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This is a difficult book to rate because it's someone's own experience, and that experience was a terrible tragedy, whichever side you believe. Additionally, it's really hard it to compare it directly with Into Thin Air, because of course it's recounting the same event.
Into Thin Air is the better book, undoubtedly. Krakauer is a skilled writer, who tells a story well. But The Climb is steeped in mountaineering knowledge and an understanding of the people who are driven to climb that I just don't think Krakauer had. I found myself believing Boukreev's account of events over Jon's even as I warmed to him and his detached style less and less. Finding out that he died so soon after this book was published was a punch.
I wasn't on that mountain. I don't know what really happened. I suspect that, as usual, the truth lies somewhere between the two perspectives. But it was really interesting reading both sides, and confirms for me that I never ever want to climb that mountain.
Into Thin Air is the better book, undoubtedly. Krakauer is a skilled writer, who tells a story well. But The Climb is steeped in mountaineering knowledge and an understanding of the people who are driven to climb that I just don't think Krakauer had. I found myself believing Boukreev's account of events over Jon's even as I warmed to him and his detached style less and less. Finding out that he died so soon after this book was published was a punch.
I wasn't on that mountain. I don't know what really happened. I suspect that, as usual, the truth lies somewhere between the two perspectives. But it was really interesting reading both sides, and confirms for me that I never ever want to climb that mountain.