always traveled with a companion. In the book, Cheryl does meet several trail hikers and forms a bond. They are inspired by her and she is inspired by them. I wonder if I traveled with someone on a trail whether I would give up if they wanted to stop. Maybe it would be a good idea to be on ones own, not to be pressured to stop or go on if you were feeling really vulnerable.

I was surprised she met only good folks with good intentions, except for a couple of times. The book lets you know the pratfalls of not being prepared, ill fitting equipment and how to make sure the boxes you ship to yourself actually make it in time.

The real story of course is the feeling of being lost in life. Not finding what you are looking for in the relationships that push you out into a world of exploration. I am not sure my natural thoughts after the bad events that happened in my life would be to hike a trail. I probably would be more of a run away to Europe for a month or drive across country type. I think that I would be to chicken to walk on a trail without a companion, no matter how much I could reflect on life without other input. Maybe a cabin in the woods with running water, showers and a fireplace would be a good compromise.

I liked the book it took her over 18 years to put this adventure into book form, I think it would be difficult to put your life on a plate for others to push around with their forks. I liked that she found herself in the end.

Review of: Where'd You Go Bernadette, by Maria Semple

Where'd You go , Bernadette by Maria Semple was published in 2012 by  Little, Brown and Company a division of Hachette Book Group.
The narrator of this book is a little girl nicknamed Bee by her mother, because when Bee was born she has a heart defect and she was blue so her mom Bernadette, thought to name her Balakrishna. This God was blue. Bee is a smart girl who spend more time with her mom than anyone else. The people in her life are her mom-Bernadette, her dad- Elgin, her friend Kennedy. All the other people in her life are the school folks and their moms. Bernadette lovingly calls them gnats. The story is set in Seattle, with flashbacks to a time before Bee was born, provided by letters to a person named Manjula Kapoor and Paul Jellinek from Bernadette.

Everything centers around Bernadette, the gnats are constantly doing things to annoy her and are just mean. One gnat in particular Audrey Griffen even pretends her foot is run over by Bernadette's car to get sympathy from her fellow gnats. Elgin is not around to see any of this because he is ensconced in his Microsoft world trying to make Samantha 2 online for the vets to use. Samantha 2 works by turning on and off things with just a simple thought from the person wearing the headgear. But one of the gnats starts working with him and she idealizes him. She starts putting thoughts into his head about him being abused and they should have an intervention.

This book is about disappearance, see Bernadette removes herself from the public eye as an architect when her baby the Twenty Mile House, is bought and knocked down by her neighbor. She goes into a deep depression and add several Seattle. She buys a school to live in which she  initially intends to revive, but starts dealing with the gnats and well nothing happens with the house. Their is a trip planned for Antartica, which initially Bernadette does not want to go to, she hates people. AN intervention is planned and Bernadette disappears again. The gnat at Elgins office takes advantage of this and gets Elgin to sleep with her, ONCE.

I am not going into all the details, but it was a fun read. I relate to Bernadette in a weird way. When I first moved into my home I was meet with people who really wanted to get into our lives. I am reticent about this and so I did not join Bunko or other things that were supposed to be want the IN moms did. When we first moved to the area we were coming from DC and moving into this small own town on July 4. There was a block party scheduled that they wanted us to come to on the third. That was when our movers were coming, we could not drive 5 hours away for a block party. They never forgave us, we were the outcasts, not born and bred in this city. Things are better, but I definitely identified with Bernadette and just wanting to be able to do my thing without being scrutinized about my  choices.

Another apology

I have been substitute teaching and trying to write a story, so by the end of the day I have not the eyes to read. I am almost through SONS AND LOVERS, by D. H. Lawrence, but it has been a few days since I have visited the Paul, his mother, Miriam and Clara. I have been really amazed at the sexual tension between, Paul and his girls,, that includes his mother. No girl is right for him and even though she says she wants him to find a nice girl, she refuses to let that girl be Miriam. Of course, if Paul had his way I think he would marry his mother. His fantasy is to have her and him live together in a nice house, just the two of them until she dies. I get the creepy feeling he would be like one of those people who keep the dead mother preserved in the bed she died in.

At this particular time Paul is infatuated with Clara Dawles, a married woman who is reseparated from her husband. Everyone knows this, but he is pretending that they are mere acquaintances, though his description of her neck and breasts when she bends over lead you believe otherwise.

Very interesting book.