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The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 473 ratings

The unforgettable story of one woman who leaves behind her hardscrabble childhood in Alaska to travel the country via freight train—a beautiful memoir about forgiveness, self-discovery, and the redemptive power of nature, perfect for fans of Wild or Educated.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER • “An urgent read. A courageous life. Quinn’s story burns through us and bleeds beauty on every page.”—Noé Álvarez, author of Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land

After a childhood marked by neglect, poverty, and periods of homelessness, with a mother who believed herself to be the reincarnation of the Virgin Mary, Carrot Quinn moved out on her own. She found a sense of belonging among straight-edge anarchists who taught her how to traverse the country by freight trains, sleep in fields under the stars, and feed herself by foraging in dumpsters. Her new life was one of thrilling adventure and freedom, but still she was haunted by the ghosts of her lonely and traumatic childhood.

The Sunset Route is a powerful and brazenly honest adventure memoir set in the unseen corners of the United States—in the Alaskan cold, on trains rattling through forests and deserts, as well as in low-income apartments and crowded punk houses—following a remarkable protagonist who has witnessed more tragedy than she thought she could ever endure and who must learn to heal her own heart. Ultimately, it is a meditation on the natural world as a spiritual anchor, and on the ways that forgiveness can set us free.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The Sunset Route is a captivating tale of hope and profound courage. Carrot Quinn tells her story with unflinching honesty and grit, illuminating the magic and majesty of the landscapes of the American West. The story unfolds like an adventure on every page. I felt the railways rumble beneath me and the cold wind blow through my hair and had to remind myself to breathe. Carrot Quinn’s brave spirit shines as a bright reminder that what lies within us is stronger and more powerful than any circumstance. The Sunset Route is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking. By the end, I wanted to stand up and cheer for Quinn as she carved her own path to redemption.”—Ruth Wariner, author of the New York Times bestseller The Sound of Gravel

“An urgent read. A courageous life. Quinn’s story burns through us and bleeds beauty on every page.”
—Noé Álvarez, author of Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land

“At once a high-speed journey through the gritty heart of the American West and a wrenching memoir of tragedy and transcendence, 
The Sunset Route held me rapt from start to finish. In lush, reverent prose, Carrot Quinn describes the roots of her pain and the natural world in which she found solace and solidarity. The result is a singular work of adventure, kinship, and grace I didn’t want to end, and will never forget.”—Allie Rowbottom, author of Jell-O Girls

“Carrot Quinn has faced brutal hardships in her life and still manages to have hope and to see profound beauty in this broken world. A wild, inspiring story, at once gutting and uplifting, 
The Sunset Route is a remarkable portrait of self-discovery—and it made me want to join Carrot on a train across the country.”—Cameron Esposito, author of Save Yourself

The Sunset Route is at once rhapsodic and harrowing. Quinn delivers a raw and unflinching account of both the constant movement and the graceful stillness required to truly know oneself. . . . Gritty and wondrous.”—Kristin Knight Pace, author of This Much Country

About the Author

Carrot Quinn is a long-distance hiker and writer. She splits her time between Alaska and the open spaces of the western United States. She is the author of the book Thru-Hiking Will Break Your Heart: An Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08KSSHNBC
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Dial Press (July 6, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 6, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.4 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 473 ratings

About the author

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Carrot Quinn
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Hi, I'm Carrot Quinn. I'm a long distance hiker and a writer. If you'd like to follow along on my adventures, including photos and blog posts from the trail, mosey on over to my blog- carrotquinn.com.

You can also follow me on instagram- instagram.com/carrotquinn

Thanks for reading!

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
473 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and exciting. They describe the spirit as inspiring, meaningful, and fascinating. The story is described as heartbreaking, painful, and transcendent. Readers praise the author's strength, courage, and simplicity in capturing feelings and putting them into words.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

39 customers mention "Writing style"39 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging and exciting writing style. They appreciate the honest, straightforward prose with constant imagery and poetry in every paragraph. The language and storytelling are transportive, allowing readers to feel the acceleration, joy, and heartbreak. Readers describe the author as a masterful storyteller.

"...Carrot's captivating writing style sweeps the reader right into her pocket -- you feel as if you're there, living the story along with her as she..." Read more

"...I loved the constant imagery and poetry of every paragraph and the way the scenery was constantly painted on a canvas in front of the reader as the..." Read more

"...Carrot experiences, which is one of the many reasons this memoir is so captivating. The ride to Alaska with the Israeli lunatic was hysterical!..." Read more

"...I like her style, which is honest and straightforward. Her descriptions are wonderful; with a minimum of words she can let you feel the sand rubbing..." Read more

25 customers mention "Spirit"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspiring and meaningful. They describe it as a tender mix of entertaining adventure stories and heartbreaking memories. The author's genuine and generous human spirit emerges from childhood chaos. Readers appreciate the true story of courage and strength within the human spirit.

"...her story -- she shares it all -- no matter how personal, tragic, joyous, triumphant, and everything in between!..." Read more

"...This book was full of adventures, grief, spirituality via nature, and a true look at what it means to come into adulthood as a decent human while..." Read more

"...Yet the courage and beauty of a life built on ashes is stunning, inspirational and beautiful. Just read it." Read more

"...found it emotionally authentic and moving, as well as captivating and exciting. Highly recommend." Read more

21 customers mention "Heartbreaking story"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the story touching and thought-provoking. They describe it as a poignant tale of tragedy, trauma, and beauty. The book is described as emotionally authentic and moving, weaving together difficult memories into golden stardust. Readers share their pain and suffering with the characters' mental illnesses. While some readers found the story stark and difficult to follow at times, they appreciated the author's unique language of pain and emptiness in poetry.

"...in sharing her story -- she shares it all -- no matter how personal, tragic, joyous, triumphant, and everything in between!..." Read more

"...This book was full of adventures, grief, spirituality via nature, and a true look at what it means to come into adulthood as a decent human while..." Read more

"...I like her style, which is honest and straightforward...." Read more

"...I found it emotionally authentic and moving, as well as captivating and exciting. Highly recommend." Read more

7 customers mention "Strength"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book moving and courageous. They describe it as vulnerable and beautifully written.

"...and attempt the hardest physical things with such freaking grace and tenacity...." Read more

"...Her strength is amazing, her ability as a wordsmith is outstanding, she has written a book no one should miss." Read more

"...She is a master story teller and her tales are full of adventure, bravery, and heartbreak...." Read more

"...Her strength in those impossible moments, her desire to put one foot in front of the other, her desire to be seen and heard come through the pages..." Read more

3 customers mention "Simplicity"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the simple, well-crafted story.

"...I like her style, which is honest and straightforward...." Read more

"...Carrot's writing is beautiful in its simple, lovingly composed story...." Read more

"...Painful but transcendent story. Simply and beautifully told." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2024
    I have been following Carrot's journey since 2018; I've read every single post on her Carrot Quinn website (via WordPress) and as well as her book, 'Thru Hiking Will Break Your Heart' -- that said, when her 'Sunset Route' book became available, I purchased it and could not wait to delve into it! Carrot's captivating writing style sweeps the reader right into her pocket -- you feel as if you're there, living the story along with her as she narrates it. What I most love about how Carrot writes is how honest she is in sharing her story -- she shares it all -- no matter how personal, tragic, joyous, triumphant, and everything in between! She is an inspiration not only in the many accomplishments she's achieved in the realm of thru-hiking -- she is also such an inspiration in illustrating the extent to which the human spirit can go in order to survive. I look forward to the next book she publishes as I find strength in the life-lessons and messages she discovers along her journeys and then shares with the world. Thank you, Carrot! ~ Michelle aka Chelle H.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2021
    I loved this book! Carrot Quinn has been in my radar for a long time as not only a writer I love reading but also as a friend I would love to have. She is interesting & strange in all the best ways & I want to read every scrap of paper she has written on. This book was full of adventures, grief, spirituality via nature, and a true look at what it means to come into adulthood as a decent human while having such a hard upbringing. I love the writing in this book the most-- lines like "My heart because the Grand Canyon. My heart was massive, yet contained nothing." I loved the constant imagery and poetry of every paragraph and the way the scenery was constantly painted on a canvas in front of the reader as the story unwound.

    Carrot, I hope you read this and remember that you are worth it always. Your story has power and meaning and so much love & you give your readers all of it in your telling. Thank you for this book. Thank you for all of these words. I can't wait to read more of them.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2022
    Those of us with families, careers, can only dream of the adventures Carrot experiences, which is one of the many reasons this memoir is so captivating. The ride to Alaska with the Israeli lunatic was hysterical! There are parts of the book that are so very disturbing, not only the abuse when she was a child but also as a young woman who learns how to survive by shop lifting or littering the train tracks with excrement. I do believe that the experiences we have as children – good or bad – stay with us our entire lives. I truly hope she finds her “family” and I thank her for being such an honest soul.

    As others mentioned the book jumps back and forth from a childhood narrative to a current one which was a bit jarring, and does not allow the reader to follow minor characters, acquaintances, friends very well. A good editor could have helped her.

    Those who enjoyed Schlep or Glass Castles will find this a very good read.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2021
    Like some others, I've followed Carrot Quinn's blogs for years. I like hiking, backpacking and travel books with unique perspectives and stumbled on her early account of hiking across the Olympic Peninsula. Then I read her first book about hopping on trains and started following her many blogs about backpacking.

    I like her style, which is honest and straightforward. Her descriptions are wonderful; with a minimum of words she can let you feel the sand rubbing her feet raw while walking across a desert, or the fear of balancing on an icy trail near a windswept peak. All the while, you catch glimpses of someone who has endured a life many of us might not survive.

    But I wasn't prepared for The Sunset Route. It takes all of the above and adds a level of insight, honesty and heartbreak that's painful at times. Yet the courage and beauty of a life built on ashes is stunning, inspirational and beautiful.

    Just read it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2024
    Loved this author's first book and this one did not disappoint. I found it emotionally authentic and moving, as well as captivating and exciting. Highly recommend.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2022
    This author tells her life story growing up in a dysfunctional very poor household, and her search for her own meaning as she battles homelessness and loneliness. Sometimes confusing as she jumps from the past to the present, and in the end, it almost seems as if the author just got tired of writing the novel. Her struggle was sad and her characters’ mental illness is heartbreaking, but I expected some sort of redemption in the end.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2021
    Deeply felt sharply observed interior and exterior journey about a woman who suffers awful torments, poverty and rejection as a child and who hops trains and hitchikes out of those desparate circumstances to a kind of freedom. The book struck me a redemptive, fast-paced travel memoir remiscent Chatwin, Theroux and Strayed. Took me to places I couldn't imagine.

    The book is rich in evocative images like her description of anorexic models in teen magazines: "it is as though someone laid the clothing on the ground, smoothed it flat, and the photoshopped in the models' head, hands and feet." Or a metaphorical climb out of Death Valley that takes every ounce of strength and endurance. At times there seemed to be more images than were required for the narrative; I suppose that's because Quinn had so many to spare.

    The book has stuck with me for days after having read it. (why else add another review to the 160+?): the invisibility of children growing up in poverty, abuse and hunger, the "normality" of those who live by dumpster diving, the ambigous morality of the desparate for petty theivery and a craving for intimacy that can never be satisfied. It just seemed weird reading this while complacently sitting in my house in a comfortable chair. Good books do that.
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • B Frost
    5.0 out of 5 stars I have read both of Carrot's books now and,
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2023
    I am left slightly dumfounded, by the serious degree of povety she has had to endure. First the extreme cold and next the extreme heat. Carrot is a free spirit in the true sense of the word, she will not, ever bow to the rules of domesticity and that is mostly the problem. Add to that bad parenting and you have the story of a run-away.
    How much of Carrot's struggle is down to her own actions and how much is down to her parents short comings?
    Did Carrot accelerate her mom's paranoia/dementure, or were Carrot's bad parenting the cause of her free-spiritedness ?
    Whatever !
    But one thing I cannot deny is the absolute brilliance of her writing, her prose, her sublime power over the written word.

    PS. After reading this book covering Carrot's earlier years, it is small wonder that this powerhouse of a woman blitzed the PCT at her first attempt.
    Respect.
  • pwm
    5.0 out of 5 stars beautiful
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2023
    A book that puts into words the pain of trauma and neglect. Perfectly. Thank you for sharing this Carrot. Beautiful prose.
  • Booksy Londoner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2021
    I've been looking forward to reading this ever since I read Thruhiking, and it didn't disappoint. I gobbled it up and will definitely read again. A beautifully written, raw and honest account.

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