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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Like listening to the dense, slightly nonsensical ramblings of your grandad (if your grandad has a lovely turn of phrase and knows a few too many fancy words).
My first non-fiction in a long, long while!
I really enjoyed his analysis of what attracted humans to the mountains and detailed descriptions of all the expeditions. I felt like I was transported to the cold mountains everytime he descibed them. The penultimate chapter was the longest but the one I read the quickest. There's a lot of romanticism involved when describing the ventures of mountaineering, particularly when reading George Mallory's letters but I wish he explored other points of view rather than just the "Englishman's." It would've been very interesting to learn about the natives' feelings and relationship to the mountains instead of talking about the 7th or 8th British man to climb some big mountain. From what I've heard about his later work, it seems as though he improves on this point but nonetheless, a bit jarring to point out the mistreatment of natives and then to immediately proceed talking about the mountaineering achievements of white men.
Some historical elements drag; I wish there was more philosophy or even geography involved. I actually quited enjoyed learning about geology! I also wish that the historical elements didn't just stick to between the 1600s and 1900s, as that gets a bit dull.
Overall, an insightful and fascinating read but needed more variety to keep it riveting.
I really enjoyed his analysis of what attracted humans to the mountains and detailed descriptions of all the expeditions. I felt like I was transported to the cold mountains everytime he descibed them. The penultimate chapter was the longest but the one I read the quickest. There's a lot of romanticism involved when describing the ventures of mountaineering, particularly when reading George Mallory's letters but I wish he explored other points of view rather than just the "Englishman's." It would've been very interesting to learn about the natives' feelings and relationship to the mountains instead of talking about the 7th or 8th British man to climb some big mountain. From what I've heard about his later work, it seems as though he improves on this point but nonetheless, a bit jarring to point out the mistreatment of natives and then to immediately proceed talking about the mountaineering achievements of white men.
Some historical elements drag; I wish there was more philosophy or even geography involved. I actually quited enjoyed learning about geology! I also wish that the historical elements didn't just stick to between the 1600s and 1900s, as that gets a bit dull.
Overall, an insightful and fascinating read but needed more variety to keep it riveting.
Macfarlane begins and ends his examination of humanity's fascination with mountains with George Mallory's ill-fated 1924 attempt on Everest. The book seeks to understand what could drive a young, talented and successful scholar with a loving wife and small children to put his life in jeopardy on the world's highest peak.
Macfarlane traces the evolution of (mainly western) attitudes to mountains, from the pre-modern view of them as barriers, obstacles and forbidding barren "deserts" to the seventeenth and eighteenth century appreciation of them as places of beauty and purity to the nineteenth century conception of them as places of risk, challenge and "manly" adventure. In the process his story touches on the history of geological science, the role of the Romantic movement, cartography, colonialism and exploration and much more besides, all in his poetic language and vivid turn of phrase.
As with most of Macfarlane's books, this one is punctuated with accounts of several of his own adventures, with meditations on why he, like Mallory, knowingly and willingly risks his safety and even his life to climb high peaks. His book is a love letter to mountains, but it's one that is aware of the paradoxes of mountaineering and Macfarlane recognises that it's a love that can, in some cases, turn to obsession or even madness.
Macfarlane traces the evolution of (mainly western) attitudes to mountains, from the pre-modern view of them as barriers, obstacles and forbidding barren "deserts" to the seventeenth and eighteenth century appreciation of them as places of beauty and purity to the nineteenth century conception of them as places of risk, challenge and "manly" adventure. In the process his story touches on the history of geological science, the role of the Romantic movement, cartography, colonialism and exploration and much more besides, all in his poetic language and vivid turn of phrase.
As with most of Macfarlane's books, this one is punctuated with accounts of several of his own adventures, with meditations on why he, like Mallory, knowingly and willingly risks his safety and even his life to climb high peaks. His book is a love letter to mountains, but it's one that is aware of the paradoxes of mountaineering and Macfarlane recognises that it's a love that can, in some cases, turn to obsession or even madness.
Actually a 4.5-star book. Reading MacFarlane is always a rewarding experience. His keen eye, careful research, delicious prose, and sheer love of the natural world and humanity never fail to inspire and awe me.
Built as it goes on - I prefer some of the later books by this author. Macfarlane has the hots for Mallory.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
The ideas are great but I found the writing style too lyrical and not engaging enough. I had to force myself to finish it :/
I tried to read Underland by Macfarlane a few weeks ago, and I had to DNF after finding it too dense and not as interesting as I expected. This was the same problem I had with Mountains of the Mind. I love stories of mountaineering but there was something that didn't quite grasp me about this book.
The parts about the growing fascination with mountains, climbing, and summits were interesting, and the Victorians roaming all over the world naming everything after themselves.
A lot of the chapters were a bit boring though - I skipped ahead halfway into the bit about glaciers. So, unfortunately, even though this book sounded like my sort of thing, it didn't hold my interest.
The parts about the growing fascination with mountains, climbing, and summits were interesting, and the Victorians roaming all over the world naming everything after themselves.
A lot of the chapters were a bit boring though - I skipped ahead halfway into the bit about glaciers. So, unfortunately, even though this book sounded like my sort of thing, it didn't hold my interest.
adventurous
medium-paced