Member Reviews
The book was a pleasant one to read and it's an inspiring book written by a woman about her courageous journey. The book is funny, it's moving and it allows me to live through the experience. I got curious about the Appalachian Trail and enjoyed the book.
I really enjoyed Gail Muller's voice and the way that she expressed her experiences. She let us into her life and her story. As a reader, it felt like we were on the journey with her. Recommended read.
I've read innumerable books about long distance walking as it is something I would love to do, but doubt I will ever have the courage or opportunity to achieve. This book comes at the walk from the perspective of healing/helping someone overcome chronic pain and it is a really thorough and more honest insight than most of the other trail books I have read.
From relationships and fall outs to kit, camping and hitchhiking this book covers all the key aspects of a 'thru-hike' and breaks it down into the different US States, showing the differing terrain, weather and challenges they each have to throw at visitors to this famous path.
Gail is not afraid to show her fears/weaknesses and the real challenges offered by tackling such an immense undertaking and it is a very very enjoyable read. It does give hope and inspiration to lone women, and not necessarily youngsters either, to get and do something - so maybe there is hope for me yet!
My only criticism of the book are the lengthy sections spent dwelling on the chronic pain - I can understand how others could use this to empathise, especially if they are facing it themselves, or perhaps they are there to try and make the achievement seem even more impressive (this is not necessary - anyone walking 2,000 miles will acquire admiration and should feel incredibly proud in any circumstance). For me they came across as moaning and detracted substantially from the book. They are however, easy to spot and they don't intersperse with the narrative so you simply skip them to avoid being dragged down and they do become less frequent as she 'gets into her stride' so to speak.
I have always loved books about people who hike long distance. I love to discover their reasons for doing it, and with those reasons, how they were able to keep going through many harsh elements or physical challenges. This is something that I wish I had done when I was younger.
This is the story of a British woman Gail Muller, who has suffered from chronic pain for a lot of her life, and decides that she wants to challenge herself and decides to take the 2,200-mile journey on the Appalachian -Trail from Maine to Georgia which is the route she chose.
The author has a very nice writing style which drew me in quickly, and kept me wanting more of her adventure.
I love to hear of the camaraderie that the hikers develop, always willing to help each other out or just give an encouraging word.
This story has a lot of challenges for her to overcome, very harsh terrain, long hours hiking, all of which really tested her physically, but she quite often hiked with a group of trail made friends who kept her moving.
She learned a lot about herself along the journey but also about her fellow hikers.
A great read.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Thread Books for a copy of this book.
Unlost is the first memoir written by an Appalachian Trail hiker than I actually really enjoyed. Gail Muller had me hooked from the beginning and the fact that she managed to hook me so soon was my first surprise. Another surprise was how deeply I felt and understood her journey with chronic pain. I deal with chronic pain as well. Gail discusses the issues of how INVISIBLE chronic pain or illness has such an impact on the person living with it. We get so good at lying...."I'm fine"...smile..."doing great" and then crying in the bathroom so no one will see.
This book is for so many people. Obviously it's about hiking the beautiful and difficult Appalachian Train, and in that aspect it's fun and interesting and the various trail families and characters are terrific. It's also about the struggle with pain, self esteem, fear, going beyond your comfort zone, and taking all the hardships life gives you and saying "screw it....I'm going to F'ing LIVE"!
This book is also for those of us who deal with chronic pain and/or invisible chronic illness or disability and it's for our families, our friends and our coworkers. Maybe they'll read the book for the pleasure of Gail's adventure and come away with a better understand and more empathy and compassion for those of us who are on the "chronic" treadmill and can't get off. Unlost is a gem of a book, it's a fun read and the best long hike book I've ever read. 5 stars !
Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review #Unlost.
Great story on an interesting subject. I love the personal experience that she lets us in on and her open and honest thoughts throughout the whole book.
I really enjoyed this account of the ups and downs (both literal and emotional) of trekking the Appalachian Trail. I originally received the ebook version of this book, but then requested the audiobook when I saw it was available. I'm SO glad I did! The book is read by the author, nearly always a good thing for memoirs, and also includes some short recordings made along the trail which are nice little bonuses. With a chronic illness causing pain and limiting her physical abilities and thoughts of becoming wheelchair bound in her future per doctors, Gail Muller decides to challenge herself to hike over 2,000 miles along the AP. Though she begins with a friend, she spends most of the trail connecting with strangers - other hikers and trail angels - and forming small trail families for a time as they hiked together. There's a bumpy romance and several good friendships made along the way.
Muller learns about herself, what her boundaries are, what she can certainly live without, what's truly important in life and the healing power of nature. Funny enough, I'm also reading a book on minimalism that plays nicely with this one. It's about the relationships we make and adventures we take, not about the stuff we acquire in our lives. Looking forward to hearing about her next adventure!
Thank you Bookouture Audio, Thread Books and NetGalley for the eALC in exchange for my honest review.
Those who suffer from chronic illness: the pain and mental stress, as well as the social reclusiveness, it causes, will relate to this autiobiography. Gail's journey through the maze of unwellness and her overcoming mechanisms will amaze, especially when she decided she'd ask her body to go hiking! Not the "safe" couple of hours hiking, but hiking the Applachian Montains for miles and months on end, echelon; a through hiker.
There's a glossary of hiker terminology which will be helpful. However, I would have greatly preferred that the author had refrained from using certain language, especially the despicable 'F' word, which is liberally sprinkled throughout the pages. There was also a bit too much information about Buckshot. This type of language and "information" ruined what would have been an otherwise remarkable account of the kindnesses of fellow-hikers, and of overcoming, and an in-spite-of, chronic illness torments.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
August 2021
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the review copy given by the publisher.
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Unlost is a travel memoir of the author’s experience hiking the Appalachian Trail. She embarks on the journey to try and find herself again and find a way to deal with the frustrations and difficulties of living with a debilitating chronic illness, It is filled with stories of people she meets along the way and the relationships formed with them. It is full of interesting characters, hostels, the wild outdoors and the challenges she faces on her journey. I enjoyed following her on her journey and hearing about her adventure. A good read for anyone embarking on a similar adventure or for those who love to immerse themselves in travel stories.
A British woman going to hike the Appalachian with others - the journey and what she experienced throughout the trip. Good for those who like reading others journeys.
As I was reading this book, I found myself holding my breath quite a few times, hoping that she was going to be all right. She made me nervous because at times I didn't think she was prepared for what she was going to be facing. I have read many books written about hiking the Appalachian Trail, but it was always about the preparation it takes and everything preplanned and set into place before the hike began and then the hike. Gail Muller writes her story with such depth and truth that as I read it, it was playing in my head too.
Living in Maine, I know the places she tells about and the 100-mile wilderness. It was a surprise that she started her journey in Maine and went to Georgia. I have always read and heard about the connections that happen while they are walking the AT, and that comes through in her story.
I read the book because the cover had a journey of self discovery and the healing powers of the wild outdoors. When she reached her lowest point, and I knew it was something she so wanted to do, I so hoped she would be able to find the strength to finish this journey. I won't tell you anymore, but I will tell you while reading this particular book, I felt like there was the spirit of all those that went before her that somehow was there now for those that needed it.
Gail put everything she went through in this book with such depth that I felt like I was right there with her and there were a few times something was going to happen it seemed to be happening in slow motion it was so intense. It should be made into a movie because a movie of it was playing in my head as I was reading it.
Thank you, Thread Books, for an ARC.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I live vicariously through hikers who write about their long distance treks on trails like the AT, PCT, and CDT. This one especially caught my attention since the author is a sufferer of an invisible illness, as I also have an invisible illness plus I am visually impaired.
The courage it takes to take on a hike like these is inspiring, especially when they're doing this hike solo and depend on meeting and falling into various trail families. This book offers real life experience with dealing with every day chronic pain and then having other injuries along the way. The tough decision to keep pressing on or to take a zero day, or even harder decision, to go off trail, back to civilization and heal, are very real scenarios.
The friends and fellow hikers she meets along the way provide a lot of needed support to make these decisions and overcome disappointment.
The author’s personal experience hiking the Appalachian Trail. Filled with anecdotes about the people she meets both on the trail and near the trail at hostels and other places stopped at while resting or picking up supplies/food. Her story is people centric. She also talks about weather she encountered while hiking. Throughout the story the author details her struggle with pain and use of medication to treat this pain for an unknown condition. The author provides only minimal detail about the biota found on the trail. Suggested reading for anyone who is contemplating hiking a long trail.
This is the third book I've read about hiking the AT. Did I feel a tad fatigued, perchance? Not at all. Muller's story is inspirational, and reading it was an especially personal experience for me, as a sufferer of arthritis.
Muller is a fellow Brit, and so brings a fresh perspective to hiking in the USA (The friendliness of the people! The wilderness!). Her writing is warm and witty, and there were quite a few moments that made me snort or chuckle - or suck in my breath. I read the book in more or less a day - I just had to consume it.
The previous books I've read about the AT were by men, so it was a joy to read a woman's take on it all, let alone a woman suffering a chronic condition so similar in ways to my own. This book does all it can to communicate to its reader that there is worth and joy to be found in pushing the boundaries we perceive around us. I am now genuinely wondering if I could, in fact, hike the Pacific Crest Trail - something that has always been a distant fantasy.
(With thanks to Thread Books and NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review)