I didn't get a chance to fully read this book when I was provided a review copy. I did manage to read a few of the early sections and I fully enjoyed the voice, the language, the subject, etc. Cognetti paints a very vivid picture and has such a strong, confident writing voice and tone, the flow and certainty of it are refreshing. He's to the point without sacrificing detail, ambience, and emotional context, managing to paint quite the picture quite easily, from a spread of mountains to a small cabin to a hotel turned into a family home. There's a scope that's large but still feels intimate and detailed, like it's coming at you off the page picture-book style.

The passage about needing to return to oneself and seek out something you've lost or a version of yourself from years past that you miss is one that caught my eye immediately. It was beautifully phrased and is certainly a universal feeling portrayed all too sharply here. I will definitely seek out a full copy of this book at some point in the future, the writing style and subject are both to my liking and I'm sorry to have missed out on a chance to read it fully earlier.

I found this a pleasant and engaging memoir, lyrically written in a gentle and understated style with honesty and openness, but I couldn’t really relate to it. It’s a follow up to his internationally acclaimed novel The Eight Mountains, in which Cognetti describes a young boy’s trips to the Italian Alps. In the memoir, it’s the author himself who escapes to the mountains when town life becomes too much for him. There’s no drama here, just reflective moments and a simple life. It’s a personal book that calls for a personal response, but my own is a vague bewilderment that a rustic life without the benefits of modern society is an attractive prospect. I don’t equate simplicity and “primitiveness” with self-expression, and although I dislike the noise and crowding of town life I feel no need to escape to the wilderness. But for those who do long for such an escape, then this memoir will certainly strike a chord.

I'm always a big fan of books reminiscent of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. In fact, he's been coming up frequently in my readings lately. Clearly, his kindred spirit is shouting to me from the other side to capture more adventure and solitude in my own life. From the very beginning of this short memoir, I knew I was finding yet another spirit like my own in the pages, with Paolo Cognetti's mentions of Walden, even quoting some of my favorite passages of Thoreau's. 

Cognetti's writing is beautiful in its own right with his lush descriptions of the mountains of Italy and the lyrical style he used to capture the intense emotions his lifestyle evoked. One of my favorite things about reading translated books is that it allows a first-hand look into another culture. It was interesting to see how similar things are in Cognetti's world, and the desire to escape into nature can be found in people from across the globe. The fast-paced city lives many of us face do their best to sap our joy and make us crave the simplest pleasures. Planting a garden, walking, building a fire, and sleeping under the stars may not be the most exciting tasks but they have a way of connecting to us our true nature, helping us to slow down and relax.

My favorite thing about this book was the self-reflection in the pages. Cognetti's introspective style allows us to fully live the life he's experiencing. While he craved alone time, he still was stuck with himself, desiring to escape the confines of his own person. Haven't we all felt a tad sick of ourselves at one point or another? He expanded on the phrase, "wherever you go, there you are."

"...solitude resembles a house of mirrors: everywhere I looked I found myself reflected: distorted, grotesque, multiplied an infinate number of times. I could free myself of everything except him."

This is a miniscule memoir, coming in at less than 200 pages. I wish it could have been slightly expanded to include a more cohesive storyline. There was a choppiness about it that sometimes made it hard to keep up with what had transpired in Cognetti's life and where he was at the moment of writing. Rather, it felt like a collection of journal entries without the dates or locations added in. 

Overall, I found some things I really enjoyed in this book. Reading for me is about connection and I found it exciting to feel connected to someone who lives across an ocean from a completely different culture, lifestyle, and gender.

A selection from iphelia.com's Editor's Bookshelf review: The Wild Boy is part travelogue and part walking meditation. Each chapter includes more astute snapshots of nature and mountain life, plus evidence of the author’s maturing awareness of the feeling dimension of his life, without “all the feels” being made anyone else’s problem. They just are. There isn’t a crisis to be mitigated or an agenda to stick to. This isn’t self-help. It’s almost-off-the-grid mountain living.

Cognetti meets hares, goats, and dogs, watches cows and cowherds come and go, tromps through the snow, does some climbing, eats, drinks wine, and befriends a few people without getting enmeshed in any of their stories. A chapter is dedicated to his strained relationship with his father (who can’t relate?), but there’s no blaming or sweeping cultural critique of the dynamic at hand. His father comes and goes. The mountain remains.

Reading The Wild Boy felt like reading Jung’s ruminations on his time at Bollingen in Memories, Dreams, Reflections. It’s obvious that the writer’s connection to the land is allowing a soul project to unfold. It’s a reminder that if we will leave “high” technology on the charging station (Cognetti does have electricity and gas, at least until the end) and get outside for even a few hours, nature might ignite a spark in us that we’ve been desperately, but obliviously, waiting for. It’s also a reminder that being alone can be a gift rather than the punishment dominant culture makes it out to be.

The Wild Boy will interest the reader who’s captivated by nature, or missing it. Lovers of prose poetry will also find Cognetti’s work, translated by Erica Segre and Simon Carnell (who I bow to for linguistic efforts beyond what I can even imagine!), deep and refreshing.

This memoir explores the healing power of nature for those who need to get away from the big city life and all of its pressures. After reading the vivid descriptions of nature in the novel I wanted nothing more than to go hide in a cabin in the woods for months on end. Go relax with just me and nature and be almost utterly alone. For the author, I feel that ultimately he decided that he missed people after awhile. As of this moment I am unsure that I would, but a cabin in the mountain is highly appealing right now.

This drew me in because I was intrigued by the description. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s journey of using nature to heal. The strength it took for him to write his memoir is admirable!

I was drawn to this book because I'm a sucker for anything about Italy, and I look for any chance to be transported back to Il bel paese. The Wild Boy does not disappoint. It's a beautifully written account of one man's escape into the Italian alps, while he searches for a way to find himself again after feeling like he had lost his purpose. If you are looking for a hard-punching memoir that will shock, this is not it. But if you are looking for the awe, you'll find it here, in the beautifully wrought passages, the gorgeous descriptions of the wilds of Italy and the deeply touching friendships he forms with Remigio and Gabrielle. In the midst of a world full of chaos, The Wild Boy is a little oasis of peace.

Extremely well written. I enjoyed this memoir and would recommend it to those who enjoy nature and the outdoors.

Lyrically written a memoir that drew me into the authors emotions drew me into the nature he surrounds himself with in his desire to heal.Highly recommend.#netgalley #atriabooks

The Wild Boy is a gentle foray into a nature memoir. It wasn’t exceptional but it wasn’t horrible for me. Overall I felt the author learned how much he did like to have other human beings around. He really enjoyed animals which I liked.

I’m not sure if the year fulfilled him or not but I’m glad he tried.

As another note, the paragraphs were a bit long at points. Having more breaks would have made the writing a little easier to read I felt.

This was an enjoyable memoir. The book is described a lyrical and that is accurate. As a nature lover, I found the nature scenes and descriptions engaging. This is a story that may make you think about how you would handle a situation if you were in it. The author is very talented, and I'll check out some of this other titles.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!