Reviews

The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens

nevercomemonday's review against another edition

4.0

I really, really enjoyed this book. To me, it's something very special and I highly recommend it to anyone loving contemporary stories or wilderness/survival stories., After reading a ton of fantasy over the last few months it was a breath of fresh air. I haven't ready many...or probably any "survival" stories and I also haven't read many books in this vein narrated from a male's perspective and it makes a difference. I enjoyed the shift in the way a story is told when it takes place in the "real world" and also told from the point of view of a character type I don't really engage much with. Again, a welcome breath of fresh air. it also helps that I was reading it while surrounded by the beautiful mountains of New Zealand.

I fell in love with Wolf and Byrd as characters and their bond. Their friendship, along with Wolf's bond with "The Devines" really carried this story. Wolf is sympathetic but not whiney. He doesn't feel sorry for himself, he just keeps going, both on and off the mountain. His story of survival is about more than just getting them off the mountain, it's about how he survived before the mountain and how he wants to live after the mountain. For this reason I wouldn't say The Mountain Story is a wilderness survival story is the strictest sense. It's definitely not what I expected going into it but I'm so happy with what Lori Lansens gave us. The payoffs at the end are wonderful and made the already great journey even better for me.

I have a feeling I'll be thinking about this one for a long while and imagine myself going in for a reread at some point. It also makes me interested in Lansens' other work. I may soon find myself with another one or two of her books in the near future.

alihewitt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

hlogan's review

3.0

I love Lori Lansens' novels. She is such a masterful writer. I was gripped and hooked throughout, but the end of this novel was spectacular. What a great read!

curiousnoel's review

3.0

I received this book for free in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for my review. Best part of this novel was definitely the people. The characterizations and backstories are really strong, making this much deeper than just a survival tale. That survival aspect is slow for awhile, but in the last third or so I found myself really wanting to know how they get out (and who!) What really MADE it was the climactic event that gets them saved. Wow! Didn't see that coming at all!

babyfacedoldsoul's review

5.0

this book was amazing. It was beautifully written, well paced, and kept you glued to the page. Probably one of the best books I've read this year. I look forward to reading her other works.

smrankin5's review

4.0

Really should be 4 1/2 stars. Well constructed story, couldn't wait to get home from work to finish it.

nighthawk921's review against another edition

3.0

Not a favorite. I had some major issues with Wolf being a voracious reader, learning as much as he could about the mountain before getting there an then befriending Byrd, an expert on the mountain, and after spending hours on the mountain with Byrd learning its features, what's edible, what to stay away from and so on, Wolf is completely dumbfounded about what to do once lost. I have no problem with them getting lost and staying lost, but Nola keeps making suggestions and then Wolf's knowledge kicks in and he agrees and explains why it's a good idea. He hardly ever suggests anything profound or helpful. I understand he was not a mountain guide and not trained on survival but with the friend he had and the time spent on the mountain you inevitably pick up survival skills. Also some of the disasters they encountered or fell into were just too convenient. I could have handled all their misfortune if Wolf actually was as Mountain smart as he claimed to be.

_angelique_'s review against another edition

5.0

What a absolute beautiful book ❤️
Such an action packed story with twists and turns I didn’t see coming.
Even some romance in there.
The ending was beautiful,not to long with repetitive lines or useless facts..everything just fits.
Long time that I read a book that is so well written

aklo's review

adventurous sad tense medium-paced

3.25

rhonda55's review

4.0

Easy to read quickly. There were a couple twists at the end that I wasn't expecting.