Got to move on

[Sally]

Just didn't hold my interest. This book was a lender from a well meaning friend. I have read so many climbing books. I just couldn't get into it. Oh well, there are so many other books to move onto!

[Jonathan]

I think that this book "suffers" from the same as many other mountaineering books: it is made by climbers, for climbers, despite the attempt of broadening the span of possible readers by including a glossary of mountaineering terminology and minute description of several aspects of the craft. There are few authors who succesfully bring the world of mountain climbing to the general audience, and one of them in my opinion is Jon Krakauer, and this could be because he is an actual writer, unlike Viesturs. However, I really enjoyed Viesturs/Roberts book, and I've read it a ton of times... but that may be because I'm an amateur mountain climber myself :)

[Sarah]

Jonathan wrote: "I think that this book "suffers" from the same as many other mountaineering books: it is made by climbers, for climbers, despite the attempt of broadening the span of possible readers."

I completely agree. I've read quite a few of this sort of book and some are definitely better than others. Sadly this wasn't one of the great ones. Jon Krakauer and Joe Simpson are much better writers than many of the climbers/mountaineers-turned writers that there are out there.

One of my issues with this book was the structure - it was really juvenile "I did this and then I went there and then I had fish for dinner". All a bit six-year-old. Admittedly life is a sequence of events, but it doesn't have to be a list!