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Liefde in de wildernis
Na het succes van Mijn leven in de wildernis leven Miriam en Peter Lancewood in Liefde in de wildernis twee jaar als nomaden in de bossen van Europa en langs de kustlijn van Turkije. Het is een leven vol liefde, overleven en zelfontdekking, maar ook zonder enige zekerheid. Totdat Peter ernstig ziek wordt en overleven in een heel ander daglicht komt te staan. Heeft Miriam genoeg geleerd in de wildernis om ook dit persoonlijke drama te overleven?
576 pages, dwarsligger
First published January 1, 2020
28 people are currently reading
605 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 70 reviews
September 30, 2020
“The Mountains and plants are growing, the river is shaping the land. Today is different from yesterday - everything around me is continuously evolving. I feel as if I am looking through the kaleidoscope of the gods”
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Wild at Heart is Miriam Lancewood’s second book. The first, Woman in the Wilderness, is about the seven years she spent living wild in the New Zealand bush with her husband Peter. This time, the pair walk 2000km through the forests of Europe and along the coast of Turkey followed by a disastrous trip to Australia where Peter becomes dangerously ill. Returning to New Zealand, and struggling to fit into an urban life, Miriam leads an exhibition into the Southern Alps that makes for hair-raising reading. She and her friend Tamar survive for days on snowberries and foraged plants, they slide down scree, navigate glaciers and ford rivers surviving on their wits and with Miriam’s hunting skills
I don’t know that I would ever have the heart or the belly for the sort of life that Miriam leads, but I loved being given a window into the fierce joy that being in the wilderness can bring. Happy publication day to Wild at Heart and huge thanks to @allenandunwinnz for sharing it with me
.
.
.
Wild at Heart is Miriam Lancewood’s second book. The first, Woman in the Wilderness, is about the seven years she spent living wild in the New Zealand bush with her husband Peter. This time, the pair walk 2000km through the forests of Europe and along the coast of Turkey followed by a disastrous trip to Australia where Peter becomes dangerously ill. Returning to New Zealand, and struggling to fit into an urban life, Miriam leads an exhibition into the Southern Alps that makes for hair-raising reading. She and her friend Tamar survive for days on snowberries and foraged plants, they slide down scree, navigate glaciers and ford rivers surviving on their wits and with Miriam’s hunting skills
I don’t know that I would ever have the heart or the belly for the sort of life that Miriam leads, but I loved being given a window into the fierce joy that being in the wilderness can bring. Happy publication day to Wild at Heart and huge thanks to @allenandunwinnz for sharing it with me
August 12, 2021
This was such an interesting read. It’s written by a walker, that’s right, Miriam Lancewood and her partner have walked NZ top to bottom, taking 7 years. Here they take on Europe, walking on ancient paths through many miles and months through Central Europe. She’s a great writer, clear, descriptive, fully imparting the natural world they crave. It’s dangerous, she’s often frightened. It’s really arduous, they carry everything to be self sufficient on their backs. I’m afraid to say the one extremely awful experience occurs during the walking in Australia, rural WA in fact. There’s a beautiful very short film on YouTube where Miriam talks about her choice of lifestyle, well worth a look.
September 19, 2021
Het was interessant om "het vervolg" van Miriam's leven te lezen. Echter was dit boek niet zo substantieel als het eerste en voelde het meer als een aantal losse gebeurtenissen.
June 17, 2021
I was so excited to read this after loving 'Woman in the Wilderness', and it did not disappoint. Miriam writes with such passion that you almost feel like you are going on an adventure with her. Both of her books have inspired me to be less connected with technology and more with nature. I highly recommend both of Miriam's books and hope she writes more in the future!
December 21, 2020
Liefde in de wildernis. Een tocht op de rand van leven en dood. Door: Miriam Lancewood.
Nadat ik de Floortje Dessing aflevering over Miriam en Peter zag was ik direct fan van hen. Van hen beiden maar van Miriam het meest. Ik was enorm onder de indruk van haar moed, kunde, enthousiasme en sprankelende persoonlijkheid. Ook haar liefde voor Peter, hun pure intense relatie en hun authentieke manier van leven, helemaal op hun manier, dwars buiten alle lijntjes sprak me aan. Hoewel ik nooit hun leven zou kunnen/willen leiden wegens te angstig, controlefreakerig en toch ook wel te veel gericht op comfort.
Ik was dan ook super blij toen bleek dat Floortje in Terug naar het einde van de wereld weer bij hen langs ging. Jammer genoeg bleek Peter ernstig ziek wat voor hem, maar ook voor Miriam, een enorme aanpassing vraagt qua levensstijl, en een aanslag is op hun vrijheid.
Liefde in de wildernis, Miriam’s tweede boek begint met trektochten doorheen Europa (Frankrijk, Zwitserland, Bulgarije,…). Deze ‘dichtbij’ (voor mij) tochten geven me goesting om zelf op pad te gaan. Hoewel, dat kan je in dit boek lezen, niet alles rozengeur en maneschijn is. Er zijn beren op de weg, mannen die seks willen, mensen die niet blijken te zijn wie ze beweren (of denken) te zijn,… En Peter wordt ernstig ziek. Maar tussen al die lastige momenten schuilt er ook veel moois, op het vlak van liefde en in de natuur.
In dit lastige jaar is het extra fijn om een boek te lezen dat je laat reizen zonder je veilige eigen haard te verlaten. Geniet er van!
Nadat ik de Floortje Dessing aflevering over Miriam en Peter zag was ik direct fan van hen. Van hen beiden maar van Miriam het meest. Ik was enorm onder de indruk van haar moed, kunde, enthousiasme en sprankelende persoonlijkheid. Ook haar liefde voor Peter, hun pure intense relatie en hun authentieke manier van leven, helemaal op hun manier, dwars buiten alle lijntjes sprak me aan. Hoewel ik nooit hun leven zou kunnen/willen leiden wegens te angstig, controlefreakerig en toch ook wel te veel gericht op comfort.
Ik was dan ook super blij toen bleek dat Floortje in Terug naar het einde van de wereld weer bij hen langs ging. Jammer genoeg bleek Peter ernstig ziek wat voor hem, maar ook voor Miriam, een enorme aanpassing vraagt qua levensstijl, en een aanslag is op hun vrijheid.
Liefde in de wildernis, Miriam’s tweede boek begint met trektochten doorheen Europa (Frankrijk, Zwitserland, Bulgarije,…). Deze ‘dichtbij’ (voor mij) tochten geven me goesting om zelf op pad te gaan. Hoewel, dat kan je in dit boek lezen, niet alles rozengeur en maneschijn is. Er zijn beren op de weg, mannen die seks willen, mensen die niet blijken te zijn wie ze beweren (of denken) te zijn,… En Peter wordt ernstig ziek. Maar tussen al die lastige momenten schuilt er ook veel moois, op het vlak van liefde en in de natuur.
In dit lastige jaar is het extra fijn om een boek te lezen dat je laat reizen zonder je veilige eigen haard te verlaten. Geniet er van!
February 24, 2025
What a beautifully written story of Miriam and Peters life. It awakened something forgotten in me and gave me tears. So so so beautiful.
September 12, 2021
Full of tenacity, this book speaks of the life Miriam and her husband Peter leads in the less traveled places on earth - full of spontaneity, intensity and rawness of being responsible for your life in the wild.
Highly recommend to check out the few videos of her interviews and the epic female expedition on youtube - she radiates so much wholesomeness that can only be nurtured in a place of peace and presence, and little conflicts and confusion which is so common in our society.
Highly recommend to check out the few videos of her interviews and the epic female expedition on youtube - she radiates so much wholesomeness that can only be nurtured in a place of peace and presence, and little conflicts and confusion which is so common in our society.
September 19, 2022
Ontroerend mooi
June 3, 2021
Soms een tikkeltje zweverig, maar over het algemeen een goed geschreven boek. Het is heerlijk om met dit weer te lezen over reizen en het boek was dus ook vrij snel uit. Misschien deel 1 ook nog eens lezen.
April 19, 2023
Na het boek op zoek gegaan naar de aflevering met Floortje Dessing. Miriam straalt van enthousiasme van het beeld af! Zo'n verademing na de geschreven versie van het verhaal, die ik nogal vlak en droog vond.
March 18, 2021
Dit is echt fantastisch.
March 16, 2023
'Wild at Heart' is a better book than 'Woman in the Wilderness' (by the same author), both because of its content, and great improvement in its quality of writing (which may be attributed to the author getting better at English, or the skills of a much better editor).
It's a good memoir for the lovers of wilderness and travel, as well as those who are looking for a really good, real story about society and solitude.
It's a good memoir for the lovers of wilderness and travel, as well as those who are looking for a really good, real story about society and solitude.
September 9, 2021
Fantastisch weer! In tegenstelling tot haar vorige boek nu veel confrontaties met de geciviliseerde wereld. Daardoor aanvankelijk minder magisch dan de tochten door Nieuw Zeeland, maar uiteindelijk des te aangrijpender.
May 5, 2021
Heerlijk boek! Mooi vervolg op haar eerste boek! En het loopt ook nog goed af😀
June 21, 2021
Very readable account of a couple who have chosen a nomadic existence.
I have rated it 3 stars. Miriam and Peter come across as self indulgent.
I have rated it 3 stars. Miriam and Peter come across as self indulgent.
September 10, 2023
Read for the Puke Ariki book club
August 9, 2022
In a letter to her husband Peter, thirty years her senior and recovering in Whanganui from a serious medical condition, while Miriam Lancewood and another Dutch woman undertook a ten week, totally self-reliant journey in the Southern Alps, she wrote the following passage. ‘I shot a goose some days ago. When I ran to it, the animal was still alive and I had to twist its neck with my hands. It was awful and cruel but I could only think of food. We ate crickets and grasshoppers. We saw maggots crawling in the meat – and it didn’t even matter. Nothing matters in the heart of the wilderness. We are far away from civilisation; we have moved beyond good and evil.’
That quote comes from near the end of her book. Lancewood writes well, especially in her letters to her beloved husband. Her style is direct, unpretentious, heartfelt and, above all, brutally honest. Perhaps these are the qualities essential to being able to live successfully and happily in ‘true wilderness’. If anyone knows the answer to that question, it’s Miriam and Peter.
I have not read Lancewood’s first book, Woman in the wilderness, but it has been very well received. When I began reading Wild at heart I wasn’t sure what to expect. What more would there be to say about being wild at heart after having written about a woman in the wilderness? A quick glance at the table of contents in Wild at heart suggested a travel log through Europe and Australia, before returning to New Zealand, riding on the coat tails of Woman in the Wilderness.
To begin with it even felt a bit like that, but as I turned the pages, becoming more familiar with Lancewood’s honest descriptions, reflections and introspection, as she recounted one unusual situation or encounter after another, I began to feel a sense of respect building in me. I count myself as an outdoors person – certainly not a ‘hard man of the hills’ but I know what it is to crave escape from modern urban life and to feel the sheer joy of being alone in the mountains. But Lancewood and her partner take ‘going bush’ to another plane entirely.
And the situations and encounters Lancewood describes are not just with nature, like encountering a Lynx. Many relate to people – hitching along the wrong side of an autobahn with an old German with dementia, another time with a Bulgarian driver intent on trying to have sex with Lancewood (he failed), time spent with a cult group in Switzerland, and a shorter than expected stay with a homicidal environmentalist in the Australian outback. In fact, the most hair-raising situations Lancewood writes about involve people, yet she seems to take those involved at face value rather than passing judgement on them. This should not be confused with passivity though. Lancewood’s writing projects energy, proactivity and fearlessness.
The couple reach a crisis point near the end of the book when Peter becomes ill in Australia, leading ultimately to serious kidney failure. He does beat very scary odds to eventually recover, but has to convalesce while Lancewood, with his blessing, undertakes a two-month journey in the alps with another Dutch woman.
If anyone is left with any doubt about the genuineness of the couples love for living in the wild, the epilogue explains that, with Peter regaining strength, then the onset of COVID-19, they decided that it was time to leave ‘civilisation’ behind again. To quote Lancewood ‘Where we are now is a mystery. We left the town and roads behind, and followed a small goat track that lead into the high mountains.’ So keep an eye out – if you go far enough off the beaten track in our New Zealand backcountry, you may just cross paths with them.
Wild At Heart – The dangers and delights of a nomadic life is thought provoking, entertaining and inspiring. I recommend it.
That quote comes from near the end of her book. Lancewood writes well, especially in her letters to her beloved husband. Her style is direct, unpretentious, heartfelt and, above all, brutally honest. Perhaps these are the qualities essential to being able to live successfully and happily in ‘true wilderness’. If anyone knows the answer to that question, it’s Miriam and Peter.
I have not read Lancewood’s first book, Woman in the wilderness, but it has been very well received. When I began reading Wild at heart I wasn’t sure what to expect. What more would there be to say about being wild at heart after having written about a woman in the wilderness? A quick glance at the table of contents in Wild at heart suggested a travel log through Europe and Australia, before returning to New Zealand, riding on the coat tails of Woman in the Wilderness.
To begin with it even felt a bit like that, but as I turned the pages, becoming more familiar with Lancewood’s honest descriptions, reflections and introspection, as she recounted one unusual situation or encounter after another, I began to feel a sense of respect building in me. I count myself as an outdoors person – certainly not a ‘hard man of the hills’ but I know what it is to crave escape from modern urban life and to feel the sheer joy of being alone in the mountains. But Lancewood and her partner take ‘going bush’ to another plane entirely.
And the situations and encounters Lancewood describes are not just with nature, like encountering a Lynx. Many relate to people – hitching along the wrong side of an autobahn with an old German with dementia, another time with a Bulgarian driver intent on trying to have sex with Lancewood (he failed), time spent with a cult group in Switzerland, and a shorter than expected stay with a homicidal environmentalist in the Australian outback. In fact, the most hair-raising situations Lancewood writes about involve people, yet she seems to take those involved at face value rather than passing judgement on them. This should not be confused with passivity though. Lancewood’s writing projects energy, proactivity and fearlessness.
The couple reach a crisis point near the end of the book when Peter becomes ill in Australia, leading ultimately to serious kidney failure. He does beat very scary odds to eventually recover, but has to convalesce while Lancewood, with his blessing, undertakes a two-month journey in the alps with another Dutch woman.
If anyone is left with any doubt about the genuineness of the couples love for living in the wild, the epilogue explains that, with Peter regaining strength, then the onset of COVID-19, they decided that it was time to leave ‘civilisation’ behind again. To quote Lancewood ‘Where we are now is a mystery. We left the town and roads behind, and followed a small goat track that lead into the high mountains.’ So keep an eye out – if you go far enough off the beaten track in our New Zealand backcountry, you may just cross paths with them.
Wild At Heart – The dangers and delights of a nomadic life is thought provoking, entertaining and inspiring. I recommend it.
May 11, 2022
“There is more to life than just happiness. I want to feel alive, I want to feel intensity, rawness. I want clarity and the feeling of having a powerful fire inside me that makes me face fear and danger.”
I feel that the world is so beautiful, if only we can listen to our hearts telling us why we are here. I love Miriam’s spirit. She remains open hearted always, and always expressed her absolute genuine self. She embodies everything I wish to be. She is open, eloquent, wise, and full of life. I laughed and cried with this book, and felt the peace and connection of the trees, valleys, mountains and wild animals.
One thing that struck me in the section about Kate and Kevin, was that when writing to Miriam, Kate said that they were a lot a like. But when they arrived, Kate and Kevin were scared of everything, talking about how bad the world is, and so on. I noticed that everything Miriam and Peter were doing was driven by desire and love for life and the world they were in, while Kate and Kevin were doing what they did out of paranoia. Their lifestyles may seem similar but actually, are worlds apart. They followed diets like keto and so on purely out of fear of how bad everything else was, instead of trusting their bodies and eating well because it makes them feel good. That was just something I noticed. It made me realize that I want to live a life driven by love and passion rather than fear and an element of “running away” from the world, if that makes sense. Run toward the beauty of life, not away from the horror of it, and follow your bliss, no matter how crazy it seems. I also realized that they way we speak about the world often reflects how we feel about ourselves. Positive people love and trust their bodies and value their experiences and life, while people like Kevin are closed off, afraid, and looking for flaws in the environment, unable to see the beauty of life.
When Peter was in the hospital, I cried. I don’t understand why sickness has to be so painful, and why strong people have to become weak. There is nothing worse than almost losing someone you love and being powerless as it happens, when you know that they are in pain. I only hope that if I were dying someone like Miriam would be there with me.
Lastly, I love trying new foods from nature. There is hardly anything I don’t like. But in the female exposition, hearing about eating the deer brains and eyeballs, and the cricket patties, and worst of all, maggots… I was thinking that I’d have to be pretty desperate to try it… but, I’d never say never! Haha.
It’s a beautiful book. It made me crave the wild, where I have always felt the most at home.
I feel that the world is so beautiful, if only we can listen to our hearts telling us why we are here. I love Miriam’s spirit. She remains open hearted always, and always expressed her absolute genuine self. She embodies everything I wish to be. She is open, eloquent, wise, and full of life. I laughed and cried with this book, and felt the peace and connection of the trees, valleys, mountains and wild animals.
One thing that struck me in the section about Kate and Kevin, was that when writing to Miriam, Kate said that they were a lot a like. But when they arrived, Kate and Kevin were scared of everything, talking about how bad the world is, and so on. I noticed that everything Miriam and Peter were doing was driven by desire and love for life and the world they were in, while Kate and Kevin were doing what they did out of paranoia. Their lifestyles may seem similar but actually, are worlds apart. They followed diets like keto and so on purely out of fear of how bad everything else was, instead of trusting their bodies and eating well because it makes them feel good. That was just something I noticed. It made me realize that I want to live a life driven by love and passion rather than fear and an element of “running away” from the world, if that makes sense. Run toward the beauty of life, not away from the horror of it, and follow your bliss, no matter how crazy it seems. I also realized that they way we speak about the world often reflects how we feel about ourselves. Positive people love and trust their bodies and value their experiences and life, while people like Kevin are closed off, afraid, and looking for flaws in the environment, unable to see the beauty of life.
When Peter was in the hospital, I cried. I don’t understand why sickness has to be so painful, and why strong people have to become weak. There is nothing worse than almost losing someone you love and being powerless as it happens, when you know that they are in pain. I only hope that if I were dying someone like Miriam would be there with me.
Lastly, I love trying new foods from nature. There is hardly anything I don’t like. But in the female exposition, hearing about eating the deer brains and eyeballs, and the cricket patties, and worst of all, maggots… I was thinking that I’d have to be pretty desperate to try it… but, I’d never say never! Haha.
It’s a beautiful book. It made me crave the wild, where I have always felt the most at home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2025
“There is more to life than just happiness. I want to feel alive, I want to feel intensity, rawness. I want clarity and the feeling of having a powerful fire inside me that makes me face fear and danger.”
I feel that the world is so beautiful, if only we can listen to our hearts telling us why we are here. I love Miriam’s spirit. She remains open hearted always, and always expressed her absolute genuine self. She embodies everything I wish to be. She is open, eloquent, wise, and full of life. I laughed and cried with this book, and felt the peace and connection of the trees, valleys, mountains and wild animals.
One thing that struck me in the section about Kate and Kevin, was that when writing to Miriam, Kate said that they were a lot a like. But when they arrived, Kate and Kevin were scared of everything, talking about how bad the world is, and so on. I noticed that everything Miriam and Peter were doing was driven by desire and love for life and the world they were in, while Kate and Kevin were doing what they did out of paranoia. Their lifestyles may seem similar but actually, are worlds apart. They followed diets like keto and so on purely out of fear of how bad everything else was, instead of trusting their bodies and eating well because it makes them feel good. That was just something I noticed. It made me realize that I want to live a life driven by love and passion rather than fear and an element of “running away” from the world, if that makes sense. Run toward the beauty of life, not away from the horror of it, and follow your bliss, no matter how crazy it seems. I also realized that they way we speak about the world often reflects how we feel about ourselves. Positive people love and trust their bodies and value their experiences and life, while people like Kevin are closed off, afraid, and looking for flaws in the environment, unable to see the beauty of life.
When Peter was in the hospital, I cried. I don’t understand why sickness has to be so painful, and why strong people have to become weak. There is nothing worse than almost losing someone you love and being powerless as it happens, when you know that they are in pain. I only hope that if I were dying someone like Miriam would be there with me.
Lastly, I love trying new foods from nature. There is hardly anything I don’t like. But in the female exposition, hearing about eating the deer brains and eyeballs, and the cricket patties, and worst of all, maggots… I was thinking that I’d have to be pretty desperate to try it… but, I’d never say never! Haha.
It’s a beautiful book. It made me crave the wild, where I have always felt the most at home.
I feel that the world is so beautiful, if only we can listen to our hearts telling us why we are here. I love Miriam’s spirit. She remains open hearted always, and always expressed her absolute genuine self. She embodies everything I wish to be. She is open, eloquent, wise, and full of life. I laughed and cried with this book, and felt the peace and connection of the trees, valleys, mountains and wild animals.
One thing that struck me in the section about Kate and Kevin, was that when writing to Miriam, Kate said that they were a lot a like. But when they arrived, Kate and Kevin were scared of everything, talking about how bad the world is, and so on. I noticed that everything Miriam and Peter were doing was driven by desire and love for life and the world they were in, while Kate and Kevin were doing what they did out of paranoia. Their lifestyles may seem similar but actually, are worlds apart. They followed diets like keto and so on purely out of fear of how bad everything else was, instead of trusting their bodies and eating well because it makes them feel good. That was just something I noticed. It made me realize that I want to live a life driven by love and passion rather than fear and an element of “running away” from the world, if that makes sense. Run toward the beauty of life, not away from the horror of it, and follow your bliss, no matter how crazy it seems. I also realized that they way we speak about the world often reflects how we feel about ourselves. Positive people love and trust their bodies and value their experiences and life, while people like Kevin are closed off, afraid, and looking for flaws in the environment, unable to see the beauty of life.
When Peter was in the hospital, I cried. I don’t understand why sickness has to be so painful, and why strong people have to become weak. There is nothing worse than almost losing someone you love and being powerless as it happens, when you know that they are in pain. I only hope that if I were dying someone like Miriam would be there with me.
Lastly, I love trying new foods from nature. There is hardly anything I don’t like. But in the female exposition, hearing about eating the deer brains and eyeballs, and the cricket patties, and worst of all, maggots… I was thinking that I’d have to be pretty desperate to try it… but, I’d never say never! Haha.
It’s a beautiful book. It made me crave the wild, where I have always felt the most at home.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2021
When I saw Miriam and Peter for the first time in Floortje Dessing naar het einde van de wereld, I think I fell a little bit in love with these two wonderful people.
It is such a joy being able to read about their life together, in nature. Miriam is incredibly honest in her writing, which I enjoy a lot. Her joy and will to live a free, wild life and her love for Peter shines through every page of this book. The things that they’ve seen and experienced, the people they’ve met, the way they adapt to their surroundings, their wisdom... it’s all incredibly inspiring.
How beautiful is their story, how human, or maybe even more than human: people living with and in nature, in connection with the earth and each other, in contrast to so many human beings on our planet. Isn’t this a life many people would want to live? I know I would.
Miriam is incredibly good in conveying emotion in her writing. I felt her strength when reaching a beautiful mountain top, I felt her concern and fear when being around potentially dangerous people or dangerous animals, I felt her wonder when passing through beautiful places, I felt her gratitude and joy when receiving help from friends and wonderful people, I cried with Miriam when reading about Peter falling ill, felt the uncertainty and fear coming with his illness.
I can only wish for these beautiful people to keep on sharing their free, wild life together, in good health for the years to come. My heart is with them.
It is such a joy being able to read about their life together, in nature. Miriam is incredibly honest in her writing, which I enjoy a lot. Her joy and will to live a free, wild life and her love for Peter shines through every page of this book. The things that they’ve seen and experienced, the people they’ve met, the way they adapt to their surroundings, their wisdom... it’s all incredibly inspiring.
How beautiful is their story, how human, or maybe even more than human: people living with and in nature, in connection with the earth and each other, in contrast to so many human beings on our planet. Isn’t this a life many people would want to live? I know I would.
Miriam is incredibly good in conveying emotion in her writing. I felt her strength when reaching a beautiful mountain top, I felt her concern and fear when being around potentially dangerous people or dangerous animals, I felt her wonder when passing through beautiful places, I felt her gratitude and joy when receiving help from friends and wonderful people, I cried with Miriam when reading about Peter falling ill, felt the uncertainty and fear coming with his illness.
I can only wish for these beautiful people to keep on sharing their free, wild life together, in good health for the years to come. My heart is with them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2023
3.5 stars
"The beginnings of a journey is most important, because whatever follows is the adventure."
So many mixed feelings about this book... I wish I had the chance to read Miriam's first book first as it would perhaps introduce her as a character in depth, which I think it was missing here.
She's extreme, her views are extreme, I felt a lot of times their planning was awful, and they were just very lucky people to not get in serious trouble sooner...
I have this sense that retreating from society like this is not as hard as it seems - it's the opposite, an easy way out. I would much rather read about people who engage in changing the society we live in for the better.
When things really hit home and got very complex, she just wants to toss everything up and go leave on the bush *alone*, haha.
It was an enjoyable read, though, just not my cup of tea.
《Read for the Puke Ariki Book Club》
"The beginnings of a journey is most important, because whatever follows is the adventure."
So many mixed feelings about this book... I wish I had the chance to read Miriam's first book first as it would perhaps introduce her as a character in depth, which I think it was missing here.
She's extreme, her views are extreme, I felt a lot of times their planning was awful, and they were just very lucky people to not get in serious trouble sooner...
I have this sense that retreating from society like this is not as hard as it seems - it's the opposite, an easy way out. I would much rather read about people who engage in changing the society we live in for the better.
When things really hit home and got very complex, she just wants to toss everything up and go leave on the bush *alone*, haha.
It was an enjoyable read, though, just not my cup of tea.
《Read for the Puke Ariki Book Club》
May 27, 2023
I had a lot of hope for this book, being someone who love’s adventure, runs trails, understands the need to be engrossed in nature with both feet on the ground, the mind present, it felt like it was lacking something. There was little stories within the story itself but I felt it missed or lacked something. Truth, withheld thoughts, substance. Can’t put my finger on it but sadly it didn’t make me want to skip lunch for or put off going to the shop.
Disappointed but also somewhat intrigued all at the same time. After I finished it I went bush myself for a couple of days and thought about it. Could I live like they do? Could I survive with confidence? Could I be making my way to big cities and staying with people I’ve never meet before? That I am unsure.
What I do acknowledge and understand is the love for the bush, the love of freedom and the need for peace. The touch of the wind is far better than a hand at times. The feel of ice cold water is beautiful and healing, do it four times a week. I just can’t get past the missing parts not written.
Disappointed but also somewhat intrigued all at the same time. After I finished it I went bush myself for a couple of days and thought about it. Could I live like they do? Could I survive with confidence? Could I be making my way to big cities and staying with people I’ve never meet before? That I am unsure.
What I do acknowledge and understand is the love for the bush, the love of freedom and the need for peace. The touch of the wind is far better than a hand at times. The feel of ice cold water is beautiful and healing, do it four times a week. I just can’t get past the missing parts not written.
September 12, 2022
Marvellous story of life as happy nomads, living from hand to mouth with skill and tenacity, achieving peace and contentment and great comfort from being at one with the natural world and abhorring the comforts of so-called civilisation. And with the love of adventure, always looking for the next adventure. Very thought provoking for those of us, like me, who have always looked for a comfortable life and lived in houses. This book teaches me that I could have chosen a different life, and maybe a better life by being more in touch with the outdoors. A bit late for me at 80+!
April 10, 2023
Like Miriam's last book, it makes you question what you want out of life. The simplicity of their lifestyle is echoed in her writing style. Her childlike wonder at everything is lovely. It's a little different to her first book, where she learnt how to survive in the wilderness. In this book, she is already familiar with how to survive. It's not a romanticised account by any stretch and takes a hard look at the realities of living like this. Some parts where she's eating gnarly stuff are hard to stomach. Overall though, it's a fascinating read. Found it surprisingly moving.
April 2, 2024
Eerst vond ik het boeiend, daarna begon ik me steeds meer te ergeren. Ik vroeg me tijdens het lezen meer en meer af wat hun maatschappelijke bijdrage eigenlijk is, ze maken bijvoorbeeld gebuik van bibliotheek en ziekenhuis, maar werken zelf niet. Ze dragen niet of nauwelijks bij aan de maatschappij en zijn slechts gericht op hun eigen geluk. Daarbij hebben ze flink commentaar op andere mensen en hun levenswijzen. 🤔
January 16, 2025
This was a tough one to rate. The writing style seemed choppy and jumped from "then we did this, then we went here". It was like reading a child's essay on what they did over summer break. The couple also came off as self-righteous in their choice of lifestyle, which I found off putting at times.
That being said- I so enjoyed reading about their various encounters and adventures that I continued on. Quick read, and interesting if you can forgive the overall tone.
That being said- I so enjoyed reading about their various encounters and adventures that I continued on. Quick read, and interesting if you can forgive the overall tone.
December 14, 2020
3.5 stars. This is a recount of a fascinating lifestyle. I was under the (mistaken) impression that most of this book would cover their hiking in Europe (that's what really drew me) but it was half or less than of the overall story. That being said, I did enjoy the variety of adventures in a number of places in the book. I found it sometimes hard to relate to but otherwise very interesting.
February 22, 2021
From the author of "Woman in the Wilderness" comes the next set of adventures. This time Miriam and Peter go for a long walk through the forests of Europe and along the coast of Turkey, living close to nature, foraging for food and cooking over a campfire. But disaster comes to the pair when they move on to Australia. A gripping read.
April 8, 2021
Fantastic
Love Miriam’s writing. I always get transported to the fantastic scenarios, feel all the energy from the expeditions and ended up being so thankful for being able to read such a spectacular story. Amazing indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope she’ll write a third book. Luckily I’ll be able to experience a fraction of a life full of adventure
Love Miriam’s writing. I always get transported to the fantastic scenarios, feel all the energy from the expeditions and ended up being so thankful for being able to read such a spectacular story. Amazing indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope she’ll write a third book. Luckily I’ll be able to experience a fraction of a life full of adventure
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