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3.26 AVERAGE
3.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
It is always interesting when the characters of the story become real people. And real people all have their quirks. I found Beck a bit more likeable in this book than I did in the Everest book and Into Thin Air. The book felt very honest and very raw, and I appreciate when someone can talk about their demons and why they do what they do.
Having already read/seen so much about the 1996 tragedy on Mt Everest, I was pretty well "acquainted" with Beck Weathers and curious about why he, (or anyone) ended up as a client paying big bucks to climb killer mountains. It is interesting to learn what makes them tick and what exactly is their motivation in risking their lives. He explains. (and actually, if he HAD come home from Everest in one piece, so to speak, which he did not, his wife was waiting to divorce him.) This was worth reading, for sure
It's not technically a great memoir but there's a lot of heart in it.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
All along I kept thinking: "well, you are one messed up puppy ..."
I expected more moutaineering and less complaining.
I expected more moutaineering and less complaining.
I can't get enough of climbing memoirs, but Beck Weathers' book "Left for Dead" is not really that kind of book. It is, in part at least, the story of his remarkable survival in the deadly 1996 season on Mount Everest, where he was left for dead but survived.
In his opening chapter, he describes himself as an "amateur climber," in my opinion someone who had not business being on Everest, and his book reads that way. It annoyed me the first time he described his crampons (essentially cleats that you attach to your boots to provide traction on ice) as knives. The fact he continued to call them knives rather than crampons thereafter drove me nuts.
I've read several other books on the Everest tragedy (including Krakauer's, Boukreeve's and Breashear's.) I had been avoiding Weathers' book for no particular reason... perhaps it was instinct that I wouldn't like it. Although he had the most dramatic story of all, Weathers' book was the worst of the lot. (Only a small portion of the book is about the expedition itself.) Perhaps my intense dislike for this book is that I expected to be a climber's book and it is more a story about depression. I found it hard to swallow the redemption story and mostly just felt sorry for Weathers' family.
In his opening chapter, he describes himself as an "amateur climber," in my opinion someone who had not business being on Everest, and his book reads that way. It annoyed me the first time he described his crampons (essentially cleats that you attach to your boots to provide traction on ice) as knives. The fact he continued to call them knives rather than crampons thereafter drove me nuts.
I've read several other books on the Everest tragedy (including Krakauer's, Boukreeve's and Breashear's.) I had been avoiding Weathers' book for no particular reason... perhaps it was instinct that I wouldn't like it. Although he had the most dramatic story of all, Weathers' book was the worst of the lot. (Only a small portion of the book is about the expedition itself.) Perhaps my intense dislike for this book is that I expected to be a climber's book and it is more a story about depression. I found it hard to swallow the redemption story and mostly just felt sorry for Weathers' family.
Well I thought this book was going to be more about Everest. I would say the first 15-20% of the book was and maybe the last 5%. The rest was how bad of a husband / father he was to his wife/family. Sounds to me he’s Aspergers - horrible at relationships and super driven on like one goal. I wish I had read reviews in this one to know to not waste my time. Left for Dead to me
Should have been more about the Everest climb not his mom and dad and the other climbs he did before it.
Should have been more about the Everest climb not his mom and dad and the other climbs he did before it.
First off, very easy and quick read.
Secondly, I appreciate the self-reflection on his drive to climb, and the parts of the book contributed by Peach, giving her own views on their marriage and what his desire to climb meant to their family.
It's a different book than one might expect, offering a more personal and reflective perspective on the cost of mountaineering.
Secondly, I appreciate the self-reflection on his drive to climb, and the parts of the book contributed by Peach, giving her own views on their marriage and what his desire to climb meant to their family.
It's a different book than one might expect, offering a more personal and reflective perspective on the cost of mountaineering.