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runninglaur's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes, but skip over this one. I found almost no reason to be enamored with Ruess from the story and it was a battle to keep my interest from ~ pages 100-300.
daniwelllived's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
2.5
The tale and mystery of Everett is incredible, the author is just overly concerned with both being the one to crack the case and making it known he thinks Everett was not gay. Both take away from the story.
oddact's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Devoured this book! The middle got slow, but the beginning and end were riveting. Fascinating read. Don’t always agree with author and there are some times it feels he wrote the book as an apology, but a fascinating story.
wittyburg's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 40%. Minimal author commentary between long, repetitive journal entries – no comparison whatsoever to Krakauer’s style or Into the Wild
jdintr's review against another edition
4.0
I remember David Roberts's original story on Everett Ruess in National Geographic Adventure magazine back in 1994. It remains one of the most astounding articles I have ever read, not just for the writing style, but in the author's relentless search for the truth of Ruess's end.
I mean, Roberts spent weeks poking around one of the most remote, boring towns in the country. He climbed rock walls, he 4X4ed all over Escalante National Monument (five years before it was one). And at the end of the article, he got close enough to the truth (a pile of rocks that might have hidden a body) and no further.
Yes, I was also there to read Roberts's follow-up in 2004 about remains found on the Rez that might have been Ruess's. Amazing.
This book-length recollection is half Ruess's life and half Roberts's search. The Ruess bit is the less interesting. Roberts details his treks, beginning at age 16, throughout California and into Arizona. We learn about Ruess's preference for burro-packing his stuff around, and we see him grow as a writer, if not an artist. Still, there is so little known about Ruess's sojourn--aside from letters and an incomplete collection of journals--that it is hard to fill in the gaps with his thoughts. Krakauer was able to do better with Chris McCandless, but Krakauer had closer sources (and relentless research of his own) to fill in the gaps.
When Roberts got into the search for Ruess's remains--over a span of 70 years no less--that's when this book became one that I couldn't put down. The characters--river runners, cowboys and con men--jump into life. Roberts doles out the evidence expertly without ever getting too far ahead of himself.
By the end, the search for Ruess mirrors Ruess's own search for Truth in the Arizona/Utah badlands. It's compelling. Fascinating.
I mean, Roberts spent weeks poking around one of the most remote, boring towns in the country. He climbed rock walls, he 4X4ed all over Escalante National Monument (five years before it was one). And at the end of the article, he got close enough to the truth (a pile of rocks that might have hidden a body) and no further.
Yes, I was also there to read Roberts's follow-up in 2004 about remains found on the Rez that might have been Ruess's. Amazing.
This book-length recollection is half Ruess's life and half Roberts's search. The Ruess bit is the less interesting. Roberts details his treks, beginning at age 16, throughout California and into Arizona. We learn about Ruess's preference for burro-packing his stuff around, and we see him grow as a writer, if not an artist. Still, there is so little known about Ruess's sojourn--aside from letters and an incomplete collection of journals--that it is hard to fill in the gaps with his thoughts. Krakauer was able to do better with Chris McCandless, but Krakauer had closer sources (and relentless research of his own) to fill in the gaps.
When Roberts got into the search for Ruess's remains--over a span of 70 years no less--that's when this book became one that I couldn't put down. The characters--river runners, cowboys and con men--jump into life. Roberts doles out the evidence expertly without ever getting too far ahead of himself.
By the end, the search for Ruess mirrors Ruess's own search for Truth in the Arizona/Utah badlands. It's compelling. Fascinating.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
5.0
Wanderlust. It's one of my favorite terms and Everett Ruess was the definition of the word. Ruess is the kind of person that typically just gets lost to history, but instead he's become a lasting icon for those who want to be immersed in nature, to see what many will never see, and who are most happy alone in the wild. I was first introduced to him via a magazine article years ago when it was thought somebody finally solved the cold case of his disappearance, but alas, it's still a mystery. So who was he and why is he so captivating to so many? Ruess was an aspiring artist and wanderer in the early 1930s in the southwestern US. At 16 he left his home and family to explore, typically with a few pack animals. He would go into the wild for months at a time, only occasionally spending a few days in a small, nothing town to resupply or find work for a day or two, before returning to nature. He did this each year through age 20 in 1934 for months at time, sometimes for upwards of 10 months. On his last trek, he disappeared and the mystery of his disappearance is unsolved today. Normally this alone wouldn't be enough to keep public interest, but what makes a lasting impression of Ruess are his art, diary's, and letters. He wrote religiously to friends, his brother, his parents, and other acquaintances, much of which still survive today 90 years later and which includes deep thoughts, poetry, and beautiful descriptions. Many compare Ruess to John Muir, which is flattering, and makes one wonder what he'd have become had he not disappeared at such an young age. Roberts put together a great history and profile in his book through all the written materials he could gather and probes the disappearance into a page turner.
I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the street car and the star sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. - Everett Ruess
I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the street car and the star sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. - Everett Ruess
horthhill's review against another edition
5.0
Although he doesn't actually come out and say so, David Roberts is probably the single most important writer who has brought Everett Ruess to the attention of the general public. He did so first by bringing Everett to the attention of his friend Jon Krakauer who included a chapter on Everett in 'Into the Wild'. Then, Roberts wrote two articles a decade a part for National Geographic Adventure magazine on Everett.
Finding Everett Ruess is really well done. The first part is a dispassionate biography of Ruess. Roberts strengths as a mountaineer who has himself extensively explored the same ground as Everett allows him to put into context Everett's achievements; especially Everett's extended solo travels at a very young age into more-or-less unknown land. Roberts also brings out Everett's talents as a young writer and artist.
The next section of the book explores the mysterious disappearance of Everett in the back country at the age of 20. Everett has never been seen since Nov of 1934. Roberts explores all that is known of the searches, clues and theories of the next 50 to 60 years.
The last sections read like a fast paced detective novel as Roberts talks about the latest discoveries and clues. Everett seems to be almost on the edge of discovery. Everett Ruess remains the mysterious missing young artist, adventurer and writer.
Finding Everett Ruess is really well done. The first part is a dispassionate biography of Ruess. Roberts strengths as a mountaineer who has himself extensively explored the same ground as Everett allows him to put into context Everett's achievements; especially Everett's extended solo travels at a very young age into more-or-less unknown land. Roberts also brings out Everett's talents as a young writer and artist.
The next section of the book explores the mysterious disappearance of Everett in the back country at the age of 20. Everett has never been seen since Nov of 1934. Roberts explores all that is known of the searches, clues and theories of the next 50 to 60 years.
The last sections read like a fast paced detective novel as Roberts talks about the latest discoveries and clues. Everett seems to be almost on the edge of discovery. Everett Ruess remains the mysterious missing young artist, adventurer and writer.