The astonishing adventure classic about life in Tibet just before the Chinese Communist takeover is now repackaged for a new generation of re... read full description
reviews
Nov 10, 2010
Joselito
rated it: 
I bought my copy of this book from a thrift shop last 27 January 2010. Handwritten on its first inside page is the former owner's name followed by:
"23 Jan 1999
"Los Angeles
"California
"7:00 pm."
I suspect he (or she?) was a Tibetan. It's typical of these religious and superstitious people to ascribe meaning to every event, or to the time, place and date it happened. Even when it is just a book purchase.
The former o More...
"23 Jan 1999
"Los Angeles
"California
"7:00 pm."
I suspect he (or she?) was a Tibetan. It's typical of these religious and superstitious people to ascribe meaning to every event, or to the time, place and date it happened. Even when it is just a book purchase.
The former o More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 02, 2011
Basham!
rated it: 
I'll be the first to say the movie version is... well, awful. It sensationalized aspects of Harrer's life (although the part about leaving his pregnant wife turns out to be true and was interestingly omitted by Harrer from the book itself). The film also created a stupidly melodramatic fake love triangle and gave short shrift to just how riveting the journey to Lhasa must have been. Of course, this shouldn't be the surprise. "The book is better than the movie" is a common refrain. Once
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 09, 2011
I've avoided a lot of travel diaries and writing in my free time because I did a lot of this reading for my history at classes at the U of E.C. In fact, I've not always enjoyed the reading. Often times the author is very tedious in outlining his descriptions and experiences in travel. Other times, I really just could not connect with the author's experience. What I like about Herrer's work is his focus on keeping a succinct account of his seven years in Tibet. Seven years is a hell of a long
More...
Sep 13, 2011
Mike
rated it: 
I really enjoyed this book, I think anyone who likes reading Harrer or reading about Tibet would find the book a worthwhile read. It provides a good snapshot of all levels of Tibetan culture, and I found Harrer's eye-witness accounts of the Tibetan oracle at work fascinating, and in no way in disagreement with the accounts found in, The Way of the White Clouds by Lama Anagarika Govinda. This is my first Harrer book, and while the writing isn't extremely polished, I found it sincere, completely b
More...
Jun 26, 2011
Christina
rated it:
A friend recommended this to me as his favorite book, so I looked it up at my library. While I wouldn't go that far, it was a very good book.
Harrer was an Austrian-born mountain climber who was held in a British internment camp in India during WWII, along with his German colleagues. He escapes with both the hope of regaining his freedom and -- more enticingly --venturing from India to Tibet, and the forbidden city of Lhasa.
His descriptions are rather dry, so your imaginati More...
Harrer was an Austrian-born mountain climber who was held in a British internment camp in India during WWII, along with his German colleagues. He escapes with both the hope of regaining his freedom and -- more enticingly --venturing from India to Tibet, and the forbidden city of Lhasa.
His descriptions are rather dry, so your imaginati More...
Apr 16, 2011
Richard
rated it:
Harrer, an Austrian, was a mountain climber/adventurer who the first person to climb the North Face/Wall of the Eiger Mountain in Switzerland in the 1930s. He was in India to climb mountains when he was imprisoned by the English merely because his native language was German. This book, originally published in 1953, is an adventure classic that recounts Heinrich Harrer's 1943 escape from a British internment camp in India, his daring trek across the Himalayas, and his happy sojourn in Tibet, the
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 12, 2009
Julie
rated it: 
The story told in this book is phenomenal, but I just could not get into Heinrich. For one thing, he (and his companions) were rude, culturally insensitive, and uncompromising as they made their way towards Lhasa. He then wrote many things about Tibet and Tibetans as fact when 1) it seems unlikely that he would be a Tibet scholar, when he spent most of his seven years living among the rich and privileged in Lhasa, 2) some of his words sometimes contradicted each other. Additionally, the bitter p
More...
Feb 06, 2012
Travis
rated it:
This book was not only a tale of adventure in escaping a British POW camp in India but also a collection of observations and musings on Tibetan culture. The author was a resourceful and hardy individual who carved a life for himself in an unknown world. He found himself a well-off man whose ingenuity brought him close to a young Dalai Lama.
The book protects a memory and snapshot of Tibet before it was engulfed by China. It was a nation that had it own citizens house shackled prisoners More...
The book protects a memory and snapshot of Tibet before it was engulfed by China. It was a nation that had it own citizens house shackled prisoners More...
Jan 17, 2010
Bryan
rated it:
Few books captivate a reader to the point where he cannot help but wonder at the normality of his own life when extraordinary events such as these can happen in the lives of people of the same planet. I find this to be one of those books.
The story of Heinrich Harrer's seven years in Tibet, eventually leading him to the feet and intimate friendship of The 14th Dalai Lama, is so out of the normal range of human experience that I must compare his experience with those of Puyi (Last Emp More...
The story of Heinrich Harrer's seven years in Tibet, eventually leading him to the feet and intimate friendship of The 14th Dalai Lama, is so out of the normal range of human experience that I must compare his experience with those of Puyi (Last Emp More...
Feb 07, 2009
Atomox
rated it:
The first 120 pages or so is perhaps the best adventure/expedition novel I have ever read. I fell in love with real places in what is now China, and found myself obsessively searching google for proof of their existence night after night. This portion of the book flew by in no time, and will forever remain in my mind as some of the most rewarding literature in it's class.
The remainder of the book was rewarding on a different level, but unlike the first part of the book, is not readi More...
The remainder of the book was rewarding on a different level, but unlike the first part of the book, is not readi More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 25, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
'Seven Years in Tibet' is not a travel memoir, so do not call it one. This novel suffers from one of the greatest plagues in literature. It's placed in a genre, in a much too generalized subject, that it isn't admired for what it is.
How I came across this book is a long story, but needless to say it was on a whim and without recommendation. The first I heard about the possible plot of this text was when I had the chance to read the synopsis after bringing it home from the library. I More...
How I came across this book is a long story, but needless to say it was on a whim and without recommendation. The first I heard about the possible plot of this text was when I had the chance to read the synopsis after bringing it home from the library. I More...
Aug 30, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
I finally finished this fricken book! It took me over 7 years to read Seven Years in Tibet. I started it a couple of times in college, then again after I moved to Denver and got into mountain climbing, and finally finished it yesterday. While at the library, I ran across the audio version and decided to give it another go.
This book reads like a diary, which can be good and bad. He explains everything in tedious detail. Every trail they took, every glacier they saw, every yak they bo More...
This book reads like a diary, which can be good and bad. He explains everything in tedious detail. Every trail they took, every glacier they saw, every yak they bo More...
Jan 11, 2010
John
rated it:
the lull in the middle killed this book for me.
maybe i got spoiled while eating up the travails of getting from india to tibet - two years of wandering, poorer than nomads, across the himalayas - and the flight from the reds and the fall of lhasa. these are interesting, colorful, evolving scenes. but in the middle it gets bogged down with harrer's daily life, which is to be expected as he settled into 'life'; but he ceases, at that point, to make life interesting. he stops givin More...
maybe i got spoiled while eating up the travails of getting from india to tibet - two years of wandering, poorer than nomads, across the himalayas - and the flight from the reds and the fall of lhasa. these are interesting, colorful, evolving scenes. but in the middle it gets bogged down with harrer's daily life, which is to be expected as he settled into 'life'; but he ceases, at that point, to make life interesting. he stops givin More...
Nov 28, 2009
GeekChick
rated it:
If you loved the movie, you should definitely read this book. Don't, however, expect it to be exactly like the movie.
I saw the movie several years ago, so maybe my recollections of it are slightly skewed. What I remember most is Harrer's relationship with the Dalai Lama. But in the book that plays a much smaller part. And that's ok -- the book is quite beautiful and engaging on its own.
Harrer's experience is so over the top that it's almost unbelievable! I am jealous More...
I saw the movie several years ago, so maybe my recollections of it are slightly skewed. What I remember most is Harrer's relationship with the Dalai Lama. But in the book that plays a much smaller part. And that's ok -- the book is quite beautiful and engaging on its own.
Harrer's experience is so over the top that it's almost unbelievable! I am jealous More...
May 05, 2011
Gina
rated it:
For the first third of the book (the journey through the Himalayas before arriving in Tibet), I was interested, but not overly so. The writing style was pretty emotionless and stoic. It seemed like the author did little more than transcribe diary entries.
When they finally reached Tibet, though, the character of the book changed and I could sense a lot more wonder and excitement. Also, the explanations of the culture of Tibet were more prominent.
The book ends rather abruptly, More...
When they finally reached Tibet, though, the character of the book changed and I could sense a lot more wonder and excitement. Also, the explanations of the culture of Tibet were more prominent.
The book ends rather abruptly, More...
Jun 01, 2011
Kathy
rated it:
Heinrich Herrer steals into Tibet over the Himalayas after becoming bored and restless in an Indian Prisoner of War camp but instead of focusing on the suffering of his nearly-barefoot passage over the mountains in the winter, he instead focuses on fascinating descriptions of Tibet. Herrer was one of few European explorers not to come close to a developing country from an advanced position when he arrived in Lhasa, he had nothing but the clothes he wore, and his firsthand knowledge of the Tibeta
More...
Oct 16, 2008
Abram
rated it:
This is a woderful account of Heinrich Harrer's long journey as a exile in Tibet. Although it is written from the point of a mountaineer I think that any one will enjoy the story. And best of all it is true.
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 19, 2011
T'leah
rated it:
This book deserves two different star ratings as it holds two completely different stories. That is the way I look at it anyway. Heinrich Harrer was a mountain climber who fled into Tibet when German's were being rounded up during the war. His journey, along with a friend, through the wastelands of Tibet was amazing. It was told in a way that you really felt for them and their trials and tribulations. Once they reach the city I lost interest. It goes on and on about how they had to make su
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 26, 2010
Chris
rated it:
I just saw the movie on TV, so I wanted to read the book. This is about an Austrian mountain climber who gets captured and sent to a POW camp by the Germans. After several times trying to escape, he finally does escape, and this talks about their trying to elude the Germans, to not going back into the POW camps. He ends up in Lhasa with several other Europeans, and they eventually ingratiate themselves and become tudors, and help build a water system. He eventually meets the Dalai Lama, at
More...
Feb 08, 2011
Cee Lakambini
rated it:
Two European prisoners of war who escape internment and journey to a country deemed forbidden; carve their own niche in this land is a story deserving five stars.
The narrative, however, is quite dry and sluggishly transports me from my couch to Tibet. Once there I did not like to leave. It was enthralling to learn about the country, its people and customs before it was taken over by China.
On several occasions, the writing comes across as looking down at a people racially More...
The narrative, however, is quite dry and sluggishly transports me from my couch to Tibet. Once there I did not like to leave. It was enthralling to learn about the country, its people and customs before it was taken over by China.
On several occasions, the writing comes across as looking down at a people racially More...
Oct 13, 2010
Paul
rated it:
The story in this book is phenomenal. Few books this long has caught my attention and used all my spare time before. I began this book after one of my sisters threw this book down and said it was one of the worst books she had ever read. I seem to enjoy everything my sisters don't like. I didn't understand why she didn't like this book. This book is an EPIC novel and has AMAZING imagery. When i first started the book i thought she was right. I would have thought that it would start out like an
More...
Sep 15, 2011
Roberta
rated it:
Avete presente l'omonimo film del 1997?
... ecco, questo libro è tutta un'altra cosa. Che il film fosse centrato più sulla figura del mascalzone redento protagonista (nella figura di Brad Pitt) che sul Tibet, e che fosse intriso di buonismo, si sapeva. Che il libro potesse - e dovesse - essere meglio, lo si sperava. In realtà il libro di Harrer si limita a essere una lunga elencazione di tutto ciò che è successo a partire dai campi di prigiona in India fino all'esilio dal Tibet causa More...
... ecco, questo libro è tutta un'altra cosa. Che il film fosse centrato più sulla figura del mascalzone redento protagonista (nella figura di Brad Pitt) che sul Tibet, e che fosse intriso di buonismo, si sapeva. Che il libro potesse - e dovesse - essere meglio, lo si sperava. In realtà il libro di Harrer si limita a essere una lunga elencazione di tutto ciò che è successo a partire dai campi di prigiona in India fino all'esilio dal Tibet causa More...
Jan 16, 2011
Dan
rated it:
After escaping POW camps in India two Germans hike overland into Lhasa, the first Westerners to have an extended stay on the ceiling of the world. This book chronicles their journey and then describes Tibetan society in great detail, including visits with his holiness. The book also describes the beginning of the Chinese involvement in the region, which, while illuminating, is tremendously depressing. Obviously, Tibetan society will never recover from the events of the last 50 years, but this bo
More...
Jan 29, 2009
OneWorldLibrary
rated it:
ÒAnne Majusiak: A true story, this was made into a movie in the 90's starring Brad Pitt. I'd love to have a chance to read the story more in-depth. ----- Library Description: Originally published in 1953, this is a memoir of an Austrian mountaineer's escape from a British prisoner-of-war camp in India and who somehow manages to cross the Himalayas into Tibet. Amazingly he becomes tutor to the Dalai Lama as a boy, developing a friendship that continues to this day. The memoir describes
More...
Dec 30, 2011
Clara
rated it:
This is a compelling adventure story of Heinrich Harrer's remarkable trek from India to Lhasa, Tibet in the forties, a time when few Westeners had ventured there. It's a terrific first-hand account of life in this beautiful and strange land, and of the author's fascinating stint as a tutor to the then-teenaged Dalai Lama. Harrer, a true adventurer, writes without affectation. He's candid and even-handed in describing the Tibetan way of life, while demonstrating a genuine affection for the count
More...
Sep 14, 2010
Kmccart
rated it:
This book provides an interesting perspective of a Westerner who lived in Tibet long before it was on the tourist maps. Harrer was an escaped prisoner of war who had it in his head that he simply had to get to Tibet. The account of the journey gives the reader some idea of the hardships he and his colleague faced along the way, but the Germans were accepted by the Tibetans and immersed themselves in their new lives. Ultimately, though, this book will make you sad as you consider the fate of Tibe
More...
Jul 29, 2009
Ashley
rated it:
I watched the movie about 2 months ago after finding it on Netflix's "instant view" section. I completely fell in love. When I finally got the book I was thrilled to death- I thought I would love it. ...and I did, in a weird way...just not like I thought I would.
In the movie, the beginning kind of bored me- it was only after they entered Lhasa that my interest peaked. In the book, however, I was far more interested in the journey to Lhasa than their time spent in the Holy C More...
In the movie, the beginning kind of bored me- it was only after they entered Lhasa that my interest peaked. In the book, however, I was far more interested in the journey to Lhasa than their time spent in the Holy C More...
May 22, 2009
Angie
rated it:
I watched this movie during the summer and then bought the book off of betterworld.com really cheap. It took me two months to read this book, mostly because it’s a really dry read, even if you’re interested in the subject matter like I was.
The first 200 pages focus on Harrer’s treks in the Himalayas and it drags on and on. I feel like a lot of it could have been edited and cut.
The last 100 pages or so are about the relationship between Harrer and His Holiness, which is wh More...
The first 200 pages focus on Harrer’s treks in the Himalayas and it drags on and on. I feel like a lot of it could have been edited and cut.
The last 100 pages or so are about the relationship between Harrer and His Holiness, which is wh More...
Sep 28, 2008
Kristen
rated it:
Interesting and inspiring book, made even more poignant by my trip to the mountains of Uzbekistan while I was reading it. I wrote that I still have to read the post-movie copy with the Afterward by Harrer (but of course I don't know what this means any more as I hardly even remember having read the book).
The quote below sounds patronizing now ("stage of evolution"), but I do often miss the pace of life in Uzbekistan and think that much would be lost if suddenly Uzbeks had More...
The quote below sounds patronizing now ("stage of evolution"), but I do often miss the pace of life in Uzbekistan and think that much would be lost if suddenly Uzbeks had More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 31, 2008
Bubba
rated it:
When the movie "7 Years in Tibet" came out I made my girlfriend get in the car and drive 50 miles with me, to another city, just to see it. Since that time it has been one of my favorite films, despite the fact that I like to quote Brad Pitt's lines in a horrible Austrian accent ("shut up peter!"). However, the movie departs from Heinrich Harrer's account on several key points.
1) He never mentions a troubled marriage or a son he left behind (maybe this is referen More...
1) He never mentions a troubled marriage or a son he left behind (maybe this is referen More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
