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The Boys of Everest: Chris Bonington and the Tragedy of Climbing's Greatest Generation Audiobook
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(3.67) - 12 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
This gripping account of courage, achievement, and heartbreaking loss tells the story of Bonington's Boys, a band of climbers who reinvented mountaineering during the three decades after Everest's first ascent. The boyish, fanatically driven Chris Bonington's inner circle included a dozen of the most renowned climbers, who took increasingly terrible risks on now legendary expeditions to the world's most fearsome peaks, and paid an enormous price. Most of them died in the mountains, leaving behind the hardest question of all: Was it worth it?
Based on interviews with surviving climbers and others, as well as five decades of journals, expedition accounts, and letters, The Boys of Everest provides the closest thing to an answer that we will ever have. It offers riveting descriptions of what Bonington's Boys found in the mountains, as well as an understanding of what they lost there.
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"Fascinating look at the rock-and-roll Brits of high-altitude climbing, who knocked off incredibly hard routes in the Himalayas in the 1970s and 1980s. You have to be a masochist to thrive on the stuff they did -- and many of them paid with their lives. "
— Letha (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Willis’s classy style turns reportage into literature.”
— New York Times -
“Fascinating…Willis’s meticulous, pitch-by-pitch accounts of climbs on the savage Eiger, the killer Annapurna, the intensely difficult Northeast Ridge of Everest and other major routes will make gripping reading.”
— Washington Post -
“Riveting, detailed, and full of insight…A refreshingly honest perspective on the tragic, selfish nature of our sport.”
— Climbing magazine -
“The writing is poetic at times, and Adams does it justice along with excellent German, French, British, and Scottish accents…and pacing that doesn’t let the technical details drag the story down…Devoted outdoor adventurers will love it.”
— Kliatt -
“A dramatic and romantic look at the greatest generation of climbers.”
— Library Journal -
“A death-haunted saga of the scalers of heaven…The same class and caliber [as] Into Thin Air.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“[A] gripping adventure saga…of life spent teetering on the edge of the abyss.”
— Publishers Weekly
The Boys of Everest Listener Reviews
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" Irritated by this book...to presume the thoughts of individuals just before they die alone, when there can be no record of such thoughts...it was too much. "
— Kristina, 12/9/2010 -
" I have no desire to climb Everest. But this was a pretty fascinating glimpse into the minds and lives of those who DO... and those who have acted on that desire. "
— Kit, 11/5/2010 -
" had to put this one down. every chapter is the same story; some epic climb, some unfortunate death. set up basecamp, climb a few pitches, think about mortality... yawn. the stories are indeed epic, but the melodramatic descriptions of every. single. thing. that. happens. are over-the-top. "
— Ryan, 8/25/2010 -
" I obviously love the non fiction, moutaineering story. I really enjoyed this. "
— Kiki, 1/14/2010 -
" I always enjoy reading true stories about mountain climbing! I'll never do it, but I totally respect those who have the drive and stamina (and willingness to take life-threatening risks) to go out and make the effort to climb to the top. "
— Lena, 1/20/2009
About Clint Willis
Clint Willis, a climber since he was ten years old, has written more than forty anthologies on adventure, politics, religion, and war, as well as hundreds of articles for such publications as the New York Times, Men’s Journal, and Outside. His work has been nominated for the National Magazine Award.
About James Adams
James Adams is one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and intelligence, and for more than twenty-five years he has specialized in national security. He is also the author of fourteen bestselling books on warfare, with a particular emphasis on covert warfare. A former managing editor of the London Sunday Times and CEO of United Press International, he trained as a journalist in England, where he graduated first in the country. Now living in Southern Oregon, he has narrated numerous audiobooks and earned an AudioFile Earphones Award and two coveted Audie Award for best narration.