Listen free for 30 days
-
Into the Wild
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £12.89
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Into Thin Air
- By: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the inspirations for the major motion picture Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley. This is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history.
-
-
Exceeded expectations
- By Steve S on 08-11-16
-
The Wild Truth: The Secrets That Drove Chris McCandless into the Wild
- By: Carine McCandless
- Narrated by: Carine McCandless
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The key missing piece of Jon Krakauer's multi million, multi territory bestseller and widely acclaimed Sean Penn film Into the Wild is finally revealed by his best friend and sister, Carine. The story of Chris McCandless, who gave away his savings, hitchhiked to Alaska, walked into the wilderness alone, and starved to death in 1992, fascinated not just New York Times bestselling author Jon Krakauer, but the rest of the nation too.
-
-
I was right!
- By Pete on 12-12-17
-
Touching the Void
- By: Joe Simpson
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott, Daniel Weyman
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1995. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured.
-
-
Fantastic listen/read
- By Blair Ferguson on 13-04-13
-
Woman in the Wilderness
- My Story of Love, Survival and Self-Discovery
- By: Miriam Lancewood
- Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
'My life is free, random and spontaneous. This in itself creates enormous energy and clarity in body and mind.' (Miriam Lancewood). Miriam Lancewood is a young Dutch woman living a primitive, nomadic life in the heart of the mountains with her New Zealand husband. She lives simply in a tent or hut and survives by hunting wild animals, foraging edible plants and using minimal supplies. For the last six years she has lived this way, through all seasons, often cold, hungry and isolated in the bush.
-
-
A lesson about living your life to the fullest
- By Eyrun on 14-12-17
-
Eiger Dreams
- Ventures Among Men and Mountains
- By: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant victories and hardships more brilliantly than Jon Krakauer. In this collection of his finest essays and reporting, Krakauer writes of mountains from the memorable perspective of one who has himself struggled with solo madness to scale Alaska's notorious Devils Thumb.
-
-
Step by step excitement
- By Amazon Customer on 16-06-19
-
Savage Arena
- By: Joe Tasker
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Tasker lies, struck down by illness, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the "big" mountains. One of Britain’s foremost mountaineers and a pioneer of lightweight climbing, he is about to attempt one of the first true "Alpine-style" climbs in the Greater Ranges. The Dunagiri attempt forms part of Tasker’s striking tale of adventure in the savage arena of the mountains.
-
-
wow 👏 what a book great listen
- By travel18 on 06-01-21
-
Into Thin Air
- By: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the inspirations for the major motion picture Everest, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley. This is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest when members of three separate expeditions were caught in a storm and faced a battle against hurricane-force winds, exposure, and the effects of altitude, which ended the worst single-season death toll in the peak's history.
-
-
Exceeded expectations
- By Steve S on 08-11-16
-
The Wild Truth: The Secrets That Drove Chris McCandless into the Wild
- By: Carine McCandless
- Narrated by: Carine McCandless
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The key missing piece of Jon Krakauer's multi million, multi territory bestseller and widely acclaimed Sean Penn film Into the Wild is finally revealed by his best friend and sister, Carine. The story of Chris McCandless, who gave away his savings, hitchhiked to Alaska, walked into the wilderness alone, and starved to death in 1992, fascinated not just New York Times bestselling author Jon Krakauer, but the rest of the nation too.
-
-
I was right!
- By Pete on 12-12-17
-
Touching the Void
- By: Joe Simpson
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott, Daniel Weyman
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1995. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured.
-
-
Fantastic listen/read
- By Blair Ferguson on 13-04-13
-
Woman in the Wilderness
- My Story of Love, Survival and Self-Discovery
- By: Miriam Lancewood
- Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
'My life is free, random and spontaneous. This in itself creates enormous energy and clarity in body and mind.' (Miriam Lancewood). Miriam Lancewood is a young Dutch woman living a primitive, nomadic life in the heart of the mountains with her New Zealand husband. She lives simply in a tent or hut and survives by hunting wild animals, foraging edible plants and using minimal supplies. For the last six years she has lived this way, through all seasons, often cold, hungry and isolated in the bush.
-
-
A lesson about living your life to the fullest
- By Eyrun on 14-12-17
-
Eiger Dreams
- Ventures Among Men and Mountains
- By: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one writes about mountaineering and its attendant victories and hardships more brilliantly than Jon Krakauer. In this collection of his finest essays and reporting, Krakauer writes of mountains from the memorable perspective of one who has himself struggled with solo madness to scale Alaska's notorious Devils Thumb.
-
-
Step by step excitement
- By Amazon Customer on 16-06-19
-
Savage Arena
- By: Joe Tasker
- Narrated by: Stewart Crank
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Joe Tasker lies, struck down by illness, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the "big" mountains. One of Britain’s foremost mountaineers and a pioneer of lightweight climbing, he is about to attempt one of the first true "Alpine-style" climbs in the Greater Ranges. The Dunagiri attempt forms part of Tasker’s striking tale of adventure in the savage arena of the mountains.
-
-
wow 👏 what a book great listen
- By travel18 on 06-01-21
-
The Last Season
- By: Eric Blehm
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Destined to become a classic of adventure literature, The Last Season examines the extraordinary life of legendary backcountry ranger Randy Morgenson and his mysterious disappearance in California's unforgiving Sierra Nevada - mountains as perilous as they are beautiful. Eric Blehm's masterful work is a gripping detective story interwoven with the riveting biography of a complicated, original, and wholly fascinating man.
-
-
Great book for lovers of the outdoors and a mystery
- By Mr. Richard Norton on 17-01-18
-
Classic Krakauer
- 'Mark Foo's Last Ride,' 'After the Fall,' and Other Essays from the Vault
- By: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these fascinating essays, Jon Krakauer shows why he is considered one of the finest investigative journalists of our time. The articles, gathered together here for the first time, take us from an otherworldly cave in New Mexico to the heights of Mt. Everest; from the foot of the volcano Mt. Ranier to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska; from the notebook of one Fred Becky, who has catalogued the greatest unclimbed mountaineering routes on the planet, to the last days of legendary surfer Mark Foo.
-
Finding Everett Ruess
- The Life and Unsolved Disappearance of a Legendary Wilderness Explorer
- By: David Roberts
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finding Everett Ruess is the definitive biography of the artist, writer, and eloquent celebrator of the wilderness whose bold solo explorations of the American West and mysterious disappearance in the Utah desert at age 20 have earned him a large and devoted cult following.
-
127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Movie Tie- In)
- By: Aron Ralston
- Narrated by: Aron Ralston
- Length: 5 hrs and 22 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aron Ralston, an experienced twenty-seven-year-old outdoorsman, was on a days solitary hike through a remote and narrow Utah canyon when he dislodged an eight-hundred- pound boulder that crushed his right hand and wrist against the canyon wall. Emerging from the searing pain, Aron found himself completely stuck. No one knew where he was; no one was coming to rescue him. With scant water and food, and a cheap pocketknife his only tool, he eliminated his options one by one.
-
-
Excellent Story
- By Kate on 19-09-16
-
Alive
- The Story of the Andes Survivors
- By: Piers Paul Read
- Narrated by: Paul Ansdell
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On October 12, 1972, a plane carrying a team of young rugby players crashed into the remote, snow-peaked Andes. Out of the 45 original passengers and crew, only 16 made it off the mountain alive. For 10 excruciating weeks, they suffered deprivations beyond imagining, confronting nature head-on at its most furious and inhospitable. And to survive, these men and women not only had to keep their faith; they had to make an impossible decision: Should they eat the flesh of their dead friends?
-
-
couldn’t finish listening to, returned title...
- By BenGee333 on 17-10-19
-
Lost in the Wild
- Danger and Survival in the North Woods
- By: Cary J. Griffith
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a beautiful summer afternoon in 1998, Dan Stephens, a 22-year-old canoeist, was leading a trip deep into Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park. He stepped into a gap among cedar trees to look for the next portage - and did not return. More than four hours later, Dan awakened from a fall with a lump on his head and stumbled deeper into the woods, confused. Three years later, Jason Rasmussen, a third-year medical student who loved the forest's solitude, walked alone into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on a crisp fall day.
-
-
not great
- By Stuart A. on 05-02-19
-
Wild
- By: Cheryl Strayed
- Narrated by: Laurel Lefkow
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an 1100-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe and built her back up again. At 22, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. After her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State - alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than an idea: vague, outlandish, and full of promise.
-
-
An Exceptional Story
- By Colin on 30-01-15
-
The Climb
- By: Anatoli Boukreev, G. Weston DeWalt
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Climb is a true, gripping, and thought-provoking account of the worst disaster in the history of Mt. Everest: On May 10, 1996, two commercial expeditions headed by experienced leaders attempted to climb the highest mountain in the world, but things went terribly wrong...
-
-
The Climb
- By Guy on 15-06-07
-
Roads to Quoz
- An American Mosey
- By: William Least Heat-Moon
- Narrated by: William Least Heat-Moon
- Length: 21 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the first time since Blue Highways, Heat-Moon is back on the backroads. Roads to Quoz is his lyrical, funny, and touching account of a series of American journeys into small-town America.
-
Death on the Barrens
- A True Story of Courage and Tragedy in the Canadian Arctic
- By: George James Crinnell
- Narrated by: B. Jay Kaplan
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the remote arctic region of Northern Canada, this book takes listeners on a harrowing canoe voyage that results in tragedy, redemption, and, ultimately, transformation. George Grinnell was one of six young men who set off on the 1955 expedition led by experienced wilderness canoeist Art Moffatt. Poorly planned and executed, the journey seemed doomed from the start. Ignoring the approaching winter, the men became entranced with the peace and beauty of the arctic in autumn.
-
Jungle
- A Harrowing True Story of Adventure and Survival
- By: Yossi Ghinsberg
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I heard the rustle again, too close and too real to ignore. I clutched the flashlight, stuck my head out of the mosquito net...and found myself face-to-face with a jaguar. Four travelers meet in Bolivia and set off into the Amazon rainforest on an expedition to find a hidden tribe and explore places tourists only dream of seeing. But what begins as the adventure of a lifetime quickly becomes a struggle for survival when they get lost in the wilds of the jungle. The group splits up after disagreements, and Yossi and his friend try to find their own way back without a guide.
-
-
An idiot abroad
- By Si on 21-03-21
-
Endurance
- Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
- By: Alfred Lansing
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In August of 1914, the British ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. In October, 1915, still half a continent away from its intended base, the ship was trapped, then crushed in the ice. For five months, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.
-
-
Enthralling
- By penobscott on 10-07-17
Summary
Critic reviews
"It works. The listener can imagine Franklin's voice under a television special; Krakauer's text fills in the pictures with ease. Franklin wisely chooses to become involved in the text, rather than trying to manipulate it." ( AudioFile)
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Into the Wild
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- @Scattered_Laura
- 17-09-12
Inspiring and cautionary.
Krakauer's narrative of McCandless' last months is a piecing together of letters, postcards, interviews and notes scrawled in the margin of a book about edible plants. Despite the somewhat scattered threads, Krakauer manages to sew together a tale which is both incredibly inspiring and sadly cautionary.
Readers of this book will, I imagine, fall into one of two camps. One group will see McCandless as an ungrateful fool who didn't make the most of the privileged situation into which he was born. Yes, he gave his money to charity, but it could be argued that someone with McCandless' brains and education could have made more of a difference to the world around him if he had used his idealism and tenacity (and that $25,000) to benefit others instead of indulging his desires to be an intrepid explorer.
The other camp will admire McCandless' daring willingness to live a life less ordinary. He wanted to do something so he did it. He wanted a different kind of life and wished for a different kind of world, and did all he could to make these things a reality. That's a noble ideal, right? Brave even. But also, yes, undoubtedly selfish and somewhat foolhardy.
I find myself with a foot in each of the camps. I understand McCandless' thinking. He was looking for an adventure, for a new and more poignant existence in some untamed part of the world. Unfortunately, he was looking for the sort of adventure that just isn't possible now.
He could have chosen a better adventure. He should have taken measures to ensure that his need for change wouldn't have hurt those who cared about him. But he was also willing to "be the change". In my mind, that made him special.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William Stock
- 29-05-16
best book ever
I've watched the film, and found it inspiring. after listening to this book, it has let me understand him more and gave information about Chris that the film doesnt share
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Fin
- 29-12-20
As close as you’ll get to being on the road with Chris
A great listen, some beautiful additions in here that really make you feel like you knew Chris in a way. Definitely check out Carine McCandless’ book The Wild Truth too, it’s a perfect companion to this book.
Will definitely listen again.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Linda
- 16-02-18
Into the Wild
I saw the movie before I ever read the book and I used to love it, a guy leaving society behind to live a life of great adventure. It amazing and I think I always wanted to do, even thought I am not half the human Chris was, I didn't do well in school and I didn't go on weekly crusades. Reading this book, changed the way in which I saw him however. He had a good work ethic and had some good ideals. But he was also terribly stubborn and quite a crappy human when it came to the people that cared for him. I feel bad for his parents and the people in who's life he came in and changed. It is fantastic to go on great adventures, but not telling a single soul of where you go is foolish and begs for trouble. Anyway, my rating is more indicative of the story within the book than the book itself. It was a good read, well narrated and quite enjoyable. If this story strikes you as interesting, you should definitely read it.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Robert
- 11-03-21
Food For Thought
A sad but well written (and read) story of an idealistic young man, perhaps born out of his time.
The author uncovers a surprising amount of detail about his subject's literal and philosophical journey. It is read in an engaging and appropriately unhistrionic style. There are some editing errors, mostly repeated sentences here and there, but it's not a deal breaker.
Gripping and heartbreakingly redemptive. Recommended.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mr&Mrs_Linny
- 04-02-21
Not great
Got this as I loved the film (if it's ok to love a film that's so sad and based on truth). I didn't realise that there was so little really known about Chris and actually hardly any diary info or first hand thoughts of his so it's all just guess work and info from those who met him. The main issue I have though is the other explorer narratives which are discussed and which just get confusing to the point you don't know if it's Chris' story or someone else's... especially if you take a break and come back. Too dry for me and just would have liked more real info on his journey than hearsay. The film made it feel like there was lots of info on really what happened to him and what he went through but that clearly isn't the case. No one really knows why he did what he did which I didn't appreciate on watching the film.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ramon
- 15-06-20
Love the film, not so much the book
I had high hopes after having seen the film, the book is a slight disappointment.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- MR
- 23-10-11
Compelling, but....
A compelling story, but the narration is sadly lack-lustre. As full a story of events as you are likely to get regarding the enigmatic young man that was 'Alex Supertramp'. Be prepared for a little self-indulgence from the author who clearly associates with his subject, for better or worse.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Josef Williams
- 15-04-22
A must read for outdoor enthusiasts.
Excellent book. Well read. just some mistakes in editing where some phrases are repeated. This happens 3-4 times throughout the book. Other than that, highly recommend the content.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lee
- 03-03-22
Misguided me thinks.
This is a real eye opener of a book which kept me hooked. Alex Supertramp aka Chris McCandless had a privileged background, was astute, likeable by all accounts and a big fan of Jack London. Then he decides to give up his life as he knows it to become a beatnik which would ultimately lead to his death by starvation inside the ‘magic bus’ deep in the Alaskan wasteland.
Was he mad or sane who knows?but as far as I can see it was his life, his choice and ultimately his death.
The book retells the lives of others like Chris and what happened to them which was also interesting.
Well written and well read.
-
Overall

- Craig Mitchell
- 07-08-07
A Book that Never Left Me
I picked this book up in an airport bookstore. You know how that goes. It's slim pickings for anything other than a NYT Bestseller, Romance novel, or books on improving your golf swing. But unlike most last-minute-airport -purchased books, I had it in my hands at every opportunity until I finished it. 'Riveting' is the word. After you've read it, 'haunting' is the word; I've never entirely escaped it.
This is the story of Christopher Johnson McCandless – a young man with tremendous Jack London and Hemingway ideals that wanders unprepared into the Alaskan wilderness. The rest of the book contains what otherwise might pass as filler – but isn’t; the stories of other young men, their idealism gone awry, who wander into the wilderness on journeys of self discovery and mad attempts to triumph over nature.
Krakauer is qualified, too. He used to be one of these reckless, idealistic young men. He was a central participant in his infamous novel “Into Thin Air”. I’ll never forget his recollection of solo free-climbing (no safety ropes or partner) a very dangerous peak, thousands of feet in the air, with only his ice pick and crampons, feeling like his legs were going to go out from under him, and worrying that he’d faint, because behind his back just out of sight, there was nothing except the great roaring of nothingness and a drop to the ground that no one would witness. Crazier? McCandless or the young Krakauer?
What you’re missing out on are the pictures of McCandless’ journeys. Make absolutely certain to get to a book store and at least flip through a copy. The cover photo sums up the reason why this book continues to haunt me. It’s a picture of a snow covered, abandoned school bus – a bleak landscape, the middle of nowhere; pines, a grey sky, no one in sight – that McCandless used as a shelter, stranded and struggling for survival in the wilds of Alaska.
129 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Stephen T. Mcdavid
- 28-02-08
Compelling
Highly recommended. I was mesmerized as much by the author's account of his own extreme wilderness climbs as by Chris McCandless' journey of self-discovery. If you do buy this, listen again (and again) to Chris' letter to the old man who befriended and wanted to adopt him. It is a challenge to us all to forego the comfort and safety of ordinary lives and seek instead the raw experience of life without boundaries. His extremism cost him his life, but his legacy is a reminder to live each day, not merely exist.
35 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amber
- 01-01-12
Bitterly dissapointed with narration
I love this book. I love the story, I think it's told perfectly, a wonderful balance between the life of Chris, his family, his friends, his rides, the people Chris was likened to, and Krakauer's own experiences. To the previous reviewer who questioned the need to include Krakauer's own experience: The story could easily be told without that section, but it would have suffered for the omission. Among other things, it helped bridge the gap between "what we think we know" and "what a near-death in the frozen wilderness is actually like".
So why three stars? Well, the title says it all. This book is all but ruined by the narrator. In the book there are quotes all over the place - from Chris, from people Krakauer spoke to, from Krakauer himself. And yet the narrator does not change his voice at all for each of the different parts. I found myself getting confused - is he still reading from Chris's journal or is he back to Krakauer's voice? It completely wrenches you out of the story, and stops the heart of the story coming across.
Add to that the audio-sin of dodgy recording... a repeated line or two due to someone not worrying about listening to the final product before releasing it (probably in too much of a rush to cash in on the movie success to worry) makes this an audio book I would not recommend.
As to the actual book - do yourself a favour, buy, beg, borrow - find a copy. Remember your young ideals. Remember the times you've done stupid things that could've ended very differently. Enjoy this book.
44 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- S
- 26-01-08
Wild
I had seen this book in the store many times but never thought it looked any good. Then a friend said I'd love it, so I gave it a try.
Contrary to the many negative reviews of the narrator, the story, etc. (which also made me not want to buy it), I thought the narration was suitable for the story and not bad at all.
The story is not necessarily 'new,' but it is told in such a way that it was hard to put down. And there is much more to it than 'just a guy going into the wild and starving to death.' The end is interesting and unexpected.
One reviewer said the book had no point and they just didn't get it. Well, I don't get that. The book has many points and was interesting on many levels and points of view. It is a story of survival, and of death, but it is also a story of idealism, struggle on many levels, seeking the immaterial, and a journey in itself, with much background information.
For anyone who has ever sought something more than the consumer world offers, this book will very likely push a few buttons. And for those who think this guy was just an idiot like Grizzly Man, there is much more to it than that.
See the movie after reading the book.
44 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Leslie
- 02-03-09
Love this book, left me wanting more!
What a perplexing young man. It is a tragedy that "Alex Supertramp" did not live to tell his own story. It would have been magnificent to glimpse into his mind, even for a second. To find out what he really was thinking. Not many men or woman hold themselves to such a strict moral code.
I wish that I could find more stories that move me in such a way.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Michael Buckingham
- 07-11-07
Great Read- Great Listen
I've read this book at least 5 times over the past 10 years and I'm riveted every time. The audio book is awesome but I'm disappointed that Mr. Krakauer didn't narrate it himself. He's a great author and even better narrator in my opinion. Don't pass this up.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Amazon Customer
- 27-04-08
Into The Wild
Wow, this book will haunt you. Jon Karkauer did some excellent research as well as shared his own simular experiances in writing this one and I am sure Chris' family really appreciated it.
The movie was great but you have to read the book to get the full impact of this story.
I just can't get this one out of my mind.
You must read it!
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Kevin
- 23-03-13
Much better than the film, but...
Having been a huge fan of this story since I first heard of it, I was excited to listen to the audio version. While there is nothing wrong with the narration, per se, the post production leaves much to be desired. There are several times, as others have noted, when a line of audio is repeated. Although it only happens a few times, it takes away from the emotion and flow of the story. Even while listening the second time, these errors bothered me.
Aside from a few flaws, I did thoroughly enjoy the book. As an avid traveler of the country, I can relate to Chris's need to feel freedom. This is the perfect companion on a long road trip.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- BooksAndTrouble
- 29-03-15
Frustrating yet fascinating
Have you ever read a book that frustrated you to the core, but yet morbid fascination kept you glued to the pages? “Into the Wild” is one of those books. It’s been a few days since I finished it, but my mind keeps drifting off to that haunting last chapter when Christopher McCandless starved to death in a rusty, abandoned bus deep in the wilds of Alaska.
I just can’t wrap my brain around the risks he took, and the self-centered decisions he made. It’s human nature to not like what you can’t understand. So maybe that’s why I had a hard time giving Christopher (aka “Alexander Super-Tramp”) the benefit of the doubt.
I complained to my husband about my frustration with the guy. Apparently, he believes men have an innate desire to explore nature and discover uncharted territory. He also pointed out that Christopher was just a kid, and that all 20-somethings do stupid things. I get that…kind of. Sure, we all do stupid things when our temporal lobes aren’t fully developed, but what Christopher did was so extreme, and so bizarre. It can’t just be chocked up to the ol’ “kids will be kids” theory.
The thing is, I can’t get pass Christopher’s one big character flaw. For someone who so vehemently preaches the gospel for human rights and social justice, he didn’t do a damned thing for anyone except himself. Sure he visited some homeless camps, fed them a few sandwiches and dropped a few bucks in their tin cups. But really, he wasn’t concerned about helping people out in the long-term. In fact, he actually did more harm than good by hitchhiking in and out of people’s lives so quickly. He had a way of staying in a town long enough to start building relationships with new friends only to vanish into the night, leaving them confused and heartbroken.
I felt so bad for Ron, an old widower who wanted to be Christopher’s grandfather. Not only did Christopher leave Ron in the lurch, he also had the gall to send him a really offensive letter. In his sanctimonious ramblings, he belittled Ron’s conventional lifestyle, imploring him to sell all his belongings and hit the road. In essence, he told the old man that his life was crap, and that it wasn’t worth living unless he embraced an extreme, transient lifestyle. Huh. This is coming from a guy who preached the gospel of individuality and autonomy.
I’m not a big fan of people who abandon the ones they love for the pursuit of self-discovery and all that other existential bullshit. That’s why I really didn’t like the book “Wild” and refuse to read “Eat, Pray, Love.” His parents did have their flaws, his dad especially, but they were the Waltons compared to my own pitiful family. He crucified them for every injustice, large or small, including trying to buy him a new car (oh boo hoo). Coming from a girl who had to ride the bus well into her twenties, he doesn’t get my sympathies.
One thing that the author so astutely pointed out, is that Christopher was somewhat of a hypocrite. He worshipped a bunch of authors and philosophers who were drunks and sexual deviants. In his travels he even befriended a man who habitually beat up his girlfriend. But yet he could never grant clemency to his own father for cheating on his wife decades ago.
I know I’m being hard on the guy, but that’s partly because I’m so frustrated that he had to die. He was clearly a brilliant kid who could master a skill in just about any field. He was a natural entrepreneur, a computer software engineer, a writer, a political scientist. He even had plans to become a lawyer, a profession that would have allowed him to correct all of those social injustices that he so passionately decried. It’s a shame he chose to live the transient life with no intention of connecting with people and making an impact on the world. I’m all for getting in touch with nature and exploring far and distant lands, but humans are social animals. We need to share our experiences with others, a lesson that Christopher learned the hard way. In my humble opinion, if the world was full of “Alexander Super-Tramps” it wouldn’t be a better place.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Valerie
- 08-10-07
this books changes you
This by far is the best Audible purchase I have made. Simple said it is an incredible story and told in splendid manner. I think about this book often and it has changed how I live my life.
25 people found this helpful