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Above All Things 9780241965443 Books

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Above All Things 9780241965443 Books

"Above All Things" weaves together the story of George Mallory's third Everest expedition with the experiences his wife, Ruth, has at home in England.

The book is structured so that the chapters about George alternate with the simultaneous experiences of his wife. Ruth Mallory is home with their three children, with two maids working under her, and reporters hounding her for news and answers to silly questions. Ruth reflects on how she first met George, their honeymoon on a beach interrupted by the War (World War I), the arrival of their children, and their shared secrets and winks.

The chapters where George is featured will be frustrating for climbers or people who have read extensively about Everest expeditions. I was frustrated with the discussions of eating at the highest camps. From all of the accounts I have read, eating at the highest camps is not something to be enjoyed, and oxygen would not be wasted thanking the cook or commenting on the quality of the meal.

What Rideout did best in the George chapters was to get inside his thoughts and emotions. I enjoyed the exploration of how, why and when he climbed. His drive to go back to Everest again and again and again, above all things (his wife and family), was handled beautifully.

Approached as a novel, as a piece of historical fiction, this is an enjoyable novel focused on the emotions and experiential sensations of the characters. If the climbing content had been more technical and more detailed, then I would have given this more stars.


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Above All Things 9780241965443 Books Reviews

This is not Into Thin Air and doesn't come close. Although Mallory is an interesting character the side plots about his wife and other friends are as off course as his final attempt at Everest. Mallory's Wikipedia entry is more engaging than this book. All of the interesting and readable chapters, for me, are those that focus on the climb. If you are a "real time" adventure seeker this isn't the book. You are better served with Into Thin Air or K2. The Perfect Storm was a much better adaptation of what "might" have taken place during a disaster. Missed the mark on this one. Lending library here it comes.
The gripping story of an attempt to conquer Mount Everest, with the narrative of the climbing team alternating with that of the wife and family of one climber left at home in England. We can see both the drive of the men who sought to conquer Everest with the pressure placed on those left at home during their absence. If you are a student of history, you already know how the story will end, so it's the telling of the tale itself that provides the interest. I read it during a hot summer week and felt the icy cold of Mount Everest in my room!
George Mallory was a climber. If he was not on a mountain, he climbed the brick exteriors of buildings. This compulsion motivated him to attempt to conquer Everest in 1924 - long before men had the equipment or means (by today's standards) to make such a conquest.
Ruth Mallory was deeply in love with George and satisfied that theirs was a rosy future, because after two failed attempts to climb Everest, George had assured her that she and their family were his future - not Everest. But the lure of Everest was too great and he made a third attempt. Given access to the extensive correspondence between George and Ruth, Tanis Rideout is able to take us on an emotional, intriguing and often frightening journey. An amazing story!
The book is written from the perspective of George Mallory on the mountain and his wife, waiting back home for him to return. The story of his team climbing Everest was interesting grueling, painful, frozen and arduous, but fascinating. When the book returned to his wife's POV, it became tedious. How many times does the reader need to read the depth of Ruth's lonliness while he traipses around the world climbing mountains, how many ways does it have to be described?

Other reviewers don't like to hear negative comments about books they really like, so my apologies to all of you. The book is well written, but I found that half-way through, I was skipping over whole sections from Ruth's POV and returning to Mallory's story which is heroic, grandiose and tragic.
Well researched and well imagined book about legendary Everest climber George Mallory, Sandy Irvine, his climbing partner, and George's faithful wife, Ruth, left behind in Cambridge with three small children while he goes off on his adventures. At times I found it a little confusing and drawn out, and at times a little tedious.....but it is a heart stopping adventure well told and as it winds to its inevitable (or was it) conclusion you feel the tragedy all the more. When you think that George Mallory's attempt to summit Everest was in 1924, that the mountain wasn't conquered until 1956 and that Mallory's body wasn't discovered until 1999, this book covers a period from WWI through contemporary history, and the story isn't over yet. I went to Wikipedia to check out facts, photos, routes - this story made me want to know more. I think this is a fine first novel and a good book for a book group read.
Spoiler alert Yes, you know from the beginning that he dies (at least in real life). But this could be like Lily King's "Euphoria", where it doesn't stay true to life... Nevertheless, I was very held by the later part of the book where George Mallory and his team were high on the mountain. And interesting factually about climbing technology. What made me crazy, though, was the weakness of Ruth. Maybe through the actual letters of the real Geoege and Ruth Mallory, one could only conclude that she was a weak, constantly needy person, but I'm not ready to believe that. I wish Tanis Rideout had drawn her as a character with more inner strength. She was boring and annoying to me.
"Above All Things" weaves together the story of George Mallory's third Everest expedition with the experiences his wife, Ruth, has at home in England.

The book is structured so that the chapters about George alternate with the simultaneous experiences of his wife. Ruth Mallory is home with their three children, with two maids working under her, and reporters hounding her for news and answers to silly questions. Ruth reflects on how she first met George, their honeymoon on a beach interrupted by the War (World War I), the arrival of their children, and their shared secrets and winks.

The chapters where George is featured will be frustrating for climbers or people who have read extensively about Everest expeditions. I was frustrated with the discussions of eating at the highest camps. From all of the accounts I have read, eating at the highest camps is not something to be enjoyed, and oxygen would not be wasted thanking the cook or commenting on the quality of the meal.

What Rideout did best in the George chapters was to get inside his thoughts and emotions. I enjoyed the exploration of how, why and when he climbed. His drive to go back to Everest again and again and again, above all things (his wife and family), was handled beautifully.

Approached as a novel, as a piece of historical fiction, this is an enjoyable novel focused on the emotions and experiential sensations of the characters. If the climbing content had been more technical and more detailed, then I would have given this more stars.