Wild

It is crazy that we are already experiencing cooler days and evenings in Mid February, the middle of our summer.  After a long grey winter, we really need a few nicer weeks before autumn arrives.  Looking at our friends in the  Northern Hemisphere, we know that we must seem petty, as perched on our little islands we have quite mild weather with little in the way of extreme cold or searing hot,  but the grey skies can get a girl down.

So it was a perfect chilly afternoon yesterday, the long pants were pulled out and the sandals put away, closed in shoes worn and a scarf topped off my outfit.  As it was valentines, me and a bestie chose to avoid the evening sessions, and instead had a late lunch and then went to see Wild at the cinema.  As it was valentines Day, I shouted my bestie an ice cream - for that is the kind of friend I am.

I had read the book, but my friend had not.  She really enjoyed the movie, and I thought they did a great job of interrupting the story.  If you don't know - Wild is the true story about Cheryl Strayed who after a divorce, heroin addiction and the death of her mother decides to hike the Pacific Coast Trail from Mexico to Canada.  Months alone in the desert and hills force her to face her demons and I guess find herself and is a story that has resonated with lots of people.

Reese Witherspoon does an awesome job, and is the perfect actress for this role, in a role unlike her other cutsie characters.   I think I like her in this more serious persona far more than any other movie I have seen her in.

Just a warning - there is some sex and drug scenes in this movie, so not one for the youngsters.  4/5

Wild - Cheryl Strayed

Wild - Cheryl Strayed (2012)

Wow.  I was trying to get to bed early last night, but when you only have twenty pages left of a good book, you have to ignore your instincts and just read the damn book.  I didn't really expect to enjoy this one, a book about hiking.  I used to think I like hiking and walking, but to tell the truth, I like my bed and a good shower.

So Cheryl is in her twenties and trying to deal with her demons.  Her mother has recently died, her marriage is over, she has been involved with drugs and a destructive relationship.  So seeking to escape and discover herself, she grabs a sleeping bag, tent, some books and the heaviest pack in the world and takes off on a walk on the Pacific coast from California to Oregon.

So it is not all Eat Pray Love thank goodness, at times she really hates what she it doing, and I could picture how bad her toenails and feet were, and I wondered how she could have done it without any training.   Her writing made me feel like I was on the journey with her, and even though I didn't expect it, I found myself looking forward to reading more about the journey.  5/5