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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
It was just really slow and not super compelling -- certainly not as much as the last two books on the same topic
adventurous
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Required reading if you've read into thin air
I have an outside interest in mountaineering (just reading about it) and read Into Thin Air quite a while ago. I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting insiders view of the 96 Everest events. I didn't like the afterward though. Too much about the Krakaouer feud.
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
An incredible book detailing the tragic events on Mt Everest in 1996. Much like Into Thin Air, this book is captivating, and I think an important book to read if you have any interest in Everest. Especially if you have read Into Thin Air. This book really brings meaning to the phrase "Beware the one handed applause". Boukreev was an absolute beast and a hero on the mountain. Very good book.
Very good personal story. I appreciated the response and the transcript of the debriefing. Definitely changed my initial opinion after having read Krakauer's version.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Update: Finished the book - still stand by the review I gave below.
I usually wait till I finish a book to write a review, but The Climb as told by DeWalt has spurred me into writing my preliminary view.
I started reading this book with the same reasons as most - to answer some of the questions I had whilst reading Into Thin Air by Krakauer. It is hard not to compare the 2 books especially when they recount the same Everest incident. I find myself not only increasingly disappointed by DeWalt's confusing writing style, but also with his tries to subtly undermine Krakauer's version of the expedition though that is just my opinion and I am subjected to bias since my first impression of this Everest expedition was recounted by Krakauer.
With all that comparison aside, I find the constant switching from third person to first person and back again perplexing. The part where DeWalt presents Boukreev's rescue efforts in the form of an interview to "maintain his voice and the immediacy of the events he experienced" makes me wonder if DeWalt ran out of steam and decided that this was a more convenient way of writing.
TLDR: While I respect Anatoli Boukreev as an exceptional climber (may he rest in peace), my low rating of the book is mainly due to DeWalt's writing style. I do not doubt the legitimacy of the stories - just feel like it could have been a lot less biased.
I usually wait till I finish a book to write a review, but The Climb as told by DeWalt has spurred me into writing my preliminary view.
I started reading this book with the same reasons as most - to answer some of the questions I had whilst reading Into Thin Air by Krakauer. It is hard not to compare the 2 books especially when they recount the same Everest incident. I find myself not only increasingly disappointed by DeWalt's confusing writing style, but also with his tries to subtly undermine Krakauer's version of the expedition though that is just my opinion and I am subjected to bias since my first impression of this Everest expedition was recounted by Krakauer.
With all that comparison aside, I find the constant switching from third person to first person and back again perplexing. The part where DeWalt presents Boukreev's rescue efforts in the form of an interview to "maintain his voice and the immediacy of the events he experienced" makes me wonder if DeWalt ran out of steam and decided that this was a more convenient way of writing.
TLDR: While I respect Anatoli Boukreev as an exceptional climber (may he rest in peace), my low rating of the book is mainly due to DeWalt's writing style. I do not doubt the legitimacy of the stories - just feel like it could have been a lot less biased.
adventurous
informative
sad
medium-paced