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 a must read Nov 11, 2009
as others have said, this is a must read if you're into mountaineering or even adventure type books. Well written, very easy to read, tough to put down. Even getting to the base of the mountain was an adventure and accomplishment at that time.
Last 100 pages were great Feb 20, 2009
I think I summed it up pretty well in the title. There was a lot more about Hillary's earlier attempts to climb Everest than I would have expected or liked.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Because It's There Dec 26, 2008
I know nothing of mountain-climbing and have no interest in taking it up. Sir Edmund was no great shakes as a writer, but really: How could anyone resist a first-hand account of one of the twentieth century's great achievements of the human spirit?
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A cracking good yarn! Dec 31, 2007
The funny thing is that people probably eschew this book, thinking it's written in "old fashioned" terminology or it's "just another summit book."
Nothing could be further from the truth. Hillary's enthusiasm for mountain climbing punctuates every page (literally; I don't think there's a page in the book that lacks an exclamation point). He talks about the technicalities of climbing with ease and in accessible language, and he regards the mountains as beings in their own right, worthy of respect and awe.
In addition, the edition of the book I read, despite being a paperback, was illustrated not only with line drawings reminiscent of Arthur Ransome's books, but with simple maps and diagrams showing exactly where the various glaciers are or the path through the Khombu icefall (not nearly as simple as later books/authors make it seem!). These diagrams add even more personality to an already-fascinating book, and give the reader a real sense of what these explorers faced.
This is an enthralling book that goes along at a great pace and it was definitely over too soon. Give it a try: it's worth at least a dozen of the whiny 70's mountaineering books!
1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Armchair Mountaineer Loves It Oct 12, 2007
This is Hillary's engaging first person account of his Everest Summit.
Overall impression: The first and latter chapters are by far the best. The second and third chapters contain surveying narratives which didn't engage me all that much. I read the book in two days whenever I had a moment to read it... I had it with me at all times because I was dying to read the next page. Great book.
What I loved about it: By the time you get to the final two chapters, you feel like you are summitting with them. I knew they would make it, of course, but while you are reading you have this suspention of reality and there are moments where you just don't see how they can possibly make it. The description of what he was thinking in these unchartered regions kept me glued! Also, the description and map of the Khumbu icefall left my jaw dropped. These were very brave men!
What I didn't like about it: The descriptions of the treks between the camps on everest (back and forth, back and forth) tended to blend together. I felt like he could have cut some of that narrative (i.e. going back for more supplies, checking on people, etc..)
Conclusion: You won't regret buying the book. I can't help but think his goal was to include everything he could remember just to get it documented, even if some of the information doesn't necessarily advance the story you were expecting to read. It's 70% thrill and 30% redundancy or extranias information. Still a great book.
Here is one thing that nags me though. THE BIG QUESTION: Hillary was competitive. He admits he was happyt to hear that the Swiss team did not summit. He was not assigned to be the first of his team to summit, yet he does not tell us he was dissapointed by that decision! C'mon! He MUST have been. Also, when the first team failed, he didn't admit that a part of him was happy that he had his shot to be the first! That seems like normal human behavior and also fitting with his previous comments. The fact that he didn't talk about his emotions during those events tells me he doesn't want to come off as a bad sport.
Add the book the your library!
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