Audiobook – Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
>> Saturday, August 2, 2008
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publication Date: 1995
Read by: Philip Franklin
The story of Christopher McCandless is one with no real answers, only speculation.
From the audiobook cover:Chris McCandless, an intensely idealistic young man from an affluent East Coast family, graduated with honors in 1990 from Emory University, changed his name, burned all his money, and vanished in search of a raw, transcendent experience. In April 1992, he hitchhiked from Montana to Alaska and walked "into the wild" to begin his adventure, carrying little more than a rifle, 10 pounds of rice, and a collection of books by Tolstoy and Thoreau. Four months later, his emaciated corpse was found at his campsite by a moose hunter. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of INTO THE WILD.
I enjoy Jon Krakauer’s writing style. It’s somewhere between journalistic and sympathetic storyteller. Krakauer definitely has a personal involvement in this story. He clearly states that there are aspects of Chris McCandless’ story that remind him of his own youth.
Chris was an enigma to most people who knew him. His father probably put it best:“How is it,” he wonders aloud as he gazes blankly across Chesapeake Bay, “ that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain?”.
Chris was definitely idealistic, intelligent, rebellious, unprepared, reckless, stupid, compassionate, friendly - all of the above and more. I’m stil not sure of how I feel about him.
Both The Hubster and I have read and enjoyed other books by Jon Krakauer. We both had this one on our ‘to be read someday’ list so the chance to listen to the audio version on a road trip this past week worked out well. It was an interesting book and left me with lots to ponder.
No stars – I couldn’t even finish it
1 star – I didn’t like it but I managed to finish it.
2 stars – It was OK. Not good, but seriously just OK.
3 stars - I liked it. I didn’t think it was great, but I thought it was good entertainment.
4 stars – I really liked it. I really think you might like it too.
5 stars – It was amazing. I’d recommend this to just about anyone.
5 comments:
I enjoyed this one, also (here's my review: http://smallworldreads.blogspot.com/2007/11/book-review-into-wild.html). I think my favorite Krakauer might be Under the Banner of Heaven, although Into Thin Air was amazing, too! I definitely look forward to reading whatever he has next.
Thanks for the review. I have this book on my TBR list so it's good to read another good review.
Smallworld: thanks to the link to your review. I liked both Into Thin Air and Under the Banner of Heaven.
Framed: it's a tough book to decide about. I ended up with some very mixed feelings about McCandless and definitely felt sorry for his family. It was also interesting to hear Krakauer's comparison of his own youthful adventures with McCandless's.
I loved the movie and have had the book on my TBR ever since I saw it.
TeddyRose: we haven't seen the movie yet, but will probably watch it someday. I love Eddie Vedder's soundtrack for it.
Post a Comment