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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
oliver_ikin's review against another edition
4.25
Takes a nuanced and contextualised view that hopes to better understand the fateful heroics on Everest. A truly poignant portrait of life in the trenches, constructed from detailed research of the protagonists’ experience, diaries and letters; this is mirrored by the ‘battle’ fought on Everest, again exploring the intimately private hopes and fear of the participants.
Without bombast or deification, Davis allows one to understand the bravery of the assault, and to find great respect for their exploits. Alongside the double narrative of war and mountaineering, Davis explores the fascinating visions of Tibetan culture and politics, life under the Raj and the sexuality and thought of English intellectual society in the early 20th century.
Throughout, one learns not just the challenge of exploration, but the era of fear and death that the post-War generation dealt with and the motivation that drove them into the ultimate challenge.
Without bombast or deification, Davis allows one to understand the bravery of the assault, and to find great respect for their exploits. Alongside the double narrative of war and mountaineering, Davis explores the fascinating visions of Tibetan culture and politics, life under the Raj and the sexuality and thought of English intellectual society in the early 20th century.
Throughout, one learns not just the challenge of exploration, but the era of fear and death that the post-War generation dealt with and the motivation that drove them into the ultimate challenge.
icathing's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating and well rounded portrayal of the first three attempts at climbing Everest in the 1920s.
Incredibly well researched, which may account for it bogging down at times, especially in the telling of the first attempt at Everest in 1921.
Incredibly well researched, which may account for it bogging down at times, especially in the telling of the first attempt at Everest in 1921.
mhclev's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.5
scurvydog58's review against another edition
5.0
it’s a long one … but. worth the time. A piece of history that I was not familiar with at all. Extremely well researches, including the bios of the key characters, the geo-political constraints & opportunities.
A compelling portrait of extraordinary courage ….
A compelling portrait of extraordinary courage ….
liznutting's review against another edition
4.0
Most books about mountain climbing are written by climbers. As such, they tend to be a bit self-referential and lacking in context outside of the small world of climbing. You may get a book about the history of climbing as an activity or the history of attempts on a particular mountain, but most of the time, little to no attention is paid to the events of the wider world that may be influencing what happens on the mountain.
That's what makes Wade Davis' Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest such an unusual and fascinating book. It tells the story of one of the most iconic adventures in the history of climbing--the early attempts to climb Mt. Everest and the mysterious disappearance of Mallory and Irvine on the third attempt in 1924. But it roots this adventure firmly in the larger world of the time, specifically the conflagration of World War I and the last gasps of the British Raj. Davis shows the expeditions to Everest as a balm to a war-weary Britain, something to lift spirits and inspire hope, while also demonstrating their serious political and diplomatic ramifications for the Empire's grasp on India and the future of Tibet's independence. At the same time, the expeditions themselves were microcosms of the larger societal and cultural conflict between the old guard of British imperialism and the new generation made cynical by their experiences in the trenches. Even the innovative use of oxygen on the heights was resisted by the older generation as "unsporting," a position that was arguably responsible for the cluster f*** of the final climb that led to Mallory's and Irvine's deaths.
Especially in recent years as climbing Everest has become an amusement park ride for the very rich and it takes a gimmick like being blind or 10 years old to raise raise a climb, albeit briefly, to the consciousness of any but a small handful of diehards, it's fascinating to see how Mallory's story resonated with a nation, and even a world. Anyone with an interest in the history of The Great War or The Great Game would find this a great read. At nearly 700 pages, it could definitely have used some editing, especially in the almost minute by minute descriptions of the expeditions themselves. But it is a testament to Davis' writing style that even there the book is readable and never dry. (But the need for editing is why I'm "only" giving it four stars.)
That's what makes Wade Davis' Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest such an unusual and fascinating book. It tells the story of one of the most iconic adventures in the history of climbing--the early attempts to climb Mt. Everest and the mysterious disappearance of Mallory and Irvine on the third attempt in 1924. But it roots this adventure firmly in the larger world of the time, specifically the conflagration of World War I and the last gasps of the British Raj. Davis shows the expeditions to Everest as a balm to a war-weary Britain, something to lift spirits and inspire hope, while also demonstrating their serious political and diplomatic ramifications for the Empire's grasp on India and the future of Tibet's independence. At the same time, the expeditions themselves were microcosms of the larger societal and cultural conflict between the old guard of British imperialism and the new generation made cynical by their experiences in the trenches. Even the innovative use of oxygen on the heights was resisted by the older generation as "unsporting," a position that was arguably responsible for the cluster f*** of the final climb that led to Mallory's and Irvine's deaths.
Especially in recent years as climbing Everest has become an amusement park ride for the very rich and it takes a gimmick like being blind or 10 years old to raise raise a climb, albeit briefly, to the consciousness of any but a small handful of diehards, it's fascinating to see how Mallory's story resonated with a nation, and even a world. Anyone with an interest in the history of The Great War or The Great Game would find this a great read. At nearly 700 pages, it could definitely have used some editing, especially in the almost minute by minute descriptions of the expeditions themselves. But it is a testament to Davis' writing style that even there the book is readable and never dry. (But the need for editing is why I'm "only" giving it four stars.)
randomname7's review against another edition
4.0
The grand historical sweep providing the context of the expeditions at the beginning grabbed me and had me hooked; the rest of the book, while still good became difficult to keep organized all the different people and my interest started to drop off. A few more visuals and photos relevant to (and mentioned in) specific passages in the text would have been appreciated. Nonetheless, well worth the read about the early attempts to summit Everest, as well as the cultural context they existed in.
eclipse27's review against another edition
4.0
The grand historical sweep providing the context of the expeditions at the beginning grabbed me and had me hooked; the rest of the book, while still good became difficult to keep organized all the different people and my interest started to drop off. A few more visuals and photos relevant to (and mentioned in) specific passages in the text would have been appreciated. Nonetheless, well worth the read about the early attempts to summit Everest, as well as the cultural context they existed in.
fasola4mi's review against another edition
4.0
This will need a re-listening, after I'm home and can look up everything in the atlas. Fascinating!
hedread's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating account of the 3 summit attempts by Mallory and others from 1921 to 1924. This is a thoroughly historic account with the context of WWI lead up, how the local scene of Tibet, Nepal, and India was relevant to the expeditions, and back stories of each of the main characters. I especially appreciated the maps provided in the book to follow the route of each of the three expeditions.
jenerick100's review against another edition
4.0
A very detailed, incredibly well researched account of the early British attempts to scale Everest. I was particularly taken with the individual stories of each man on the expedition - their lives, loves and pains were described in detail to provide an overall sense of the time and the stakes of this adventure.