Stephanie S. reviewed on 12/30/2021 + 168 more book reviews

This author became driven to scale the famed Seven Summits, and his account of each attempt of them is very entertaining--harrowing, humorous, exhilarating. Everest was his last goal, and it was there he nearly didn't survive the perils. The parts of the book that detail his efforts and experiences while on these mountains make for very exciting reading. However, the book took an unexpected turn for me--a detour that I was not expecting and it unfortunately threw off my enthusiasm for a good while.

Suddenly his marriage and family became the focus of the story. Specifically the dark toll his obsession with mountain climbing took on his relationship with his wife and children. Weathers zealously pursued climbing mountains because he learned it held his tendency towards severe depression at bay. The arduous training and weeks and months of being away on climbs lead to him shutting out his wife and two children. They all became participants in the book, each telling their sides of common events. They were sad and angry. He was driven and remote. Sometimes, in fact quite often, I found I just wanted to get back to the action of the mountains, which he told with so much vivid enthusiasm.

Returning from Everest, Weathers had to recover from severe injuries. His life was changed physically, but also emotionally as he finally learned to let his family back in. I found most of this book to be a real page-turner. Even when it was diverted by the family drama, the pages still turned for me because I knew the story would eventually get back to the action on the mountains.

*** 1/2 Three and a half stars

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