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.

Offering to give it away mortgage free when they owed about £380K and increasing at 18% on it was a bit of a whopper!

It's very much skimmed over in the book, noticeably so.

I literally just finished reading the article and came on here to see if anyone had started a thread and felt the same way as I did about the book!
I very rarely don't finish a book but I gave up on this one pretty early on. (my DM had just died and it was a pretty depressing book so I thought that was why I couldn't get into it.) But now I know the whole story it makes sense.
Glad I didn't watch the film. A friend did say it was very boring.

I would like to think that it would be mostly accurate in the Observer especially as its critising an inaccurate film and books..

@DesperateforSunshineyes why don’t you give the thieving scum bags more money!

I guessed that there was more to this story. A rural Welsh council will never see a middle aged couple off a farm/small holding, one with a disability, homeless, they would support them to move somewhere, either council or private, support them to find benefits, and the benefits, with PIP, should’ve covered rent, particularly when the book was written. Less so now, sadly. I assumed that they were too snobby to actually ask the council for help.

In addition people with Moths condition deteriorate not improve and the risk that he would’ve fallen off any costal path would be prohibitive so again, I thought that Moth’s condition wasn’t truthful.

And all the time they owned a property in France!

Yes, exactly. Professional victims who behave irresponsibly, get themselves into fixes and then want to make a career out of 'poor me, I've been so hard do to' while conveniently glossing over much of the detail of how they got here.

It always really bugs me that journalists and interviewers let them get away with it and don't ask the most salient and obvious questions.

Over the years I've seen people questioning the lack of photos of their various walks, so the actual truth of all of it has always been hovering in the background.

I think embezzlement is a bit more than behaving irresponsibly!!!

The Observer has three articles about this.

The third states that she was arrested for embezzlement, then borrowed £100,000 from Tim's relative to pay back the people she'd embezzled in exchange for them not pressing charges.

Wonder why they didn't try to sell the property in France?

https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/the-salt-path-whats-in-the-book-and-what-the-observer-has-found

Bloody hell, I’m so dissapointed reading that article. I very much enjoyed The Salt Path book, although like others, thought the whole “we lost our house to nasty people” rather perplexing as it was never fully explained.

The second and third novel I got really annoyed with as they seemed to be putting themselves in ridiculous and dangerous situations which would be hugely detrimental to his health, when they didn’t need to. We know why!!

They should be arrested.

1. stealing £60k from employer
2. selling tickets to people to raffle off their home, when they knew it had massive debts against it.

Plus Penguin and the film company should sue them for the pack of lies they’ve presented as true.

I havent read it but they should have to pay back their advance and royalties to a charity that supports whatever his illness was meant to be

Feeling vindicated
I live in Cornwall and was given the book early on, read it and hated it. I didn’t like RW at all.
i kept saying to people who raved about the book ‘something doesn’t sit right’ with the whole situation. I’d actually thought they’d ended up being lumbered with costs from an ill advised boundary dispute. When those go to court they can cost hundreds of thousands. So I was wrong there.
Chloe H is a very well respected investigative reporter so I’m sure this story has legs. And an intriguing podcast!

I’ve refused to see the film -
playing non stop at local cinemas down here. And so glad I did!

What podcast are you talking about? Im looking for a new one to binge!

I’ve just finished it for book group and hated it. I thought she seemed false, she was a bitch yo people who were helping them and the whole house story seemed so glossed over it couldn’t possibly be true. I’m glad the Observer have looked into it.

I've only read The Salt Path, not her other books, but thought she came across as a narcissist who'd managed to alienate everyone around her. And was playing the victim re the house loss. But I didn't anticipate this!

@helphelpimbeingrepressed yes she was quite rude about some locals she met on the path.
and @Gallivanterer - no podcast yet, but there’s sure to be one. Can’t wait!

Arrrrrghhh I need the podcast nooooooow! 😅

The audiobook on Spotify is actually read by the author herself

I mean the article is also pretty vague about some important detail. She turns up on the doorstep of a “distant relative” of her husband who lends them £100k, despite his business being on the brink of going bust, because “no relative of mine is going to jail”. That seems…unusual. The debt is then sold to two men (who? Why? How? That’s not usual as part of insolvency practices?) who call it in.

I can’t believe the brass neck of them. Imagine making up those lies and then telling the whole world those lies, with book and a film containing those lies. Surely they knew they’d get caught out at some point?!

Thanks for this, I had no idea.

Yeah good spot. Who lends someone 100K like that? Its 100% not a thing.

Im tempted to listen to the audio book now... Hear her spin this lie in her own voice 😅

The legal case as described by Sally Walker / Raynor Winn didn’t add up. Investing in someone else’s business doesn’t mean you are on the hook for more money (including your house)if the business fails. She should have just said they got into financial difficulties. And she should have used the proceeds of her novel to repay everyone she owes money to.