To feel disappointed after reading this in The Observer about the author and her husband from The Salt Path book and film?

[DisappointedReader]

The real Salt Path: how the couple behind a bestseller le...

I read Raynor Winn's book The Salt Path and her other two books. I was looking forward to seeing the film at some point and to reading her next book. I felt sorry to read about the challenges the couple had faced, especially with regard to losing their family home and with Moth's health. Now, having read the article in today's Observer, I feel a bit stunned and am not sure what to think.

What a pair of grifters. I hope she’s cancelled.

Like Captain Tom’s family.

Yeah, if true that article is a bit of an eye opener!

No wonder they glossed over so much of the circumstances they found themselves in in the film.

Is any of it true at all? Frauds!! The walking group I'm in were planning to go watch this together,I have no intention of lining their pockets even more.

Blimey! I did buy the book but only read a chapter as I couldn't get into it & found it too convoluted. So I donated it to charity instead.

I wonder when they changed their names to Raynor and Moth Winn?

I feel vindicated. I didn't think she came over as especially pleasant in the book, and was quite nasty about someone who helped them (was it the women who let them stay in return for some help with renovations?). No doubt she realised what grifters they really are. I imagine more will be revealed.

That's very interesting and thank you for the link. I'd always been a little sceptical about the book in that the first chapter of the first book doesn't quite make sense about how they lost all their money, but I have enjoyed reading all the books. If everything in the article is right, it was only a matter of time before someone put it all together, but I suppose they've made their money now anyway. What a pair.

I also feel vindicated, they never seemed genuine to me, re the loss of their house or his illness. Presumably she didn’t mean to paint herself as a nasty piece of work but that’s exactly how I saw her. Even tiny details like not paying camping fees( from memory) complete disregard for others needing to make a living.

The first chapter was implausibly annoying so tbh i think this story makes far more sense. I wish they’d written the real story. But then I grew up with a dad with what sounds like similar attitudes to other people’s money. I think what people do when they face losing a life they feel they’re entitled to is really interesting, though perhaps not as inspo heavy or as likely to inspire a line of merch.

I've read the book for my book club and found the lack of detail about the circumstances of losing the farm irritating. Also, Moth did not feature much in the book really, or at least as much as his health would imply, i twas mostly about her.

Vindicated! I saw the movie and was on the thread on here agreeing it seemed emotionally manipulative in that modern way where people know how to get attention.

Felt the same way when I read the very first article about that Jack Monroe. Like hmm that doesn’t sound right. The fire brigade discriminated against you and you lost your job then you had only 50p a week to live on and nobody to turn to. Grifters all of them.

Lots of things in the book didn’t make sense - and now they do. I enjoyed it - that sense of how precarious life can be, and the nature writing - but didn’t particularly like either of them, and can understand why now.

my book club are going to be very unhappy / vindicated - it was a real marmite read for us.

I wanted to watch this film until I read the article.

I haven’t read the book or seen the film. But the truly gargantuan publicity the couple received a few weeks ago (especially from the BBC) when the film was released has, I hope, enabled them to pay their debts - especially to the small businesses they owe money to.

And if the illness has been faked as part of this, well, surely that merits a criminal investigation?

Thanks, @DisappointedReader , for the article link.

They were on an episode of Rick Steins Cornwall, where he visited them. To me she didn’t come across as genuine, quite aggressive when asked questions and it all had to be about her.

Her husband was almost a spare part and looked the picture of health.

The film was rubbish IMHO. Very light on detail (obvious why now) about losing the farm etc. If you hadn’t read the book you wouldn’t have a clue what was going on. It all looked beautiful, and I like both the leads usually, but the film was pretty boring and shallow.

I bet Gillian Anderson is pissed!

Depends what she got paid. I could live with it for a good payday.

I also feel vindicated! It did feel manipulative and I gave up reading it. Passed the book on to someone else who felt the same.

More the fool people taken in by this film and books. The first time we saw them interviewed we commented that they looked shifty. Perhaps we are more used to seeing that kind of character living in an inner city rough area but the pair of them definitely had that look.

I never enjoyed the book so didn’t bother with the film . This expose is not nice for their children either
( assuming it’s true that they have children )

I'd never heard of the book or the film - and nobody has suggested its a good read lol, I may have look now to see how bad it is!

I haven’t read the book but saw the film and just didn’t understand why they’d lost the farm. It was not made clear at all and I wondered if I’d missed some key detail. This all makes sense now.

It's enough to make you give up salt. And paths 👍

When I read the book, I thought the description of how they lost the house was so vague that it probably hid a less salubrious truth, so this is very unsurprising.

The Observer also has a to camera piece from the wife of the man who Raynor Winn aka Sally Walker embezzled out of over £60,000.

I tried to find out a bit about them as they seemed to have such odd names, and only found an interview where "Raynor" said Moth was really called Ray, but got the name Moth from eco activism in the 80s and 90s. Seems he's actually called Tim Walker.

https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-the-truth-behind-the-blockbuster-book-video