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maureenmac's review against another edition
5.0
Really wasn't sure if I would like this book, but it was just as good as all his others.
bookpup's review against another edition
5.0
This is so freakin amazing. The story is beautiful and the fact that it is based on true events makes it even more so. I can't thank my English teacher enough for introducing Jeffrey Archer ( his works) to me. This is just brilliant. I'm blown away by how amazing this was.
mrwcc's review against another edition
1.0
Gave up on this around about page 200.
The story is tawdry and very slow and drab, and bland and blah blah blah.
I know the history this book is based on...there's nothing in it for me to read it.
The story is tawdry and very slow and drab, and bland and blah blah blah.
I know the history this book is based on...there's nothing in it for me to read it.
merqri's review against another edition
2.0
This is yet another Archer book with its unmistakable characteristics. This is no Kane and Abel but still manages to climb the peaks of fiction bestsellers maintaining readers' interest.
Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and for this fictionalized story of the mountaineer George Mallory, the truth is still obscured and subject to speculation. Jeffrey Archer carves an intriguing tale taking the known elements of Mallory's life and chooses to give a conclusion to the hung fate of their fateful expedition.
Before reading the book, I had no idea who George Mallory was and I was under the impression that the team of Edmund Hillary, a person from New Zealand and the sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay was the first to climb the highest peak of planet earth in 1953. George Mallory's tragic expedition was a generation before that in 1924. Thanks to the subject of this book, I came to know about previous expeditions.
The book has the characteristic Archer pattern of beginning the story from the birth of his central character as he begins to weave the narrative to reach the climax. However, this time, the story is based on true events, and hence the over-dramatisation of his early years felt out of place. There are dramatic events in Paris, Venice, then the real bits about his participation in the first world war. In the end, it remains a slightly believable yet fictional character study.
The successful complete expedition is from 1953, which is a generation after Mallory's attempts. When you think about that, a completely different narrative design with these different time periods, the supremely demanding nature of this quest would have made the book genuine and more interesting. This would have needed a shift of focus from a single person life story (something Archer is good at) to a more objective-based, in this case, mountaineering or even Everest as a challenge. As it stands now, it feels like Archer used the alluring uncertainty of that expedition to propel his fiction work directly in the bestseller's list. This was first published in 2009 when Archer was already world-famous, people would have encouraged a different style and a more experimentative approach might have resulted in a very different book.
Jeffrey Archer has a gift of storytelling but he needs to think out of his own confines. For me, nothing will surpass Kane and Abel, and that start to end character buildup approach has now culminated with that work.
Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction and for this fictionalized story of the mountaineer George Mallory, the truth is still obscured and subject to speculation. Jeffrey Archer carves an intriguing tale taking the known elements of Mallory's life and chooses to give a conclusion to the hung fate of their fateful expedition.
Before reading the book, I had no idea who George Mallory was and I was under the impression that the team of Edmund Hillary, a person from New Zealand and the sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay was the first to climb the highest peak of planet earth in 1953. George Mallory's tragic expedition was a generation before that in 1924. Thanks to the subject of this book, I came to know about previous expeditions.
The book has the characteristic Archer pattern of beginning the story from the birth of his central character as he begins to weave the narrative to reach the climax. However, this time, the story is based on true events, and hence the over-dramatisation of his early years felt out of place. There are dramatic events in Paris, Venice, then the real bits about his participation in the first world war. In the end, it remains a slightly believable yet fictional character study.
The successful complete expedition is from 1953, which is a generation after Mallory's attempts. When you think about that, a completely different narrative design with these different time periods, the supremely demanding nature of this quest would have made the book genuine and more interesting. This would have needed a shift of focus from a single person life story (something Archer is good at) to a more objective-based, in this case, mountaineering or even Everest as a challenge. As it stands now, it feels like Archer used the alluring uncertainty of that expedition to propel his fiction work directly in the bestseller's list. This was first published in 2009 when Archer was already world-famous, people would have encouraged a different style and a more experimentative approach might have resulted in a very different book.
Jeffrey Archer has a gift of storytelling but he needs to think out of his own confines. For me, nothing will surpass Kane and Abel, and that start to end character buildup approach has now culminated with that work.
monicamjw's review against another edition
4.0
Did what any good historical fiction novel should do: made me care about the characters and the occasion enough to want to learn more.
kleedc73's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a fictionalized account of the life of George Mallory, the first person who (may) have managed to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The story flows really well, the setting is authentic and interesting and, even though people familiar with the actual facts involved will know how the story ends, I still found it exciting. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and/or books on mountain climbing.
ahem_dayan's review against another edition
3.0
It's dragged a lot in the beginning but as the book reached its last 150 pages, the story was entirely gripping but not good enough to warrant a reread.
jodiehanley's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
This is a fictionalized biography of George Mallory, who many think was the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest. In 1924, in his second attempt to conquer Mt. Everest, Mallory, the climbing leader, was last seen 600 feet from the summit by one of the members of his climbing team. Mallory had told everyone that when he reached the top of Everest, he was going to leave a picture of his wife, Ruth, that he always carried in his wallet. Mallory disappeared after this last sighting and his body was not found until 1999--without the picture of his wife in either his wallet or his pocket leading many to believe that he had been successful before his death. Interesting. This book is full of information about mountain climbing, the psychology of men who dedicated themselves to scaling the highest peaks in the world, and also the political infighting in the Royal Geographic Society in England.