Written in the same lushly descriptive, emotive vein, this sequel conveys how their experience—and her book about it—changed their lives. But where The Salt Path stayed on a relatively narrow but propulsive narrative track, The Wild Silence roams further afield. It’s a more expansive memoir, ranging from backstory to update, with meditations on death, sustainable farming, trust, the meaning of home and the central importance of deep engagement with the great outdoors ... As always, Ms. Winn exquisitely captures the raw intensity of untamed environments ... a full-throated paean to the fundamental importance of nature in all its glory, fury and impermanence ... as Ms. Winn makes clear in this heartfelt and heartening book, such bracing challenges put them in touch with the 'roaring, wild silence' that sustains them.
Forced to confront mortality wherever she turns, her prose is extraordinary: wise, unflinching, exquisite ... but the narrative often lacks a compass. Still, there is a luminous conviction to the prose, and their odyssey through Iceland is profound ... Ultimately, she draws hope, and shares it—allowing us to see how the planet’s 'fixed impermanence' can make bearable our own.
Immediately upon finishing Raynor Winn's 2019 memoir, The Salt Path, I went to the computer and called up Google. 'What happened to Moth?' ... Winn's gorgeous new memoir, The Wild Silence, answers that question and does a whole lot more, exploring love, the importance of nature and the meaning of home ... The Wild Silence is less adventure narrative and more interior than her first book, but it is just as moving and beautifully written. Once again, Winn's connection to nature and to Moth are at its heart ... The Wild Silence is deeply reflective; Winn is a firm believer that physical activity in the out-of-doors is crucial for any human to thrive ... Read this lovely book. Go to Google and check on Moth. And then go outside and take a walk.
... this book is deeply personal and spiritual in its exploration of the healing qualities of nature, which Winn believes will slow the effects of the condition laying waste to her husband. It is also a book about the cathartic potential of writing. She delights in reliving every twist and turn of the coastal path from the safety of her kitchen table, helped along by numerous cups of tea. Her writing transforms her surroundings and her spirits, her joy coming across clearly in her shimmering prose ... Above all, though, it is her love of nature and her love for Moth which most deeply permeate her writing ... Winn chronicles the process [of re-wilding a farm] with wide-eyed wonder, beautifully describing the visits of deer, toads, curlews and herons, as well as the apple orchard from which monks once made cider ... The resulting journey amid the volcanic rockscape of Iceland testifies to the pair’s endurance, conjured up powerfully by Winn’s evocative words.
Winn's writing beautifully evokes the natural world, whether she is describing a doe rummaging in an orchard or her innermost conflicted feelings. This is a perfect 'what happened next' memoir that gives closure to readers of the first book, and which both fans and new readers will enjoy.
Readers will delight in Winn’s account here of falling in love with Moth. A must-read for lovers of the first book; fans of nature writing should also check this out.
... a powerful memoir about overcoming life's obstacles ... It's impossible not to fall for Winn's beautiful prose and her fierce advocacy for her husband. Her descriptive powers pull readers in, and the pacing is pitch-perfect. This powerful narrative proves the resilience of the human spirit and stuns with its grace.
Her descriptions are highly visual, often poetic. There are passages so perfectly apt, melancholy, or achingly lovely that you want to stop and live inside the text, though occasionally she loses control and begins to romanticize. Yet Winn’s talent is undeniable, as is her capacity to locate the profound amid the din of modern life. We see her embrace change, from self-imposed isolation and total emotional reliance on Moth to embracing new possibilities. A memorable celebration of a 'silent enmeshing of lives lived in unison,' a potent marriage of heart and mind.
