One of the Financial Times' best summer books of 2025
Wildly different is an urgent, timely and original study of five pioneering women who fought for the right to explore and protect the wild. Sarah Lonsdale writes from the heart, and nothing has brought home to me with more force the relationship between gender and the natural world. Frances Wilson, author of The Ballad of Dorothy Wordsworth
Sarah Lonsdale powerfully and vividly reconstructs the lives of these brave, norm-defying women who, like too many, have been left out of our stories of adventure and the wild. A thrilling and ultimately triumphant read. Kate Zernike, author of The Exceptions
Drawing from their notes, maps, correspondence and memoirs, Sarah Lonsdale tells the stories of five courageous, wildly different women and the oneness they all experienced after overcoming physical and societal boundaries, to reach some of the most remote, wild and beautiful places on our planet. That these spaces are still contested for women is a travesty, but this inspirational book will embolden new generations of women to reclaim their places in the wild. Heartfelt, uplifting and utterly compelling, I could not put this book down. Brigit Strawbridge Howard, author of Dancing with Bees
'Its a deeply felt, splendidly told, long overdue celebration of five wild, witty and wise voices who make a compelling case, now as then, for conservation, compassion and community.' Dan Richards, author of Climbing Days
'This fascinating new biography showcases the ways women have fought to assert themselves in the wild.' Henry Bird, The Times' environment newsletter
'The idea that such exploits are the preserve of men, not women, is brilliantly dispatched' Pilita Clark, Financial Times
'The women themselves are certainly interesting and largely unknown, except for Nobel Peace Prizewinner Maathai, making this a worthy choice for environmental and womens history collections.' Colleen Mondor, Booklist
'Spellbinding' Christopher Wilson, Daily Express
'Well worth reading.' Carola Huttmann, Bookmunch -- .
