Wild Silence
Raynor Winn
Narrated By: Raynor Winn
Duration: 9 hours and 24 minutes
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
The incredible, Sunday Times bestselling follow-up to one of the most talked about books of the decade, The Salt Path.
Nature holds the answers for Raynor and her husband Moth.
After walking 630 miles homeless along The Salt Path, the windswept and wild English coastline now feels like their home.
And despite Moth's terminal diagnosis, against all medical odds, he seems revitalized in nature - outside, they discover that anything is possible.
Now, life beyond The Salt Path awaits. As they return to four walls, the sense of home is illusive and returning to normality is proving difficult - until an incredible gesture by someone who reads their story changes everything:
A chance to breathe life back into a beautiful but neglected farmhouse nestled deep in the Cornish hills; rewilding the land and returning nature to its hedgerows becomes their new path.
Along the way, Raynor and Moth learn more about the land that envelopes them, find friends both new and old, and, of course, embark on another windswept adventure when the opportunity arises.
The Wild Silence is a luminous story of hope triumphing over despair, of the human spirit's instinctive connection to nature, and of lifelong love prevailing over everything.
© Raynor Winn 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020
Genre
Memoirs, Walking, hiking, trekking, Agriculture & farming, Natural & wild gardening, Trees, wildflowers & plants: general interest, Housing & homelessness, Coping with illness & specific health conditions, Narrative theme: Environmental issues
Listen to a sample
Writing with such honesty is a trademark of [Winn's] style
This book promises to take you away with the same amazing descriptive and emotive writing found in The Salt Path
Written in wise, unflinching, exquisite prose, this is a different kind of journey - into the past, into grief and also into Winn's search for connection. A spiritual journey instead of a physical one, and, for me at least, an even richer one
Profoundly moving and emotionally transcendent reading
A beautiful, luminous and magical piece of writing
Down to earth yet astonishing . . . touching
Heart-rending. A love letter to the natural world in all its wondrous glory . . . spellbinding
A poignant and passionate, grounded yet uplifting journey of discovery in which we learn what can be found after all seems lost, The Wild Silence is a testament to the transformative power of nature and the fresh hope it nurtures within ourselves
Heartening and comforting . . . The nature writing is beautiful and it is a thrill to read. You feel the world is a better place because Raynor and Moth are in it
Raynor Winn's story has become the stuff of legend
In this unflinching sequel to The Salt Path, nature provides solace against forebodings of mortality . . . there is a luminous conviction to the prose
Luminous and touching
Deeply personal and spiritual in its exploration of the healing qualities of nature . . . Winn's writing transforms her surroundings and her spirits, her joy coming across clearly in her shimmering prose
Beautiful
Unflinching . . . Another beautifully poignant read about triumph over adversity, and adjusting to life after immense change
Wise, unflinching, exquisite prose
Explores the challenge of returning to mainstream life after homelessness
Powerful
Winn's soul-baring honesty and beautifully remembered, touching conversations will take your breath away
Picks up the story where Winn's astonishing The Salt Path left off
Raynor Winn has written a brilliant, powerful and touching account of her life before and after The Salt Path, which, like her astonishing debut, will connect with anyone who has triumphed over adversity
Notions of home are poignantly explored . . . Her evocations of weather, landscape, the sea and her love for her partner, Moth, who has an incurable neurodegenerative condition, are wonderful
Full of descriptions of dramatic landscapes that make the reader long for the great outdoors . . . an uplifting and illuminating book
To follow Raynor Winn on her songline back to Cornwall is to know how it feels to walk yourself into the land you love and find peace at the end of the journey
An uplifting, illuminating read
This sequel sees the pair trying unsatisfactorily to readjust to normal life before finding ways to reharness nature's healing power
The quality of Winn's writing draws us through the story with the same emotional honesty, lyricism and warmth that epitomises The Salt Path
The Wild Silence confirms Raynor as a natural and extremely talented writer with an incredible way with words. This book gives us all what we wanted to know at the end of The Salt Path which is what happened next. So moving, it made me cry . . . repeatedly
Moving. A must-read for anyone inspired by The Salt Path . . . another thoughtful memoir
'Country Life Book of the Week'
'9 new books to read this September'
Intimate in feel and ambitious in scope . . . Throughout it all [Winn] retains her faith in the importance of having an almost visceral connection to the land