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.

I’m glad this has been exposed. I was really put off by the saccarhine, sanctimonious pilgrimage story of triumph over adversity smaltz where it turns out they’ve been peddling a dangerous & false narrative & perpetuated the BS myth that you can walk yourself out of a degenerative & life limiting illness/cancer/insert other. It’s disappointing however no traction or real consequences have befallen these grifters, when it really should. I suppose once it gets taken up by the DMail there may be more outrage esp as it’s it target audience & demographic.

The episode is on YouTube

One article by an envious lady isn’t convincing. They are genuine and yes he was diagnosed with a terminal health condition.

😂😂😂😂😂

Hi Sally!!!

There was an article showing on Daily Mail but it disappeared when I clicked on it

She's not envious. Google Chloe Hadjimatheou and you'll find she's a very fearless and accomplished journalist.

Oh for fuck's sake.

She’s not an ‘envious lady’. She’s a highly regarded investigative journalist working for one of the UK’s most respected broadsheet newspapers.

So, what happens next assuming this is true?

Do her books become unavailable (ie out of print)?
Is the film pulled out of circulation?

Can anyone be sued and will she have to repay the money?

How is the journalist envious? What exactly does she have to be envious of - the Winns’/Walkers’ money? I doubt they’re living like billionaires with that money!

And you make it sound as if the journalist’s article was published on an anonymous self-published blog. She put her name to the article. And no doubt it was checked and re-checked by the newspaper’s lawyers - as others have said - as publishing something factually incorrect or misleading would get the newspaper into very hot water. They can’t afford to publish something factually wrong.

And what makes you say with such certainty that they’re genuine and he was diagnosed with a terminal health condition? The journalist’s article obviously indicates they’re not completely genuine.

Meh. I can never get too excited about this kind of thing. So she embellished the truth. So what? It's 'based on truth'. All non-fiction includes some element of embellishment/ narrativisation.

She drew attention to: homelessness in older people; the benefits of walking for mental and physical health; the beauty of the SWCP; the particular (rare) condition 'Moth' (allegedly) suffers from and raised money for relevant charities as a result. That's all the stuff I took from the book. Not any personal investment in her or them as people.

😂😂😂

I think it's all really sad, after all it still could be that the walk & Moths illness is true. Fair enough the walk might have been embellished. This publicity must be excruciating for them & their children.
I hope they make arrangements to pay their debts.

There seems to be an opinion piece about the articlex, maybe in the Observer Magazine?

I can't access it. But this is a screenshot from PressReader

I haven’t read the book as I couldn’t get past the first few pages. But I’m just wondering how involved Moth is in interviews etc. It sounds like she might have some kind of Munchausen by proxy.

From what I understand Raynor stole the money, then blamed Moth for losing the house by making a bad investment. Is she quite controlling or maybe they are in it together

No, it's not that.

She is a criminal. She stole money from her employer when working as a bookkeeper ( around £64K) and was let off the hook by them accepting a non disclosure agreement. one of her distant relatives paid the debt- but then they demanded it back and she did a runner, effectively.
Or rather a walk.
And told a lot of lies.

One post by an anonymous MNer isn't convincing.

IME of publishing, an agent won't usually sell film/TV rights as part of a publishing deal, so the film/TV rights remain with the author. They will perhaps give publishers the option a tie in edition of the book if it is sold.

The Walkers will have had a choice. Even if they did sell the film rights to the publisher, they didn't have to.

She embezzled tens of thousands of pounds. Ands seems to up to her neck in criminality.

Even the dog looks worried

I suppose it’s more the fact she still owes money to people, like the garage owner, despite making lots of money from the book and film, that she openly admits to not paying to use campsite facilities on the walk and that there’s now growing suspicion that her husband may not be ill or may not have done the walk (or both) and maybe even that she might not have done the walk.

Yes, she highlighted many good causes in the book, but if she never even walked the path (wonder if we’ll ever find out…) and her husband is not actually ill, then the whole thing is deceitful and it can’t be marketed as a memoir.

This too!! (To add to my earlier post).

"Based on a true story some people and facts have been changed to maintain the dramatic impact" - lawyers will have covered all the bases - it's their job. Partilcuarly so for such a high value project as this.

The film was doing really well, it seems. The Walkers must be feeling sick right now.

Selling ‘The Salt Path’: how international distributors are turning the UK film into a box-office hit | Features | Screen https://share.google/MuRkI61Zl8j9STsQQ

"Throughout June, The Salt Path, a UK production with a budget understood to be under $10m, has been out-performing Mission: Impossible 8 and Ballerina on certain days in UK and Irish cinemas.

Two weeks after its UK and Ireland release on May 30 by Black Bear UK, the film had generated an impressive £6m ($8.2m) and counting".

"At £1.4m, the film’s opening weekend figures are among the highest Black Bear has achieved on any of its UK releases so far, matching Longlegs (£1.4m) and surpassing Bafta and Oscar winner Conclave (£1.1m)".

How do we know he's an actual dog - could be a trained rabbit in drag.