Wanderlust cover art

Wanderlust

A History of Walking

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Wanderlust

By: Rebecca Solnit
Narrated by: Liisa Ivary
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About this listen

What does it mean to be out walking in the world, whether in a landscape or a metropolis, on a pilgrimage or a protest march?

In this first general history of walking, Rebecca Solnit draws together many histories to create a range of possibilities for this most basic act. Arguing that walking as history means walking for pleasure and for political, aesthetic, and social meaning, Solnit homes in on the walkers whose everyday and extreme acts have shaped our culture, from the peripatetic philosophers of ancient Greece to the poets of the Romantic Age, from the perambulations of the Surrealists to the ascents of mountaineers.

With profiles of some of the most significant walkers in history and fiction - from Wordsworth to Gary Snyder, from Rousseau to Argentina's Mother of the Plaza de Mayo, from Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet to Andre Breton's Nadja - Wanderlust offers a provocative and profound examination of the interplay between the body, the imagination, and the world around the walker.

©2014 Rebecca Solnit (P)2014 Audible Studios Philosophy Walking Inspiring Latin American

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All stars
Most relevant  
I loved this book. I've read a few by Rebecca Solnit and have enjoyed them all.

brilliant

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Solnit writes a packed and well researched book with very many diversions into areas of interest. A “pick up and put down” book, not a page turner. The reading, however, was a bit flat for me, fairly monotone. Doesn’t do the prose any favours.

A long walk in heavy boots

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Excellent, thoughtful and inspiring. It is good to know that, while so many drive and rush to be indoors, isolated and forever plugged into a digital abuse and the illusion of infinite choice, there still some of us that would rather walk thoughtfully outdoors and savour being alive.

Wanderlust

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It's a testament to the excellence of Solnit's writing -- both her sparkling ideas and her wonderful prose -- that I persisted to the end of this book. I found the reader deeply irritating.

Brilliant book, not a great reader

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I started listening and wondered why I'd got the book. A few chapters in I was captivated... I relistened to sections, I've been introduced to the writing of William Gilpin and really enjoyed the social history which evolved.

Surprised

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My first audio book. My first Rebecca Solnit book. The first of many I think.

At first it was strange to hear theory, but after not much it started getting really good.

Rebecca makes the universal personal and vice versa. She manages to make sense of an amazing amount of information and turn it into interesting stories. I'm quite impressed.

I heard it mainly walking, commuting, running and travelling which made it specially significant and pleasant to listen to.

I reckon it was a really difficult task for the interpreter. It starts a bit stiff but gets better as well.

I recommend it. To be listened to calmly, in not-too long chunks as it is quite dense.

Starts slow, gets interesting on the second chapter and wonderlustful from the 4th on

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Tried to listen to this book as I love walking, but it was too dry. Gave up before the end.

Dry and flat

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This book is so rich I have read and listened to it many times already and don't get bored. Solnit deftly weaves us through a huge amount of topics relating to modern culture, drawing fascinating comparisons and opening your eyes to startling anomalies all around us.
yes this is for people who love walking but it's about a whole lot more, politics, art, history, feminism the list goes on.
at first I found the narration robotic but once used to it I really like it and find her voice relaxing.

I never tire of this

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Constant "fem-splaining" made the book totally unbearable as was the author's anger towards men when all I wanted was an unpatronising listen about walking!

Thoroughly disappointing.

Waste of time.

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