The Brilliant Outsider

by Robert Wainwright

The first full-length biography of George Ingle Finch - maverick Australian mountaineer, scientist, concert pianist and father of actor Peter Finch.

 

George Ingle Finch, mountaineer, soldier, scientist, rebellious spirit, boy from the bush, was in his day one of the most famous men in the world. In 1922 he stood at the highest point on Everest, a feat not bettered for 30 years. He invented the predecessor to the puffer jacket and pioneered the use of oxygen in climbing. A World War I hero whose skills also helped save London from burning to the ground during the Blitz of World War II, he was a renowned scientist who was personally chosen by Nehru, the first Indian prime minister, to help lead his nation into the modern world.

With a private life torn by war and misguided by social norms, a reputation as an outsider among the British alpine climbing establishment, and some rough and ready 'colonial' habits, Finch was a brilliantly colourful character - so why has he vanished from the pages of history? In this first full-length biography, Robert Wainwright surveys the man who is now best known as the father of Academy award-winning actor Peter Finch - but who was so much more.

 

 

 

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Mountaineering

426 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2015

Reviews

[ALFIE ✯ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library on a whim. I'm not usually one to read biographies on historical figures I have never heard about before, but George Finch's background and list of achievements drew me to his story. A truly interesting human who lived life to the fullest.

After reading Wainwright's novel, I was thrown into a new interest of mountain climbing and early Everest expeditions. The Brilliant Outsider is a after all, a man's journey to the top of the world and his descent back to reality.

[Dianne Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

great to read about an Aussie who achieved despite the attitudes of those who appear to be defending their social status against someone who would dare to challenge them. Interesting that he isnt someone that gets a mention historically.

[Karen Beath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fascinating insight into a lesser known player in the race to be the first person to summit Everest. George Finch played a huge role in introducing bottled oxygen to the expeditions and almost summited before Mallory's fateful attempt. I was left wondering, would Mallory's last attempt have taken a different course if George Finch had been on that expedition?
It was also interesting to see the class system at work in the UK - it really inhibited Finch's potential.
Finch's life in science and his personal life are also well documented. His personal life in particular is quite tumultuous.
I think my biggest misgivings with the book revolve around obvious bias towards Finch. He did have some serious flaws but these seem to be painted over with the argument that people didn't like him because he was Australian and had new ideas. I got the impression that he could be someone who was at times difficult to get along with and I can understand the arguments behind not wanting to use bottled oxygen. His personal life was a little more difficult to cover up and at times he was downright awful.
Aside from this, it is still a fascinating book and highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of hiking, rock climbing and mountaineering.

[LoLo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never entertained the idea of climbing mountains but I really enjoyed this and certainly learned a lot from it.

Despite some questionable personal live choices, he has achieved a lot in his career as a scientist and as a climber, with much mixing of the two, and yet I'd never heard of him.

There's a lot of great primary sources and I really enjoyed the details of the climbing, the aristocratic society of the climbing club and their rejection if George and how his adventures shaped the climbing exploration experience around the world.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, it being a work of nonfiction. I found out recently that Sam Heughan has been cast as the main character of this book, George Ingle Finch, in a movie about the British expedition in 1922 to climb Mt. Everest.
The movie will be based on Jeffrey Archer‘s book “Paths of Glory“ which features George Mallory and George Finch as the two main climbers in that expedition. While Archer’s work seems to focus on George Mallory, I wanted to discover more about George Finch. And I’m glad I did because I discovered after reading this book the George Finch was a brilliant scientist and a beloved college professor. He also served as a consultant to HRM during World War II advising the RAF on more efficient incendiary devices while fighting the Germans, and to the US Air Force for the same while fighting Japan.
Because there are many technical discussions and scientific theories in the book, I found it a little dense reading for a single sitting. So I read a little bit each night, and I’m really glad I did.

[Sandeep Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about an outstanding mountaineer who should have been the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. But fate and politics didn’t let him.

This is a book about an intellectual and scientific genius who should have won a Nobel Prize. But he was too busy on the slopes of Mount Everest and other mountains when that could have happened.

This is a story of a man who probably towers higher than some of the heroes we have been familiar with. And it is a story of jealousy, treachery, passion, and ultimate recognition.

And it is a true story. It can’t get better than that.

In the backdrop of all of this towers the greatest mountain of them all.

[Karen Botten · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like biographies you need to read this. Even if you don't you probably should read it anyway. A very interesting book about an amazing man; I can't believe I (and probably most people) had never heard of him.

[Kelly Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but really quite disjointed.
Still worth a read but not if your looking for a mountaineering book.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good factual autobiography. I liked the mountaineering sections. Personally I didn't like George Finch as a person , however renowned and heroic he was as scientist and world war 1 hero .

[Heather Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super reading, a nail-biting page turner at times. It has been an unusual biography for me in the way that the author Wainwright brought such tension and excitement to the mountaineering passages, and how angry I felt too when the he detailed some of the elitism and misinformation based on petty jealousy and suspicion enacted against George Finch! An excellent researched and well written biography!

[Steve Chilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absorbing and revealing book about an Australian who was lead climber in an early attempt on Everest, and eventually a very influential scientist. His full story had not been told before. The book tells how he could have been the first to climb Everest three decades before Hillary and Tenzing, and how it was that teams lacking his knowledge and presence might have avoided tragedy, but for poor decision making in the British teams that excluded him. A fine read.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of the life of this little-known mountaineer and contemporary of George Mallory, who was much maligned and badly treated by the establishment. It's highly probable that, had attitudes been different, Finch would have succeeded in summitting Everest in 1922.

[Stuart Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It showed what an impressive individual George Finch was. Very well written and researched. I do enjoy mountaineering books as such, so a slight bias there, but this excellent book would be enjoyed by anyone.

[Jo Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A really well written and interesting piece of history that needed to be told. What an amazing account of this truly remarkable man.

[Susan Grimshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography which puts the record straight and portrays George Finch as the brilliant man he was.

[Lieba Parmenter]

One of the best books I have ever read.